What can we do about school violence?

NEA Today, Sep 1998

In Indianapolis, students are now subject to random searches with hand-held metal detectors-in elementary school. In Anne Arundel County, Maryland, bomb sniffing dogs have worked full schedules thanks to more than 100 bomb threats during the past year.

Schools nationwide are facing a wider array of threats and violence each year. Here's what safety experts suggest you can do in response.

Look for signs that students are about to "go off."

"Kids give off cues," says Alan McEvoy, a Wittenberg University professor working with the Safe Schools Coalition. "Look for social isolates, youngsters who are fascinated with weaponry, seem to have a vendetta against school or their peers, are part of a negative clique structure, or have suffered a recent humiliation."

An Ohio Gun Safety Institute study shows that students with an aggressive response to shame are most likely to carry weapons to school.

Many safety advocates are now calling for school staffs that include more counselors and full-time school nurses who are professionally trained to notice a child who needs help.

Teach students the difference between tattling and telling.

Children "tattle" to get their own way or to get someone else in trouble, explains McEvoy. Children should be encouraged to "tell" an adult to keep themselves or someone else from getting hurt.

Some schools have started anonymous hotlines where parents or children can provide information that could alert authorities to potential problems.

Know how to intervene eff ec tively to end a fight.

"Order the crowd to disperse immediately," says Jesus Villahermosa, a veteran deputy sheriff whose private company offers safety training for Washington Education Association members. "Get rid of the fuel to the fire." Walk briskly-don't run-to scene of the incident he adds. Approach from the side, with your own hands in front of you. Call out to the students by name or as "ladies" and "gentlemen." Call loudly, and don't use derogatory language. Fewer fights would start in the first place if students were consistently disciplined not only for fighting but also for failing to disperse. Positive encouragement helps, too-some schools even post the number of "fight-free days" the way factories pos "accident-free days," with incentives when a certain number is reached.

Run your school through a "safety audit."

Are there woods on the edges of the campus where intruders could hide? What about a fence? Are there multiple unguarded entrances? Is the main entrance obscured from view of the main office? If you have a circular school, is there supervision in the curves of the hallways? Are janitor closets and storage rooms kept locked` Do computers in the classroom block the teacher's view of what might be happening in the comer?

These are the questions Bob Watson would ask if he were conducting a safety audit of your school. Watson, a former teacher, principal, and FBI agent, was superintendent in 1988 when an armed man killed two students and injured others in a Greenwood, South Carolina school. Now he is a consultant helping schools develo safety and crisis plans.

Develop a communication plan to protect yourself, your classroom, and your school.

"What I hear most often is, `I'm isolated in this wing,"' says Watson.

Educators in the classroom need an intercom, walkie-talkie, or other means of contacting the central office.

They also need an emergency communication system.

Phyllis Deal, a paraprofessional at J.W. Riley Elementary in Milwaukee, explains her school's system. If classrooms hear a p.a. announcement that "art, music, and phys ed are cancelled," everyone goes to the nearest classroom, where the door is locked until an "all clear" is given.

Villahermosa prefers a very straightforward announcement like, "We have an intruder in the building. Go into lockdown mode." That way substitutes or other legitimate outsiders in the building will get the message.

Villahermosa reserves codes for hand signs among staff. If you run into a stranger in the hall and need help, show two finger- to another staff member, signalling "don't leave me." A closed fist means the stranger has a weapon. Three fingers means "it's time to break this off and get help."

Teachers can carry yellow and red cards to the playground. If there's a problem, send a child with the yellow card to the office. The red card signals an emergency.

Look at new resources for defusing student violence.

Several states have established university-affiliated centers for school safety as clearinghouses.

The Center for the Prevention of School Violence at North Carolina State University provides information on programs like School Resource Officers. This program has uniformed, armed officers in 78 percent of North Carolina high schools and 48 percent of the middle schools.

Students Against Violence Everywhere, another North Carolina State program, uses peer pressure to promote fight-free days and other appropriate student behavior.

In the end, be prepared-and realistic.

No amount of innovative ideas and safety plans can prevent every tragedy. "All the safety procedures were followed in Jonesboro," says Pennsylvania State Education Association President David Gondak. "These incidents heighten our awareness that we are all subject to violent acts."