Safe Schools

Schools have a responsibility to create a safe environment for all students. I think the best way to provide this safe environment is to do what schools do best, that is to educate students from an early age on what is appropriate and what to do if they encounter a situation that might make them feel unsafe. This includes all groups that might have been harassed, bullied, excluded, rejected, or abandoned, for whatever reason.  The anti-bullying initiative that CMS has implemented is a positive step in student awareness.

Community involvement is also a key ingredient so help can be in place as the need arises. Putting community resources into the school community is beneficial for a safe school environment.  Law enforcement (resource officers), security personnel, counselors, social services (DSS), can provide a way for students to seek help and support. With the proper support in place students know they have an alternative to skipping or even dropping out altogether. Strong family support goes a long way in providing resources for students but obviously this is not always the case.

 The school can help with many initiates including the “Safe School Ambassador Program” discussed in the video ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mmOKbeCdoI). I believe this proactive approach provides for better opportunities for success in the long run.  Teachers are the best catalyst to student awareness and must lead by example in the classroom.

In some cases schools are the most logical place to address a variety of social issues, like drug abuse, gang involvement, pregnancy, etc., since all of these issues can detract from student learning. I think the role of a school will grow to tackle social issues in addition to learning math, English, etc. But teachers can’t be exclusively responsible to educate on these social issues. Rather these issues have to be dealt with in a joint effort by bringing in the necessary community support. Then this support can be put in a classroom situation by the real experts.