I just came out of a meeting addressing campus lockdowns and mass notification when my phone started buzzing. The Broward County Sheriff Department’s Alertify message stared me in the face – Active Shooter at my daughter’s school.

A student missing after a catastrophic earthquake, a bus carrying students is involved in a fatal accident in an area with no cellphone connectivity, or a terrorist attack closes a major international airport – each of these realistic scenarios can quickly turn an exciting study abroad program into a personal and organizational crisis.

Sending your child to college is both an exciting and emotional time. As with any rite of passage, the separation and the transition to a new environment has the potential to propagate safety and security concerns for both parents and future students.