Students spend more time at school than at any other place, this alone underscores why schools must be a secure location where children should feel safe at all times. Schools are essential parts of our communities, they focus on characteristics to enable students to form positive relationships with each other, experience success, learn positive values such as honesty, integrity, and kindness; and are encouraged to be involved. There are a few main types of safety found in schools:
- Physical Safety
- Psychosocial Safety
- School Transportation and Safety
- Background Verification of Staff
- Visitor Management System
It is the school’s responsibility to make sure that students feel safe when they arrive on-site, that they have a strong relationship with at least one adult in school, that they understand their academic and behavioral expectations clearly, and that they have access to appropriate physical and mental health services.
How can our schools provide a safe and healthy environment?
Tighten Security
Why is security at school important? Schools are not strangers to violence. In fact, the United States has some of the most well-documented instances of school violence that resulted in various injuries and loss of life. Security is important to protect students from threats such as assaults, bullying, victimization, theft, classroom disorder, fights, robbery, use of weapons, sexual attacks, and violent crimes.
A safe school encourages a healthy environment to learn, grow, develop skills and talents, as well as interact with peers and form good relationships; and one way to do that is to buff up the security in the vicinity. Some of the telltale signs to be observed from students that indicate your school badly needs to improve its security are serious physical fighting, severe destruction of property, severe rage for minor reasons, detailed threats of lethal violence, possession and/or use of weapons, and self-injurious behaviors or suicide.
How to improve school security:
- Conduct a safety assessment
- Utilize modern security technology
- Monitor surveillance cameras
- Improve security policy
- Train security staff
- Add security force with off-site support
If the above measures are implemented properly and efficiently, the school will reap a range of benefits, such as faster response times, decreased bullying, ease of mind for parents, and more.
Create a Safety Plan
Safety plans ensure that students and teachers alike know what to do when a disaster occurs such as fire, flood, or worse, a school shooter has infiltrated the premises. Quite honestly, it is very near to impossible that all kinds of disasters in school will be avoided by a solid safety plan. However, this will mitigate any damage and loss; and help both students and teachers make the best decision at a given time.
Safety plans could start by creating planning teams that will contribute to basic steps and precautions in the preparation stage of the safety plan. This could include teachers, school administrators, and parents. Safety plans could also involve emergency response teams, where members have distinct duties and responsibilities during an emergency or an incident at school. Finally, the creation of a post-incident team would be optimal, in order to get the school and the community back on track. This team would offer much-needed support to students and teachers alike, following the emergency or the incident.
So what might you find in a safety plan?
- Maps
- Equipment and materials
- Roles and responsibilities
- Safety policies and procedures
- Intervention and prevention strategies
Improve School Facilities
Investing in a school’s facilities both directly and indirectly contributes to a safer learning environment for students. For example, high-quality outdoor spaces designed with safety in mind can lead to improved mental health. It is also associated with fewer absences and both short and long-term student learning outcomes. Air and water filtration systems will also ensure a student has a safe place to drink safe, filtered water where they otherwise may not have access.
Schools should also invest in quality furnishings, such as tables and chairs. Chairs, in particular, are a key focus with much room for improvement. As students spend most of their time sitting, schools should implement ergonomically-focused chairs. Good chairs should allow movement, set the trend for posture, promote healthier muscles, and facilitate better learning. There is no need to purchase new ones if the older chairs can be repaired and re-purposed with the right school chair parts. By simply providing quality, comfortable chairs, schools can enjoy the following benefits:
- Boosted comfort
- Improved productivity
- Improved posture
- Eliminate back pains
- Better student engagement
- Reduced school-related injuries
School safety plays a huge role in the development of the student. When they feel safe, they are able to focus more on academics and extracurricular activities. They will also be able to grow as a well-rounded adult. Not every student has the same opportunities or home-life as others, and as a place that will take up over half of your child’s day for twelve or more years, you owe it to yourself and your child to push schools to provide more than the bare minimum when it comes to ensuring the safety and health of students.
