Parents of children in the Saugus Union School District in California were concerned about the safety of classrooms, particularly portable classrooms. Their concerns were amplified by assertions of a local medical toxicologist following evaluations of some teachers and students, and by an Environmental Working Group report about alleged problems…

More than $20 billion a year currently is being spent to construct public schools. Hundreds of billions are being spent to carry out public education. Everyone wants the best possible use of that money. Families want safe, nurturing, challenging, and effective schools for their children. Community members and policy-makers want schools to be…

This factsheet is for anyone responsible for modernization projects in California's public schools where materials containing lead may be disturbed or where lead abatement is planned. It explains the state requirements for properly dealing with lead hazards so that children and workers are protected. Its sections address why to be concerned about…

Juvenile gang activity is not limited to low-income, inner-city youth. In February 1990, suburban Santa Rosa (California) junior high school curbed emergent gang-related activities on campus. Action plan depended on positive school climate emphasizing safety and security, early identification of gang members and possible recruits, intervention…

This document contains the testimony and materials presented at the California State Senate Subcommittee on School Safety hearing held at California State University, Northridge, on November 15, 1993. The purpose of the hearing was to examine different school safety programs and hear witnesses' recommendations to stop violence in the schools.…

It is necessary to identify nonstructural hazards at the school site to reduce the possibly of injury in the event of an earthquake. Nonstructural hazards can occur in every part of a building and all of its contents with the exception of structure. In other words, nonstructural elements are everything but the columns, beams, floors, load-bearing…

A report on Earthquake Preparedness presents California school districts with direction for complying with existing earthquake preparedness planning laws. It first contains two sets of recommendations. The first set requires state action and is presented to the Legislature for consideration. The second set consists of policy statements and…

The LegiSchool Project of California State University, Sacramento, and the California State Legislature planned two town hall meetings focusing on hate crime for the winter of 1999-2000, one in Los Angeles and one in Sacramento to provide forums in which California's high school students, educators, and legislators can engage in face-to-face…

This manual provides a brief framework of organization that serves as a response tool for a wide spectrum of crisis circumstances encountered by schools. It is meant to be a generic guide for school teams and should be customized by each school that uses it. Even with emergency procedures in place, each crisis at a school needs to be evaluated as…

To avoid California schools' experience with Occupational Safety and Health Administration fines, principals should comply with safety regulations, establish quick-response procedures, take care of chemicals, prepare site personnel for state OSHA visits, inform safety personnel about procedures for appealing citations, keep good records, and work…

The California Office of the State Architect, Structural Safety Division (OSA/SSS) is responsible for evaluating public school structures after an earthquake. However, final authority on whether a building should be reoccupied after damage lies with the school district. This guidebook is designed to help school officials assess earthquake damage…

This handbook was prepared to help science teachers, administrators, and other school staff members understand and avoid situations in which accidents might occur in the science laboratory, on field trips, or during outdoor education experiences. Suggestions contained in this publication are generally agreed upon and recommended for consideration…

A California English teacher explores the school safety issue for both innercity and suburban high schools students. Wearing certain sports team jackets can place kids in danger; girls degrade themselves by keeping gang members' drugs and guns in their lockers. Schools can help reclaim the "Great Disconnected" by developing…

Although viable leadership models for schools with differing social contexts are in great demand, empirical studies of high school principals have not produced consistent results. This paper summarizes part of a larger project designed to identify leadership behaviors of principals in "gang-impacted" and other secondary schools. The…

Schools in California being built to resist damage by earthquakes are part of a program to meet building standards established in 1933. The three new schools presented reflect the strengths and weaknesses of the program. (Author/MLF)