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What can school administrators do to keep kids safe at school?

By Oguz Ozdemir

Every time that you read about a violent situation that has occurred in a school environment you wonder if anything could have been done to prevent the tragedy that has ensued. Could anything have been done that would have deterred such behavior? Were there signs that went unnoticed?

When it comes to situations where innocent students and sometimes even teachers and administrators become victims of violent crimes during a regular school day, not enough policies and procedures can be in place. The National Crime Prevention Council has some suggestions for administrators to have in place to help keep schools safer. If your school doesn't have these policies in place you may want to discuss them or bring them up at a parent and teacher association meeting.

Find out what your school's policies are regarding the possession of drugs, weapons and alcohol on school property. Encourage strict enforcement of any existing policies and enact a zero tolerance policy if possible. It seems as though these are the factors that most affect the behavior of students as they carry out dangerous and sometimes fatal acts of violence.

Getting students involved in the process is a good thing also. Assembling a team of crime watchers, a mediation group, mentoring programs and peer assistance sessions would be a giant step in putting the safety of the school back in the hands of students and administrators.

Make sure that anything simple, such as enforcing the dress code, is carried out. Refusing to let students wear gang looking or gang related clothing is a start. Next up is making students store all heavy outerwear, which could easily hide any number of illegal things, in their lockers during school hours.

Develop a universal ID program that is used by the school to identify school administrators, teachers, teacher's aides, students and anyone else who belongs on school property during school hours. Someone who doesn't display this ID will stick out right away and possible alert the authorities right away.

Encourage school authorities at your child's school to work with mental health professionals in dealing with students who have some serious issues that need to be dealt with. Not all children have a great home life and some have no one to turn to. High school years especially are difficult but feeling alone and an outcast is what usually turns a shy and withdrawn kid into tomorrow's headlines.

While all of these suggestions may seem a little severe or overly dramatic, they will certainly come up the next time there is a disaster at one of the schools across the country. You can never do too much to prepare your children for what could possibly happen at school. It would be great if some of these suggestions became policies and diverted a potential crime scene and saved a life or two. If your child has become a victim to any serious situation at his or her school, why not give Napoli Bern Ripka a call at 1-888-LAW-IN-NY. We have a legal team that can go over your information and determine free of cost if you have a case. Call us today.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Oguz Ozdemir

Full post as published by New York City Personal Injury Lawyer on September 08, 2009 (boomark / email).