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School Safety Programs That WorkViolence-Related Deaths in Schools DeclineProactive decisions have contributed to the decline in school violence in America's public schools.
When did school cease to be a safe place? According to author Martha Rosenberg, it was about 20 years ago when crazed Laurie Dann of Winnetka, Illinois opened fire on six students at an elementary school in Chicago. Yet the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice suggests that children today face only a one in a million chance of being killed at school. The same source cites school deaths related to violence have actually declined since 1992. Columbine and Virginia Tech may have been provoked by the shooter’s quest for fame based on previous consummate media coverage. Prevention TacticsIf media coverage provoked school shootings, what factor is responsible for its decline? A seldom reported fact is the task that educators, law enforcement, parents and community activists have taken upon themselves to keep schools safe. Pick any school or community in the United States, and there are Prevention Coalitions, Anti-Bullying Programs, Internet Safety Crime Units, Special Ops for youthful gang activity, Safety Advisory boards, and associated seminars, conferences, expert speakers on related topics. These efforts have clearly paid off. Teen Tip LinesCrimestopper organizations have protected children by initiating non-profit anonymous 24/7 tip lines, such as SpeakOut, a Crimeline affiliate, which covers six counties in Central Florida. Many of these tip lines were born out of the aftermath of a school shooting. SpeakOut came into being in 1995 after an eighth grader in Lake County boarded a bus to his middle school and showed everyone the gun he’d brought to kill another boy who was “talking trash.” After homeroom, he shot the other student, as promised, in the crowded hallway before first period. The boy died. The AfterMathThe kids who saw that gun and did nothing are adults now, perhaps with children of their own. They can better understand how the slain student's parents felt and probably still feel. People who fail to get involved in crime prevention often have practical reasons for their non-involvement. They may not know what to do or where to go. They are afraid of retribution for telling. That is why anonymity is essential. One young boy confessed to the tip line that he “couldn’t sleep at night because of the gunfire.” One good thing about the current cell phone craze in the schools, is that it enables students to report potential crimes to tip lines quickly, easily and anonymously. There is a corresponding web site tip sheet as well. Both have saved lives. Young lives.
The copyright of the article School Safety Programs That Work in Educational Issues is owned by Elizabeth Randall. Permission to republish School Safety Programs That Work in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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