In a move away from the open or low-fenced grounds that have traditionally been a feature of Australian school design, the last decade has seen a growth in the installation of high-security fences around schools. These structures, far from being passive and neutral, act to redefine the possibilities for movement and connectivity in the local…

This paper provides a media analysis of three interrelated sets of newspaper articles dealing with youth, schooling and violence. Understanding the media as a dominant and powerful cultural text that creates the realities it describes, the paper takes a critical view of the 'standpoint' of recent media representations of the Cronulla (Sydney,…

Dinkes, Cataldi, and Lin-Kelly (2007) claims that 78% of public schools reported one or more violent incidents during the 2005/2006 school year. School shootings are a rare but real threat on school campuses. Shootings at private schools are even less frequent with only a few recorded examples in the United States. This case study examines how a…

When students set off for school each day how many of them or their caregivers consider for a moment that they will spend the day at a potentially dangerous place? On the contrary, students and caregivers probably view schools as safe havens, and official research suggests that this is the case for the majority of teachers and pupils. However,…

Schools are becoming increasingly violent places. This workshop presentation examines ways to improve counselor facilities and to enhance work safety. Client populations for school counselors have changed significantly in recent times as school administrators refer more welfare related problems for help. Although violent attacks on counselors may…