The preservation of school safety should be a primary commitment of all educators. This paper presents findings of a study that examined school facility safety in 27 Georgia schools. Data were gathered from a survey of 9 elementary, 11 middle, and 7 high schools in south Georgia. The surveys elicited information related to both school-site safety…

The purpose of this study was to determine the knowledge and skills of teachers as they relate to school safety. Survey participants included 130 elementary and secondary school teachers enrolled in the Educational Administration Program at National University in San Diego (California). Areas covered included: knowledge of legal and professional…

In November 1990, the Students' Right to Know and Campus Security Act became law, requiring all postsecondary institutions that receive federal student aid to collect campus crime statistics and make timely reports to the campus community on crimes that are considered a threat to other students and other employees. The law also requires that…

An examination was made of five major campus fires between 1971 and 1983 in an attempt to better understand the fire hazards associated with the operation of a modern U.S. college or university campus. Overall research revealed a general lack of interest in campus fire safety by colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. Analysis…

Issues facing educators today include drug traffic and abuse, crime and delinquency, gangs, weapons, violence, vandalism, schoolyard bullying, and crisis management. Teachers and administrators require special skills to cope with potentially explosive situations and violent students, yet training in those skills is not being received in university…

A study was conducted to determine if industrial arts teachers and their administrators view perceived safety training needs differently. The Safety Training Needs Survey, developed at the University of Tennessee, was mailed to a randomly selected sample of 145 industrial arts teachers and their administrators in Tennessee. Replies were received…

The effectiveness of existing contingency planning efforts at five community colleges, three colleges, and five universities during the Mount St. Helens eruptions in 1980 in Washington state was assessed. Planning efforts in the areas of institutional policy, academic policy, business office, physical plant, residence halls, financial aid, and…

This paper presents court cases for the purpose of updating current knowledge on search and seizure of students in the school setting. These cases focus on the balance and interplay between students' Fourth Amendment rights and school administrators' obligations to maintain order and discipline in the schools. Part of this obligation implies…

This study assessed the readiness and practice of specialist-level training programs in school psychology to address the preservice training needs in the area of school violence and youth gang prevention. A survey of 189 programs yielded 90 usable replies describing their training programs. Most of these programs were located in or near midsize…

This paper reports on research that suggests that how schools are designed can affect such important factors as student safety, teacher-student relationships, and the academic performance of students. School condition has some effect on test scores but also entails a moral obligation for students' safety; more research is needed to compare…

The deterioration of school environments in conjunction with large numbers of dropouts are related issues of national concern. This longitudinal study evaluates student exposure to unsafe public schools during adolescence as a potential risk factor for dropping out by 10th grade. A panel of 13,217 public school students assessed at base year and 2…

A study of junior high schools (MacDonald 1995) found that students and administrators held significantly different perceptions regarding the nature, extent, and management of violent behaviors. This paper presents findings of a study conducted 1 year later that more thoroughly examined students' perceptions of the effectiveness of current school…

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…

Illinois Senate Bill 1644, the recently passed "Asbestos Abatement Act," requires all schools in the state, public and private alike, to remove friable asbestos by whichever comes first: July 1, 1989, or 3 years following the establishment of a system for state funding for corrective action. This document addresses practical…

Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings joined President Bush, Mrs. Bush, and Attorney General Gonzales at a Conference on School Safety on October 10, 2006. Teachers, parents, administrators, law enforcement officials, and other experts discussed best practices and lessons learned about school safety during the conference at the National 4-H…