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Creating Safe Schools: How Parents Can Help
By Louise H. Alderson, MS, LMFT, CFLE SEPTEMBER and school bells are ringing once again. As you awake sleeping children, pack their lunches and escort them to the waiting school bus, are you concerned about their safety while at school? It may be comforting to know that the vast majority of schools in the nation are safe places for children to learn and grow. According to ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center at 800-538-3742 or accesseric@accesseric.org, most school injuries are the result of accidents, not violence, and most school crime is theft, not violent crime. With the increased awareness resulting from isolated incidences of violence, schools and communities are becoming better at detecting and alleviating potential problems. It may also be comforting to know that you can help make a difference. The July 1999 issue of "The Parent Educator" (Partners in Parenting, Colorado State University Cooperative Extension, 800-457-2736) reports that violence is a learned behavior and, like all learned behaviors, can be changed with appropriate intervention. Specific factors that contribute to learned violent behaviors include peer pressure, need for attention, feelings of low self worth, early childhood abuse or neglect, violence at home, in the community, or in the media and easy access to weapons. The first step to solving the problem is to recognize the warning signs of violence including the following: If these warning signs are observed, appropriate action must be taken to address the situation, defuse the potential of violent acts and help the troubled child. Violent behaviors often begin with smaller acts, like bullying and escalate over time as the troubled child’s needs continue to be neglected. "Early Warning, Timely Response: A Guide to Safe Schools," is a joint effort between the Department of Education and the Department of Justice, reports that children may act out when they lack the coping skills to deal with the stress in their lives. The adults who interact with a child on a regular basis have the best opportunity to observe, intervene and make a difference. "Best Practices in Reducing School Violence" by Smith, Kahn, and Borowsky borow004@tc.umn.edu identify various types of interventions that create a safe school environment including: Most effective are multi-dimensional approaches to violence intervention that focus on creating a culture of non-violence through messages and actions and involve families, schools and the community. Parents can help create safe schools in a variety of ways. This includes helping their children understand appropriate behavior at home and school, solving problems and accepting individual differences. Parents need to be aware of school policies and become involved in ways that support the school’s efforts in creating a safe school environment. Involvement on a community level is also an option. For additional specific ideas see the "Safe Communities - Safe Schools Planning Guide" from the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, University of Colorado at Boulder 303-492-8465 or www.colorado.edu/cspv. As a parent, put action behind your concern for your child’s safety - in school or in the community. Learn more about what compels children to exhibit violent behavior and become part of the solution -for the sake of all children. Louise H. Alderson, MS, LMFT,
CFLE is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and a Certified Family
Life Educator in private practice. She helps families, couples, and individuals
with challenges during the various stages of their lives. Louise may be
contacted at 303-447-2054.
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Posted
September 2001