On April 16, 2007, the shooting events at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA, brought about intense debate about the responsibility of colleges and universities to provide safe environments and to increase their abilities to prevent and manage serious crisis events. In some states, mandatory school lock down drills practices several times a year are now the norm. So, what can parents do at home to teach or enforce what schools are teaching children regarding school safety? Numerous tips and parenting advice is provided that may stimulate discussions at home.
Teaching prevention skills
- Students are being taught mediation skills (problem solving and communication) and ways to handle their emotions–especially anger–without hurting others. These skills will help them avoid potentially dangerous situations. Students are also being taught “safe” behaviors such as doing activities in groups, alerting school personnel if a stranger is on school grounds, and reporting situations that threaten other students’ safety.
Providing alternatives to gangs
- School districts and communities are working together to offer students alternatives to gang membership, including activities that build self-esteem and help students deal with feelings of powerlessness. Strategies include providing special assistance to students who are at risk of gang membership, creating an atmosphere that fosters a sense of belonging in all students, informing parents and school staff about gangs and teaching students how to avoid being drawn into them, and giving students regular opportunities to discuss school experiences and to plan for future successes and rewards.
Improving school designs
- As school buildings are constructed and old ones are renovated, safety has become an essential element of their design. In new schools, office areas are now centrally located for easy accessibility from other locations in the building or campus. Hallways have convenient exits and are well lit. Dead end hallways and staircase hideaways have been eliminated, and restrooms are located closer to administrators to prevent students from hanging out.
Monitoring visitors carefully
- Schools are becoming more assertive in screening visitors, requiring them to register when entering the
building or campus and by employing security personnel. Schools can be both secure and friendly by requesting visitors to check in rather than report to the office. Registered visitors are given a pass or badge to display prominently to let staff and students know that they have been acknowledged by the administration. Staff and students are instructed to report people without proper identification to a school administrator. In addition, many schools now ask that parents give the names of adults who are allowed to pick up a child, and require those individuals to show identification to school personnel when signing a student out.
How Can I Help My Child Practice Safe Behavior?
Parents can teach their children safe behaviors before enrolling them in school. Children who know the appropriate action to take in a given situation are less likely to expose themselves to danger. Safe behaviors to teach your child are:
Not talking to strangers
- This warning is more important today than ever before. Encourage your children to get to know school staff other than their teachers and get acquainted with them yourself. Familiarity helps children recognize adults who don’t belong as well as adults who can offer help when needed. As a plus, children will also learn that the school staff are their friends and more than just rule enforcers.
Taking safety in numbers
- Encourage your children to stay close to friends and to walk in groups in school hallways. Suggest that they limit their restroom visits to recess and breaks and use facilities located in high-traffic areas or in areas more likely to be visited by staff.
Choosing friends carefully
- Encourage your children to avoid students who do not handle anger effectively. Ask your children to be particularly careful with classmates who bring weapons to school and to report any such incidents to their teachers.
Tips For Parents & Schools
* Enforce zero-tolerance policies toward the presence of weapons, alcohol, and illegal drugs.
* Establish and enforce drug- and gun-free zones.
* Establish policies that declare that anything that is illegal off campus is illegal on campus.
* Engage students in maintaining a good learning environment by establishing a teen court.
* Develop protocols between law enforcement and the school about ways to share information on at-risk youth.
* Develop resource lists that provide referral services for students who are depressed or otherwise under stress.
* Involve teens in designing and running programs such as mediation, mentoring, peer assistance, School Crime Watch, and graffiti removal programs.
* Insist that all students put outerwear in their lockers during school hours.
* Require all students to tuck in their shirts to keep them from hiding weapons.
* Develop and enforce dress codes that ban gang-related and gang-style clothing.
* Establish a policy of positive identification such as ID badges for administrators, staff, students, and visitors.
* Deny students permission to leave school for lunch and other non-school-related activities during school hours.
- Searching for more ways to keep kids safe? Visit one of the many ScottCounseling friends at: safekidsnow.com
