Proactive Thoughts on Creating Safe Schools

Abstract

Since the tragic deaths in school shootings, much more attention has centered on school violence and ways to make schools safer. Even though reports show that the overall school crime rate has declined since 1993, the fact that such violence has occurred on school property, in rural America, has shocked millions. The belief that “it can’t happen here” has been badly shaken. Reactive measures such as metal detectors, student I.D. badges, security guards, locker searches and zero-tolerance polices can reduce violence, but schools and communities must do much more. They must be proactive. “Schools that impose order, rather than cultivating it, may win no more than an uneasy truce while at the same time losing the hearts and minds of their students” (Gaddy, 1987, pp 28-29). Building a respectful, caring, learning environment by enhancing student sense of belonging, implementing a multifaceted school-wide character education program and teaching conflict resolution strategies can greatly reduce the reliance on reactive measures stated above and be instrumental in creating safe schools.