School safety is a primary concern for any parent, teacher, or school administrator today. Perrodin (Viterbo Univ.) has extensive experience with and background in safety training, and he provides a realistic view of the topic, including practical ideas and solutions for school systems to implement. He cautions of "safety experts" who are more interested in making a profit than protecting schools, noting that administrators should be wary of proposed solutions that only advocate for more safety cameras, metal detectors, or other flashy technology. Instead the author asks for schools to consider "the torus," a way of visualizing familiar places, events, and daily routines and their interruptions as a possible solution, along with situational awareness. Perrodin cleverly uses a bagel to illustrate this point. He believes that schools must be ready to let go of the familiar and improvise, emphasizing a student-centered approach, particularly in the section on drill fidelity, stating that drills should be conducted less frequently but with more urgency to teach students skills to use in a particular situation rather than just to show them what could happen. This accessible book will appeal to multiple audiences and would be a valuable addition to any library. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels.

Choice Reviews

Dr. David Perrodin’s School of Errors allows readers inside the mind of an expert educator, a national resource in school safety research, and a compelling story teller. Perrodin lays out a guide for considering safety that prioritizes data-driven research over rhetoric, student learning over unnecessary fear, and wisdom over bumper sticker solutions. At least one person on every school board should have read this book before weighing another district safety decision. This is essential reading for school leaders, but worth the time for anyone interested in the larger national dialogue around safety. His gift as a writer is to connect the particulars of school safety to the larger realities of human existence, history, and patterns that only a gifted expert can show us.

Seann Dikkers, author, “TeacherCraft, Mobile Media Learning, and Real-Time Research”

In every field there is that one man who is led by facts and truth rather than fads or group thinking. When it comes to school safety, David Perrodin is that man, and his book School of Errors reveals why.

TJ Martinell, Lens award-winning reporter and writer at the Tenth Amendment Center

A brave demonstration of speaking truth to power “School of Errors” rips the lid off the billion-dollar school safety industry. Using real-world examples of successful responses in desperate situations, David contrasts the expensive window dressings pitched to panicked parents, with the inexpensive and effective approaches proven to actually work. Read this book before you let your school waste another precious dollar on meaningless safety ‘theater.’

James B. Sibley, Esq., Special Education Attorney, Tollner Law Offices

Over the last 20 years, in the wake of unthinkable school shootings, school safety has propelled itself to priority number one for school leaders. A priority that has not had the thoughtful support of understanding what we need to do to address the simple question, “What if?” A question with an endless number of scenarios which we honestly struggle to reasonably counter. We spend countless amounts of resources of time and money to fortify our schools and train our staff. Yet intuitively we sense we are somehow possibly missing the boat. David allows us a moment to step back and thoughtfully reconsider the landscape before us.

Mati Palm-Leis, superintendent, School District of Mellen Wisconsin

Dr. David Perrodin gives the reader a contrarian view on the current school security establishment. The emphasis is placed more on the individual for timely action than it does bollard fencing. Perrodin’s School of Errors puts you in the front row of active shooter crime scenes. What is needed and how to survive them.

Thomas Marchetti, retired Los Angeles Police Detective