{"id":48630,"date":"2025-08-07T12:38:56","date_gmt":"2025-08-07T12:38:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test.excelmedias.com\/Security\/2025\/08\/07\/britney-fortner-on-school-security-the-most-important-part-of-this-job-is-the-relational-piece\/"},"modified":"2025-08-07T12:38:56","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T12:38:56","slug":"britney-fortner-on-school-security-the-most-important-part-of-this-job-is-the-relational-piece","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.excelmedias.com\/Security\/2025\/08\/07\/britney-fortner-on-school-security-the-most-important-part-of-this-job-is-the-relational-piece\/","title":{"rendered":"Britney Fortner on School Security: \u201cThe Most Important Part of This Job Is the Relational Piece\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Article Originally Published Here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

In the wake of two devastating school shootings in 2018, Britney Fortner, then Program Coordinator at the Austin Police Department, found herself asking a critical question: How can we better protect schools from violence?<\/em> It turned out that relationships in the community are the answer. <\/p>\n

Fortner was leading the department\u2019s Threat Liaison and School Safety Outreach programs during the Parkland shooting on February 14 and the Santa Fe High School shooting just months later on May 18. These tragedies set her on a path that would shape the rest of her career in school security.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen both of those events took place, we as an intelligence center started asking ourselves: what could we do to mitigate these risks and these threats?\u201d<\/p>\n

That question would guide Fortner through several career moves, each deepening her expertise and commitment to proactive school safety.<\/p>\n

READ: Survey Reveals Majority of School Leaders Don\u2019t Feel Main Entrances Are Fully Secure<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

From Policy to Practice: Building a Career in Threat Management<\/h3>\n

After her time with the Austin Police Department, Fortner became a Behavioral Threat Assessment Grant Specialist at Texas State University. There, she helped implement behavioral threat assessment protocols across Texas\u2019s K-12 and higher education institutions, training staff to identify and respond to signs of risk before violence occurs.<\/p>\n

She later transitioned to YES Prep Public Schools, first as Manager and eventually as Director of Safety and Security. It was there that her role expanded from policy into practice.<\/p>\n

\u201cI learned a lot in that role because I was doing a lot more related to physical security,\u201d Fortner reflects. \u201cI did a lot of work related to mitigating risk when it came to school safety and really got my feet under me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today, Fortner holds her dream jog, Director of Safety, Security and Threat Management, a role that allows her to blend communication, strategy, and relationships into one mission: keeping students safe.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt truly is my dream job,\u201d she declares.<\/p>\n

School Safety Starts in the Relationships Within the Community<\/h3>\n

Fortner believes strongly that safety doesn\u2019t begin at the school gates. It starts in the neighborhoods, families, and communities that surround a campus.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying to catch individuals that have a grievance early, so that we can put interventions in place to help that person and take them off the pathway of violence,\u201d Fortner explains. \u201cBut if that person is not in our community and we don\u2019t know of their grievance or what they\u2019re planning, and they\u2019ve already decided they\u2019re going to act, at that point, it is almost impossible to stop something from happening.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because external threats are difficult to predict, Fortner emphasizes the need for comprehensive, layered preparedness.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou must have the appropriate measures and layers in place to be able to respond as quickly as possible,\u201d Fortner states.<\/p>\n

While physical security is a critical aspect of her work, Fortner notes that it cannot come at the expense of the learning environment.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur families have an expectation that they\u2019re going to drop their student off and that their student is going to not only be safe, but feel safe and learn.\u201d Fortner asserts, \u201cWhile security is my top priority because that\u2019s my job, our top priority in the school district is always going to be educating students.\u201d<\/p>\n

This philosophy drives her approach to campus safety: preventing harm while ensuring that schools remain welcoming, nurturing places for students to grow.<\/p>\n

Communication and Trust Are Cornerstones of Security<\/h3>\n

Fortner didn\u2019t begin her career in security. She studied public relations and business at the undergraduate level, and earned a master\u2019s degree in higher education. Early roles included Event Manager for The Allan House and Administrative Assistant at the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD).<\/p>\n

These experiences, Fortner says, gave her a skillset that\u2019s often overlooked in the security world: the ability to build trust and communicate clearly.<\/p>\n

\u201cCommunication is so important for safety and security. Communicating expectations, communicating policies and procedures, communicating when something has gone wrong or not as intended, all of it is essential,\u201d Fortner remarks. \u201cIt\u2019s important to be able to communicate enough so that you\u2019re providing transparency to what is going on, but not divulging all of your safety processes, because that creates vulnerabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Being transparent without compromising security is a delicate balance. But Fortner believes it\u2019s necessary to earn trust, foster cooperation, and avoid creating unnecessary fear among students, parents, and staff.<\/p>\n

Community Relationships Are the Foundation<\/h3>\n

Ultimately, Fortner circles back to the insight that reshaped her approach after Parkland and Santa Fe: relationships are the foundation of effective school security.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most important part of this job is the relational piece,\u201d Fortner declares.<\/p>\n

While threat assessments, lockdown drills, and surveillance technology are critical tools, Fortner emphasizes that security professionals must first build strong connections with the communities they serve. Without those relationships, early intervention becomes more difficult, and safety systems can falter.<\/p>\n

As schools continue to face complex safety challenges, Fortner\u2019s message is clear: the best security plans are built not just with policies and protocols, but with people in mind.<\/em><\/p>\n

The post Britney Fortner on School Security: \u201cThe Most Important Part of This Job Is the Relational Piece\u201d<\/a> appeared first on Security Guard Services Magazine<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Read More<\/a><\/p>\n

\u200b<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Article Originally Published Here In the wake of two devastating school shootings in 2018, Britney Fortner, then Program Coordinator at the Austin Police Department, found herself asking a critical question: How can we better protect schools from violence? It turned out that relationships in the community are the answer. Fortner was leading the department\u2019s Threat Liaison and School Safety Outreach programs during the Parkland shooting on February 14 and the Santa Fe High School shooting just months later on May […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1971,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48630","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-security-guard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.excelmedias.com\/Security\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48630","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.excelmedias.com\/Security\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.excelmedias.com\/Security\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.excelmedias.com\/Security\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48630"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.excelmedias.com\/Security\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48630\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.excelmedias.com\/Security\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1971"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.excelmedias.com\/Security\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48630"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.excelmedias.com\/Security\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48630"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.excelmedias.com\/Security\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48630"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}