Creating Safe Schools for All Children

Creating Safe Schools for All Students draws on the latest research, law, and expert judgment to offer educators a comprehensive program for designing safe schools. This book provides a set of standards that educators can use to evaluate their schools and then develop practical and systematic plans for ensuring orderly and caring learning environments. It also addresses several theoretical perspectives through which readers can come to understand school safety. Attention is given to the distinction between preventing violence and promoting safety.

Table of Contents:
Each chapter contains a conclusion and bibliography. Preface. Why This Book? What Is a Safe School? Safety Standards. Organization of the Book. SECTION I: UNDERSTANDING THE CHALLENGE OF SCHOOL SAFETY. 1. The Rise of School Safety As a National Priority. The Road to Columbine and Beyond. Early Warnings. Delinquency, Disruption, and Dissent. Some Encouraging Signs. Schools at Risk. A National School Safety Goal. School Safety Themes. School Safety: A Persistent Concern. The Widening Scope of School Safety. A Growing Range of Responses. A Greater Role for Government and the Courts. The Politicization of School Safety. The Expanding Knowledge Base on School Safety. 2. Perspectives on School Safety What Is a Perspective? An Educational Perspective. Focus. Assumptions. Questions. Implications and Limitations. A Psychological Perspective. Focus. Assumptions. Questions. Implications and Limitations. An Organizational Perspective. Focus. Assumptions. Questions. Implications and limitations. A Political Perspective. Focus. Assumptions. Questions. Implications and limitations. A Cultural Perspective. Focus. Assumptions. Questions. Implications and limitations. A Design Perspective. Focus. Assumptions. Questions. Implications and limitations. SECTION II: THE ELEMENTS OF A SAFE SCHOOL. 3. Standard 1: Knowing What Is Expected? The Need for Clear Guidelines. What Form Should Guidelines Take? What Are Characteristics of a Good Rule? Can a School Have Too Many Rules? What Behaviors Do Rules Need to Address? Which Rules Can Cause Confusion? Who Should Make the Rules? How Should Rules Be Shared with Students? 4. Standard 2: Humane, Fair, and Consistent Enforcement. The Nature of Rule Enforcement. Humaneness. Fairness. Consistency. Understanding Consequences. How Can Consequences Be used. Conscientiously and Effectively? What Is Known about School-based. Consequences? Discipline and Special Education Students. The Complexities of Rule Enforcement. Role differentiation. Role conflict. Role confusion. 5. Standard 3: A Caring School Community Toxic School Cultures. What Is a Caring School Community? Learning to Care. The Need for Special Skills. Troubleshooting. Positive Peer Influence. Peer-to-peer assistance. School and community service. Connecting to School. Embracing Differences. A Pervasive Sense of Psychological Safety. 6. Standard 4: A Comprehensive School Safety Plan. What Are the Goals of a Comprehensive School Safety Plan? What to Include in a School Safety Plan. Systematic Management Plan for School Discipline. Schoolwide Student Management Plan. Schoolwide Discipline Plan. Core Components of a Comprehensive Plan. Clear Expectations for Behavior. Teamwork. Communication. Proactive Strategies. Data Management. Staff Development. A Comprehensive School Safety Plan in Action. Steps in Developing a School Safety Plan. Launching School Safety Planning. Forming the Planning Committee. Identifying Constraints. Exploring Possibilities. Building Awareness. Drafting a Plan. Obtaining Feedback. Revising the Plan. Obtaining Approval. Planning Implementation. Monitoring Implementation. 7. Standard 5: Crisis Management. The Nature of School Crises. The Need for Crisis Management. General Guidelines for Crisis Planning. What should be done by the person or persons who first hear about or witness an emergency? What should the emergency contact person do? At what point should the Crisis Management Team be convened? Who should be on the Crisis Management Team and what are their duties? Who needs to be informed of the crisis? What should be done if outside assistance is unavailable? How should non-team members be informed about crisis management plans? The Importance of Communications. Representative Responses to Selected. Emergencies. Armed individual. Fight. Bomb threat. Suicide threat. Post-Crisis Planning. 8. Standard 6: School Facilities Designed for Safety. The Impact of Physical Environment on Behavior. Safer Movement in and around School. Better Supervision through Design. School Safety through Controlled Access. Safety on School Grounds. Designing Special Facilities. Environmental enhancement through Design. 9. Standard 7: School Safety and Community Support. The Changing Community Context of Schools. Schools Feel the Impact of Changing Communities. Sources of Support in the Safe School. Campaign. Parents. Non-parents. Community Leaders. Law Enforcement Agencies. The Court System. Youth Agencies and Organizations. Other Community Organizations. The Challenge of Collaboration. The Promise of Collaboration. Strong Families: The Cornerstone of Safe. Schools and Communities. SECTION III: SCHOOL SAFETY: QUESTIONS AND REFLECTIONS 10. Questions about School Safety Questions of Law and Policy. Should school policy require drug tests for students? Under what circumstances should students be searched in school? Should students be required to wear uniforms to school as a safety measure? Should an expelled student be permitted to return to school? Questions Related to Specific Safety Problems. Under what circumstances should an aggressive or disruptive student be evaluated for a possible behavior disorder? Should drugs be used to control the behavior of students with behavior disorders? What can schools do to reduce the harmful effects of drugs and alcohol? What can schools do to combat the negative influence of gangs? Questions Related to General School Safety Issues. Is it possible to transform an unsafe school into a safe school? How should resources be targeted to make the biggest difference in school safety? What grade level poses the greatest challenge for educators concerned about school safety? 11. Lessons Learned on the Way to Safer Schools. Thinking about School Safety. Lesson No. 1: Safety means different things to different people. Lesson No. 2: People confront threats to school safety with different mental models. Lesson No. 3: Reflection is often a better response to safety problems than reaction. Lesson No. 4: School safety is best regarded as a function of learning Lesson No. 5: Safety Problems are more likely to arise when school goals do not match the needs of students. Lesson No. 6: Safety problems are more likely to arise and intensify when communication channels fail to function effectively. Lesson No. 7: Safety problems are less likely to occur when the well-being of students is considered to be every staff member's responsibility. School Safety and Leadership. Lesson No. 8: The creation and maintenance of safe schools for all students requires capable and caring leadership. School Safety As a Mirror of Society. Lesson 9: How we make sense of and handle school safety reflects a great deal about the nature of our society. Safety Versus Risk. Rights Versus Responsibilities. Crime Versus Condition. Law Versus Professional Judgment. Safe Schools Can Be Achieved. Lesson 10: School safety can be achieved when schools and communities work together. Bibliography. APPENDIX A: Standards for Safe Schools