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Your School Safe?
Tips for parents
by Cheli Cerra, M.Ed.
PARENTGUIDE NEWS August 2007
Providing a safe learning environment is one of the most
important actions of a quality school. Maintaining that environment is
the responsibility of the staff, students, parents and community members.
Schools need to have well-established plans and procedures in place to
deal with safety issues, disruptive students and potential problems that
may threaten our children.
Statistically, schools continue to be the safest places for our children.
When you walk into a school, what are some signs to look for to ensure
that your child’s school is a safe haven? Here is a list to get
you started.
•Safety Sign #1: Tidy Grounds
When the school building and surrounding property are clean, well lit
and well maintained, a sense of safety and security prevails. A dirty
school or one that lacks lit corridors should raise red flags as signs
of caution that security and safety are not considered a priority. If
the walkways around the school is also not lit, especially during afterschool
programs and evening events, there is a chance that children may get injured
because it may be hard to see where to walk. Worse yet, someone could
come onto school property without being seen.
•Safety Sign #2: A Closed Campus
It is extremely important for schools to know about the visitors on campus.
All school visitors should be directed to the main office, required to
sign in and asked to carry a visitor’s badge or pass for the duration
of their visit. Some schools have a system that scans a person’s
drivers license. With the aid of a national database, the scan screens
for potential sexual predators.
Checking to see if your child’s school follows specific procedures
to restrict access and monitor visitors is crucial for campus safety.
•Safety Sign #3: A Sign-Out Policy
Say your child gets sick— does the school know who can and cannot
sign your child out of school? Emergency contact information is critical,
especially for families that are going through divorce or have other special
situations. Schools should never allow a child to go home with any person.
Parents need to be vigilant. List trusted alternate family members and
friends on your child’s emergency contact sheet. Inform these adults
that they need to present a picture ID for the school to release your
child. And be mindful of the other ways that your child’s school
handles the sign-out policy.
•Safety Sign #4: Security Monitors
Does your school have security monitors, police officers and/or school
officials in the hallways and on the school grounds? One of the most effective
means of preventing crime within a school is to have a school’s
staff monitor the hallways and school grounds. A safe school has easily
identified staff security members who constantly walk the hallways or
stand guard at designated spots throughout the school, watching and observing.
Find out if school resource officials and city police officers visit the
school on a regular basis or patrol the area around the school daily.
•Safety Sign #5: Crisis Prevention
No bully zone! That is the slogan that can be seen throughout many schools
today. Does your child’s school have established anti-bullying and
crisis prevention programs? One of the most important features of such
programs is to have a way for children to anonymously report an impending
crisis or that they are being bullied. Talk to your child’s school
counselor or principal and ask what bullying and prevention programs exist.
•Safety Sign #6: School Discipline
All classroom teachers should send home their class rules and policies
at the beginning of each school year. Students as well as parents should
know the rules and consequences regarding bad behavior. Along with this
teacher policy, schools should provide parents and students with a school
handbook. This handbook should address important information about the
school. A quality school will have a parent handbook that addresses school
policies, procedures and rules. When everyone knows the rules, everyone
knows what is expected and there are few, if any, emergencies.
School safety goes beyond what can be seen on a tour of the school. For
a school to be a safe learning environment, the faculty, staff members,
students and parents must be aware of the safety and security measures
for handling any type of disturbance that might occur. As a parent, you
have the right to ask questions concerning these safety issues.
An Essential Checklist
When investigating your school of choice, can you answer “yes”
to the following questions?
•Does the school appear to be clean and hazard-free?
•Does the school have a safety coordinator who is responsible for
maintaining a safe and healthy environment?
•Does the school have an anonymous way for students to report a
conflict, crime or crisis, especially if another student might be involved?
•Does the school have a crisis prevention plan?
•Does the school have procedures to respond quickly and efficiently
when a crisis situation does occur?
•Has the school informed parents, teachers, students and the community
about crisis procedures?
•Does the school have a fair and consistent discipline procedure
in place?
•Does the school have counselors and psychologists available to
students in need?
•Does the school involve the community, teachers, students, parents
and officials in safety efforts?
Investigating the answers to these questions gives you a thorough understanding
of your child’s school.
Cheli Cerra, M.Ed., is a school principal, mother
of two children and the founder of www.eduville.com, an online community
that provides information to bring out the best in children. Cerra is
a regular guest on Fox News. Subscribe to her free newsletter, School
Confidential, at www.eduville.com for inside secrets from an expert.
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