MBCA Security Protocols

Dear MBCA Families,

In these times when school violence makes headlines all too often, it's reasonable to ask what we are
doing at MBCA to protect our children and teachers, and why security experts have said that we are now
among the safest schools they have observed. We have not only completed a comprehensive overhaul
of our campus security, we continue to enhance our systems and train. Our security posture includes the
following:

• Security team: We have a strong, active security team made up of security professionals, school security officers, administration, and staff.
• External accountability: We employed Group Nine security consultants, who conducted a comprehensive assessment that resulted in dozens of system upgrades.
• Threat assessment: We have a separate threat assessment team, which includes our stellar counseling department, designed to raise awareness, train staff, and filter concerns about students, community members, or outsiders who may present a threat to others in our community. We have recently adopted an updated threat assessment protocol.
• Training: Our faculty and staff continue to be trained in active shooter response, including during our recent preplanning sessions before school started, with scheduled drills during the year. We also use and conduct drills with our faculty on the Ruvna emergency notification system which is tied directly to our Blackbaud database, ensuring real-time accountability for our students during an emergency.
• Physical security: In addition to our full-time, armed security officers, our doors have access control, our entries are hardened, our electronic VisitU sign-in systems are connected to national registries, and we have a network of security cameras directly linked to the Cobb County Fusion Center which gives law enforcement access to our camera feeds in real time during an emergency, and much more.

This is just a small sampling of the robust security that is employed here at MBCA. If you would like to
explore further, you may wish to read previous security updates here: Security Update Winter 2024,
and Security Update Summer 2023.

Whenever there is a school shooting, we know there are students who struggle with fear or anxiety
about their own safety. Our faculty and counselors have walked alongside many of our families, and we
are honored to partner with our parents in difficult times – please let us know if our team can help. In
addition, here are a few resources that may be helpful to draw on in these sorts of circumstances:

• Focus on the Family: Talking to Kids About Mass Violence
• National Child Traumatic Stress Network: Talking to Children About a Shooting
• American School Counselor Association: Helping Students After a School Shooting
• Caring for Kids: Helping Kids Deal with Public Disasters

We love and care for your children, and our staff is committed to providing a safe, nurturing environment.