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How Safe is your Child’s School?
October 29, 2007 |
With so many frightening news stories about school shootings, dangerous intruders and violence, parents are becoming increasingly concerned with their children’s safety at school. At the same time, many parents agree that sweeping each child with a metal detector and searching his backpack as he comes in the door is too much. How can parents determine if their child’s school is safe or if their children are at risk?
When you are checking out your child’s future school, the level of cleanness says a lot about safety. If the school is well kept and organized, you can understand that cleanness and safety are priorities. Check for well lit sidewalks outside the school. If there are no streetlights or a shaded forest area nearby, it makes it dangerous for kids participating in extracurricular activities, and it’s easier for someone to sneak in. Also, ask about the school’s visitor policy. If doors are kept locked during the school day and all visitors must enter through the front doors by the office, sign in and perhaps carry a visitor’s tag while they’re in the school, you can be sure that your children are being well looked after. On the other hand, if visitors can enter through doors without being seen, it’s a big cause for concern. Schools should have security guards present in case of any emergency. Halls should be monitored at all times. Some schools even install security cameras in every hallway or have a policeman present at its entrance during school hours.
A good faculty is very important in the case of an emergency. Caring and friendly janitors and food service workers as well as teachers and staff can save lives in the worse case scenarios.
Crisis prevention is a big deal in every school. Just as kids have been practicing fire and tornado drills for years, today kids also practice “lockdown” drills in case a dangerous intruder or a student with a weapon enters school grounds. Find out if your child’s school has a plan for all of these situations.
When your child begins his school year, ask about each of his teachers’ discipline policies. Find out if the school handbook is discussed with all students. Talk to your child about school safety. Ask if he knows of a faculty member or teacher who students feel comfortable reporting conflicts and behavioral problems to anonymously. Your child can tell you if his school is following up on their security system and crisis prevention policies.
Many tragedies could have been prevented if a student had shared his or her knowledge with a faculty member. Find out if your child’s school has counselors available to talk with students at any time. Talk to your child about the importance of speaking up in dangerous situations. Make sure he understands that he can report threats to a counselor or the staff and his name will never be used. Regardless of the school’s safety policy, your child is only truly protected when you teach him about staying safe.
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