Make My Children's School Safer

The Need For Safe Schools

When crime, drugs and violence spill over from the streets into the schools, providing a safe learning environment becomes increasingly difficult. More students carry weapons. Gunfights replace fistfights.

Many students must travel through drug dealer or gang turf. Violence becomes an acceptable way to settle conflicts. When this happens, children cannot learn and teachers cannot teach.

Partnership

Creating a safe place where children can learn and grow depends on a partnership among students, parents, teachers, as well as other community institutions.

Tips to Prevent School Violence

• Find out how crime threatens schools in your community.
• How do these ideas translate into action?
• Promote nonviolent ways to manage conflict.
• Take action to protect children.

Students

• Don’t use alcohol or other drugs and stay away from places and people associated with them.
• Get involved in your school’s anti-violence activities, have poster contests against violence, hold anti-drug rallies,
• Report crimes or suspicious activities to the police, school authorities, or parents
• Settle arguments with words, not fists or weapons.
• Take safe routes to and from school and know good places to seek help.
• Volunteer to counsel peers. If there are no programs, help start one.

Parents

• Become involved in your child’s school activities, PTA, field trips, and helping out in class or lunchroom.
• Help your children learn nonviolent ways to handle frustration, anger and conflict.
• Know where your kids are, what they are doing, and whom they are with at all times!
• Teach your children how to reduce their risk of being victims of crime.
• Work with other parents in your neighborhood to start a McGruff House or other block parent program. A McGruff House is a reliable source of help for children in emergency or frightening situations. Volunteers must meet specific standards, including a law enforcement record check. Programs are established locally, as a partnership among law enforcement, schools, and community organizations. For information, call 801-486-8768.

School Staff

• Develop consistent disciplinary policies, good security procedures, and a response plan for emergencies. Train school personnel in conflict resolution, problem solving, crisis intervention, cultural sensitivity, classroom management and counseling skills.
• Work with students, parents, law enforcement, state governments, and community-based groups to develop wider-scope crime-prevention efforts, such as Drug-Free and Gun-Free School Zones.

Community Partners

• Law enforcement can report on the type of crimes in the surrounding community and suggest ways to make schools safer.
• Colleges and universities can offer conflict-management courses to teachers or assist school officials in developing violence-prevention curricula.
• Community-based groups, church organizations, and other service groups can provide counseling, extended learning
• Law enforcement officers in many areas participate in school activities and talk with students about crime prevention, drug abuse and other problems.
• Local businesses can provide apprenticeship programs, participate in adopt-a-school programs, or serve as mentors to area students.
• Programs, before- and after-school activities, school watches, and other community crime-prevention programs.
• State and local governments can develop model school safety plans, and provide funding for schools to implement the programs.