It Could Only Happen Here

From Safe & Loved Teachers are the Prize:

I was eating lunch at a fast-food restaurant when something shocking and remarkable happened. 

First of all, a teenager was sitting across from me, reading a book. He was deep into it. That alone stood out. 

Beside him was an elderly woman—maybe 70. All of sudden, she held her empty coffee cup in the air, looking left and right for help. 

No one came. 

The young man noticed and set his book down, walked over, and quietly said, “I’ll fill that up for you.” 

She handed him the cup. “Do you work here?” 

“No,” he said. “My brother does. I’m just waiting for him to get off.” 

He came back a minute later with her cup filled, two creams, and sugar. 

Now here’s the question:
Which fast-food place did this happen in?

You probably guessed it…D. Chick-fil-A. 

In fact, it could only happen at Chick-fil-A because only Chick-fil-A has a culture where that sort of thing feels normal. Even expected. It’s just part of the environment. And it’s not because the food is different—but because the culture is different. 

Great cultures tells people, without ever saying it out loud, “This is who we are. This is how we treat each other here.” 

Great cultures are safer cultures.
Less violence.
More trust.
More people noticing, helping, sharing, and stepping in before problems grow…because that’s who we are and how we treat each other here. 

Here’s the question for you:
What does your culture make people do at your school? 

Does it make everyone trust each other a little more?
Is kindness normal, even expected?
Do students feel safe enough to share without being asked?
Do staff step in to help because it’s natural, not because it’s mandated? 

Is it Chick-fil-A or McDonalds? 

**gasps** 

Or Walmart? 

Take a good look at your culture and be honest.
If it doesn’t make your safety better, your job easier, your people kinder, and your trust deeper—that’s your next step. 

Culture is the one thing in a school that touches everything:
how students behave, how staff respond, how problems get handled, your level of positive engagement, and how safe people feel walking through the door. 

You can’t fix culture by force.
You raise it by clarity, consistency, and the way you treat each other.
Safe & Loved is a holistic approach to preventing violence. Like great cultures, it touches everything and makes everything better because it's built on positive engagement.

It gives you a clear, people-focused plan to make your school safer while deepening your trust, hope, and connections every single day.