The Public School Parent's Network A Resource Guide and Information Source for Parents
Safety at School
Protecting Children from Violent Situations at School
One of the primary focal points and task of this site will be to improve the conditions that our children are forced to endure regarding their physical safety at school. The public school parents network stands firm on the basic premise that under no circumstances should any child ever feel that their physical safety and emotional well being is compromised at any time and under any circumstances. Further more, it is our position that the assurance and ultimate responsibility for our children's safety is the responsibility of each individual school's administration, ... but without our active participation as parents the outlook is bleak.
Unfortunately educators are forced to operate under almost ridiculous circumstances. Until parents become vocal and active in making a difference in public education, administrators are left vulnerable and ineffective. There has to be a ground swell of parental commitment to the improvement of our schools. If there is to be a light at the end of the tunnel, it is our responsibility to hold the torch high enough to provide a beacon of light bright enough and strong enough for our children to follow.
We cannot educate our children in schools where weapons, gang violence and drugs threaten their safety. For students to learn well, their schools must be disciplined and feel safe. While most schools do provide a secure learning environment, a growing number of schools in all types of communities--urban, suburban, and rural--are experiencing problems with violence and with alcohol and drug use.
Fortunately, schools, parents, and communities are finding practical ways to provide children the safe and disciplined conditions they need and should expect to find in school, such as by promoting smaller schools, respectful communities, fair and rigorously enforced discipline codes, teacher training to deal with violence, school uniforms, and after-school programs that keep kids productive and off the streets.
As a nation, we too must do everything possible to ensure that schools provide a safe and secure environment where the values of discipline, hard work and study, responsibility, and respect can thrive and be passed on to our children. We have a basic, old-fashioned bottom line. We must get drugs and violence out of our schools, and we must put discipline and learning back in them.
National Safety Council: Back to School Safety Tips
Yahoo News: Full Coverage - School Violence Current news stories about violence in our schools.
Office of Juvenile Justice
and Delinquency Prevention
A PSPN must see site
To provide national leadership, coordination, and resources to prevent and respond to juvenile delinquency and victimization. OJJDP accomplishes this by supporting States and local communities in their efforts to develop and implement effective and coordinated prevention and intervention programs and improve the juvenile justice system so that it protects the public safety, holds offenders accountable, and provides treatment and rehabilitative services tailored to the needs of families and each individual juvenile.
Also See: Bullying (excerpt) In this country, bullying has traditionally been viewed as some perverse sort of child's play, its occurrence usually eliciting the common phrase, "Kids will be kids." Today, bullying is rightfully being recognized for what it is: an abusive behavior that often leads to greater and prolonged violent behavior. This phenomenon is more accurately termed "peer child abuse." More
Eric Clearinghouse on Urban Education: PREVENTING VIOLENCE BY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN This digest presents an overview of effective antiviolence strategies for use with elementary school children that educators can integrate into their schools and classrooms.