This paper highlights legal understanding of quid pro quo sexual harassment in schools. Quid pro quo sexual harassment implies abuse of authority or position to gain something sexual. A duty of care rests on teachers, Schools Governing Bodies and the Department of Education to provide and maintain safe schools that are free from all forms of…

Violence is a problem that affects the family structure, schools, and communities. Although some violence takes place behind closed doors, the effects are devastating to society and the community. The overwhelming results are seen with the increase of visits to abuse shelters and emergency rooms. Domestic violence in households tends to continue…

Social Media is the use of social networking sites, messaging sites, texting, and other web-based or mobile technologies to support social interaction. Facebook is by far the most widely used social networking site. Twitter is by far the most widely used messaging site. The goals of this presentation are: (1) To provide an understanding of the…

As a chief spokesperson for a national movement to prevent violence and a frequent speaker in national media and public forums, Dr. Deborah Prothrow-Stith is a nationally recognized public health leader. In 1987, she was appointed the first woman Commissioner of Public Health for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In that role, she established the…

This paper reports on the development of an empirically valid and reliable assessment instrument that identifies areas of need in violence prevention skills within the student population. The completed instrument should allow a school district to choose a curriculum that aligns with their identified need at each developmentally-appropriate level…

This brief paper summarizes findings from research on effective school practices that reduce violence and frequency of behavior problems. It finds that research on schools supports a comprehensive three-level approach to prevention as the most efficient and cost-effective way to reduce violence. Such an approach involves first, a schoolwide…

Since school psychologists enact an important role on a crisis team, they need to increase their awareness and knowledge of both terrorism and crisis management. This paper and accompanying workshop address three objectives: (1) School psychologists will increase their awareness and knowledge of the threat, nature, elements, types, targets, and…

This paper presents a theoretical and historical treatment of juvenile violence in the United States, examines some current data on juvenile violence in and out of schools, and discusses the implications for educational leadership policy decisions. Sociological and social-psychological theories have tried to explain the intensifying violent…

National polls of public attitudes toward public education consistently rank school safety and drug abuse at the top of the problem list. This paper describes some federal and state legislative responses to the problems and offers a preventative approach. Federal legislation has taken the form of two major statutes--the Comprehensive Drug Abuse…

This study addresses school violence and school drop out and proposes that the underlying factor of school connectedness/school climate should guide preventive and intervention efforts. Data were gathered from five schools in a small city school district in north Georgia. Group and individual interviews served as the basis for constructing a…

Some researchers and practitioners believe that schools can play a leading role in preventing violence among youth. This document offers a framework for collaboration that moves from simply recognizing the problem to preparing youth to live peaceably in a diverse community. The "Creating a Peaceable School" program is based on the premise that…

National Education Goal Six calls for all schools to have safe environments conducive to teaching and learning by year 2000. In 1989, the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction initiated the School Security Enhancement Program, which provides competitive grants to school districts to develop or improve school-based…

Surveys of teacher education programs at U.S. colleges and universities examined what is being done to prepare teachers to respond to school violence and participate in prevention programs. Questionnaires were mailed to department heads and deans of colleges and universities belonging to the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.…

This document presents public testimony given at the town hall meeting held by California State Senator Teresa P. Hughes in Hawthorne, California in the state's 25th senatorial district on September 23, 1996. The meeting examined school safety programs that had been successful. A panel of elected officials, policy makers, researchers, and…

This paper presents findings from a district-wide survey of 7th grade students in a semi-rural school district where 23% of the students are Latino. Participating students completed the California School Climate and Safety Survey which assesses student perceptions regarding general school climate and personal safety-related experiences.…