This self-help guide explores the many factors involved in implementing an effective program of protection for schools. It provides direction and answers to the many questions posed by crime and violence in schools by translating certain principles of security into applications for the campus setting. The guide explains the various protection…

By cooperating with other district staff, law enforcement, fire and rescue personnel, and social services, educators can prevail over school violence. First steps are developing a well-trained team, an effective crisis-response plan, and an alternative site to accommodate students. Guidelines and Web sites are provided. (MLH)

This article presents a case study of a single incident involving a high school student who brought a "tennis ball" bomb to school. Although the district had recently created a safety plan, with a specific protocol for the discovery of a bomb in the building, the principal and the crises team ignored it. The principal did not refer to…

A crisis can occur at any time, whether or not a school's staff plans for it. This resource guide is a compilation of user-friendly examples of policies, procedures, guidelines, checklists, and forms to help Virginia schools develop and implement a systematic crisis-management plan. Chapter 1 provides an introductory overview of the essential…

Four school resource officers (SROs) and four school administrators were brought together by the Center for the Prevention of School Violence, located in the North Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, to discuss effective SRO-administrator relationships. This brief research bulletin describes the results of that…

Schools must work together with agencies, groups, and individuals to eliminate the forces leading children to violence. Chapter 1, "School Safety: Working Together to Keep Schools Safe," stresses the importance of community collaboration in violence prevention. Effective prevention requires sharing information about students, consistent…

School buildings ideally would have few exterior access points, no isolated hallways, and sunlit classrooms. A safety checklist recommends locating offices near main doors, monitoring hallway traffic, enhancing communications, updating crisis-management plans, teaching coping skills, standardizing dismissal policies, and ensuring legal compliance…

In a new urgency to ensure that critical incident plans, communication plans, and parental reunification plans are in place at all institutions responsible for the safety of America's children, the U.S. Courts have stated that preparation is a duty and expectation of those acting in a "locos parental" role. As public schools adopt rapid…

A brief questionnaire designed to help colleges and universities assess their crisis readiness is presented. Questions address such issues as written procedures, response team composition, campus information dissemination and media relations, and community relations. Ten items every college crisis plan should include are listed. (MSE)

This workbook presents a seven-step planning process for safe and effective schools. Though specifically directed to schools in California, most of the components of the plan will pertain to schools everywhere. The workbook contains requirements of the California Education Code; many work sheets, sample forms, summary sheets, checklists, rubrics,…

The "Getting Ahead of the Need: Comprehensive Counseling for Elementary Schools" grant was awarded by the Safe and Drug Free Schools Program through the U.S. Department of Education to improve elementary school counseling prevention and intervention services offered in the Austin Independent School District. This report summarizes…

This paper discusses ways that educators can develop a variety of school-based programs that can significantly reduce the threat of serious violence and disruptions. An effective technology of school safety, it states, begins with knowledge and understanding. The purpose of the paper is to outline the current state of knowledge about…

This three-part manual is intended for principals and other administrators responsible for developing and managing school crisis plans. Part 1, preparation for a school crisis, includes sections on the selection and training of members of the school crisis team, steps in developing a school crisis plan, and four crisis scenarios to train team…

North Carolina's 1999 Governor's Task Force on Youth Violence and School Safety produced a report that generated 10 action items and 6 main recommendations. This research bulletin presents a follow-up to the task force's efforts. It begins by providing background information about the task force and putting its work into context. It then discusses…

An issue causing debate in the area of educational planning is the question of how and why education should be adapted in situations of emergency, crisis, or disaster. This book contends that education is paramount in such circumstances. Using examples of recent events and real-life testimonies, the book highlights the needs of crisis-stricken…