While students have a right to exercise free speech, schools have a responsibility to ensure safety and maintain the integrity of the learning environment. School and district administration must prepare for the potential of civil unrest both in the community and at school (e.g., walkouts, sit-ins, protests), and to prevent or mitigate the impact…

The "IDRA Newsletter" serves as a vehicle for communication with educators, school board members, decision-makers, parents, and the general public concerning the educational needs of all children across the United States. The focus of this issue is "Fair Discipline." Contents include: (1) Federal School Safety Commission…

In today's hyper-connected world, children's exposure to technology as a tool to communicate, learn, and socialize has increased exponentially. As teachers and parents recognize the demands for increased use of technology among young children, they should be able to identify and address the challenges associated with such exposure. Cyberbullying,…

In response to the February 14, 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, President Donald Trump established the Federal Commission on School Safety to review safety practices and make meaningful and actionable recommendations of best practices to keep students safe. The Commission conducted field visits,…

To help educators deal with "bullying" problems, intervention strategies are presented in this handbook. It focuses on the insidious day-to-day teasing and harassment typical of bullying and serves as a resource for addressing "bully/victim" problems during the pre-adolescent and adolescent years. Research has shown that the middle-school years…

Schoolyard bullying, a pervasive and significant problem, tends to lead to anti-social behavior in the adult/parental years as well, perpetuating the pattern of violence in a new generation of students. Bullies, and often their victims, tend to operate at a unilateral, or one-way, attitudinal level instead of a reciprocal or collaborative level.…

This publication, resulting from a survey of more than 2,000 school districts, focuses on school violence and ways to prevent it. Section 1 discusses both the problem of school violence and also the critical role that school boards must play in keeping schools safe. This section also includes information about how school boards can develop…

Asserts that state legislatures and school administrators often increase penalties as a response to rising school violence. Presents a secondary school lesson of a new state law designed to keep weapons out of schools. Includes a student handout, a background reading, instructional procedures, and a suggested extension activity. (CFR)

Reports on a study of 2,553 students' attitudes toward aggression in schools. Finds differentiated results based on demographic data and with the students' personal involvement in the aggressive acts as either the perpetrator or victim. Discusses practical consequences of the study for schools. (CFR)

Reports on a study of the extent and distribution of several forms of aggression and violence in schools in Schleswig-Holstein (Germany). Includes responses from 2,382 persons in a representative sample. Finds a slight increase in violence during the past three years but a high frequency of verbal aggression. (CFR)

While politicians and the media have devoted a great deal of attention to the "problem" of school violence, classrooms teachers remain an underutilized source of information and inspiration about the frequency of school violence, its causes, its consequences, and appropriate interventions. In essence, teachers have been given little, if any,…

Much of this brief comes from the ERIC Digest on Zero Tolerance Policies (ERIC #: ED451579). State legislatures and school boards are adopting a growing number of zero-tolerance polices toward weapons, guns, and violence. Zero-tolerance polices are rules intended to address specific school-safety issues. Despite the controversies that it has…

Asserts that school violence is a major educational problem and reflects the increased violence in society. Examines responses by administrators and boards of education to school violence. Categorizes school policies regarding violence into deterrence, prevention, and treatment and discusses their effectiveness. (CFR)

Although there is a need for enhanced evidence-based information on successful HIV and AIDS education interventions, much has already been learnt about good practices and policies in the education sector's response to the pandemic. This booklet, to be used in tandem with others in the series, aims to further expand our knowledge by highlighting…

This book discusses personal safety issues of concern to teachers, offers common sense rules, and provides information about crime and violence. Chapter 1, "Recognizing the Problem," discusses characteristics of violent schools, myths about school crime, teachers' right to know, denial and under-reporting, and discovering problem sources. Chapter…