Education, Experience Lead To Success For Director Of Safety
School safety is of the utmost importance considering the previous tragedies that have occurred in school locations throughout the world. Many individuals in the management end of public safety start as police officers. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, estimates the job outlook for police officers and detectives is projected to grow 5 percent from 2012 to 2022.
John Heiderscheidt is the director of safety and culture at Elgin School District U-46. He is also a retired police officer with over 22 years of experience. Heiderscheidt works on a daily basis with teachers, principals, school deans, assistant principals, nurses, school social workers, school resource officers, and dean's assistants discussing response actions to student situations, training and prevention.
Heiderscheidt shares how his education and experiences have led him to the very important position of director of safety and culture at Elgin School District U-46.
What are the responsibilities of your current role?
"The purpose is to facilitate, promote, and help maintain a safe, secure, and nurturing school learning environment that is flexible in meeting the academic, social, and emotional needs of each student. The goal is to support and empower schools to be welcoming centers of family and community engagement while striving toward prevention, operational excellence and efficiency. I serve as the law enforcement liaison for the board and all law enforcement agencies serving School District U-46. [I also] direct the school districts crisis response teams and serve as the director of emergency operations."
What is your favorite part of your daily duties?
"When I have the opportunity to train and equip fellow employees with a new or enhanced skills to de-escalate difficult situations. When I can help someone navigate a crisis situation who will then help others during critical incidents. Being a team member at Elgin School District has been very rewarding. During the last eight years, we set a goal to change the past school model of discipline from punitive and exclusionary to an intervention model to work with students collaboratively for behavior change. Our efforts have resulted in a 75 percent reduction in offenses that result in out-of-school suspensions."
Do you feel your education prepared you for your current role?
"Absolutely. My education started with my parents. High school prepared me for a career in law enforcement that started when I was 18 as a desk officer. During my 30's, I attended Harper College and North Central College resulting in a bachelor degree in psychology. Having a better understanding of human behavior has been critically important in my work today. In my 40's, I attended Western Illinois University receiving a master's degree in law enforcement and justice administration, which has had a significant positive impact in everything I do."
Do you have any advice for people who desire to pursue a similar career?
"Safety, security, law enforcement careers are about understanding human behavior, caring for and helping people. My advice is to learn as much as you can about understanding sociology, psychology, and cultural influences on behavior."
Michelle Guilbeau is a writer, reviewer, teacher and business owner living in Chicago, Illinois. She also has experience in school administration, literacy coaching and is proud founder of CraftKitsForKids.com and MichelleGuilbeau.com Michelle enjoys sharing her knowledge of Chicago, food, travel, education and parenting issues with her readers. Her work can be found on Examiner.com.