A comprehensive study of public safety in higher education with an emphasis on effective management approaches is provided. An overview of the broad and complex functions that campus public safety performs today is offered by reviewing historical developments, gleaning current literature and research, and presenting innovative campus public safety…

This handbook, structured to facilitate use by policy makers, practitioners, school board members and school staff, contains three parts. Part I presents practical information and an action plan for implementing school improvement and delinquency prevention measures. Chapters 1 and 2 focus on how delinquency affects the U.S. educational system,…

School districts across the country are taking measures in the design and renovation of school buildings that will protect students and staff members. Exterior and interior design possibilities are listed. Schools are also advised to have a districtwide crisis intervention plan, a school safety plan, and an annual safety audit. (MLF)

In the event of a natural disaster, community medical and disaster resources might not be available. It is essential that school boards make disaster preparedness a priority and then leave the actual planning to principals, teachers, and students. Outlines the basic elements of a plan and lists disaster and first-aid supplies for schools and…

Most of the data on the outcomes and effects of school uniforms come from elementary and middle schools. In many cases, school uniforms are only one part of an overall reform effort. More research is needed. Offers suggestions to help schools work on developing school-uniform policies and summarizes the legal view. (15 references) (MLF)

With the support of a grant from the Metropolitan Life Foundation, the Education Commission of the States (ECS) sought to broaden discussion of violence in schools and link it to efforts to restructure schools and coordinate social services. The grant enabled ECS to use the Metropolitan Life Foundation's 1993 survey of violence in the public…

This technical document is intended to assist school facilities maintenance personnel in the selection, design, and operation of radon reduction systems in schools. The guidance contained in this document is based largely on research conducted in 1987 and 1988 in schools located in Maryland and Virginia. Researchers from the United States…

Among 17 conclusions and recommendations of a study on current policies and procedures related to campus safety at Florida institutions of higher education are the following: (1) there is a need for an expanded definition or additional category of crime for recording incidents involving students, either as victims or perpetrators, that occur in…

The starting point of an effective school safety program is the development of a written policy statement that reflects the school board's belief in safety for its students and that is widely publicized to the staff and community. A sample safety/security policy is provided that lists, first, the superintendent's responsibilities in establishing a…

This report summarizes findings from a study concerned with Arizona school safety. The survey component highlights safety-related policy information across 300 schools; the interview component highlights school-safety perceptions of 64 staff across 16 schools. Various policies and programs that respond to internal and external threats to school…

This report discusses the outcomes of a study that investigated the incidence and impact of serious student misconduct on schools, whether students with disabilities are being disciplined differently from those without disabilities, and the role that the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 1997 (IDEA) plays in schools' ability to properly…

In this report, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) provides a summary of its FY 2005 accomplishments. Also, in recognition of the 25th anniversary, some of the significant cases that OCR has resolved over the years are highlighted. The last quarter century was eventful and challenging for OCR. Major U.S. Supreme Court decisions, such as "Grove…

Many view the problem of violence as not merely a school problem, but as a much larger community problem that is finding its way into the schools. As a society, in addition to teaching our children how to be violent, we are giving them the tools of violence. There are steps that school board members can take to establish and maintain control of…

Parents generally expect public school districts to provide for their children's care and safety while they are at school. Although in the first half of the twentieth century common law tended to make school officials immune from suit, more recently public school districts, school employees, officers, and elected boards have been successfully sued…

The New Orleans Public Schools' Department of Planning has been concerned with school children as pedestrians for the past five years. The safety issues include the streets, the drivers, and the children. First, the streets contribute to the hazard because many major streets traverse residential areas; many streets serve as major commuter…