by Suzanne Sibole, Youth Risk Prevention Specialists
 

There is a great deal of information in the news these days about school safety.  We frequently hear that schools should practice an active shooter response.  But, what kind of response protocol is best?  And, how often do we need to practice?  We spend a lot of time focusing on school climate.  But, are we doing enough?  We've heard about programs that teach school staff and parents how to identify signs of potential violence in others.  We recently read an article about teaching students to break the code of silence.  But how, exactly, do we do that?

First, we need to remember that school safety is not solely about being prepared to respond to the unthinkable.  School safety starts with an awareness of our everyday actions.  To create a safer school environment for students, we must work to improve the awareness of students, staff and parents about the many ways in which we can make our schools safer on a daily basis. 

We need to work at teaching, modeling and rewarding inclusive, caring and compassionate behavior while correcting harmful behavior.  We should strive to help all students experience a sense of belonging within our school community.  We need to remember that when we listen to our students, they will be more likely to come to us when they need help or are concerned about others.  

We also want to increase our awareness regarding the physical safety of our buildings.  This includes keeping entrances locked during the school day and having all staff members wear ID badges.  It also includes asking that parents and visitors sign in at the office when they arrive on campus and sign students out when they leave the building.  This allows us to keep track of who is in our buildings, and enables us to do a better job of keeping all children safe.  While it may not always be comfortable, we don't need to fear approaching visitors as a possible confrontation.  Rather, it's a good time to educate them about how we are all working together to ensure everyone's safety. 

Our school district's Safety/Crisis Response Plan should include not only detailed protocols for responding to a myriad of incidents ranging from a chemistry lab accident to an intruder, it should include a description of our preventive services, recovery procedures and contact information for all staff and emergency responders.  It must be reviewed and updated annually, and staff should receive training on response protocols, whether they are permanent or substitute staff members.  Staff members should have their own flipcharts containing emergency incident-specific response protocols.  Safety drills should be practiced on a regular basis and it is wise to think through ahead of time how we will respond in a variety of situations.  If we don't already know them, we should familiarize ourselves with suicide and violence warning signs and our district's procedures for reporting concerns.

Yes, it sounds like a lot to do and you already have enough on your plate.  You don't need to do it all alone, and it doesn't have to happen all at once.  School safety is an ever-evolving practice.  Ultimately, true school safety happens only when we work together - school staff, emergency responders, parents and students - to create a safer community.

• During 2008-2012, an estimated 6,678 people died from illnesses directly related to smoking each year, constituting nearly 15% of all annual deaths in Wisconsin among persons aged 35 years and older.
• Another 678 people died from illnesses and fires indirectly related to smoking.
• Collectively, 7,356 Wisconsin deaths were associated with tobacco use each year.
• The annual economic toll of tobacco in Wisconsin was approximately $3.0 billion paid in direct health care costs and $1.6 billion in lost productivity. Read More

• Earlier Identification. New this year are the 6^th grade rosters, which were based on 5^th graders in 2013-14. Schools with Grades 6, 7, 8 or 9 can log into the secure WISEdash and access each grades' roster and accompanying student profiles.
• Better Prediction. The risks scores are more accurate this year, as they are less sensitive to fluctuations in small numbers in small schools' historical graduation rates. As such, smaller schools will see some stabilization in the early warning risk scores.