The Public
School Parent's Network
A Resource Guide and
Information Source for Parents
Safety
at School
Protecting Children from Violent Situations at School
One of the primary focal points and task of this site
will be to improve the conditions that our children are
forced to endure regarding their physical safety at
school. The public school parents network stands
firm on the basic premise that under no circumstances
should any child ever feel that their physical safety
and emotional well being is compromised at any time and
under any circumstances. Further more, it is our
position that the assurance and ultimate responsibility
for our children's safety is the responsibility of each
individual school's administration, ... but without our
active participation as parents the outlook is bleak.
Unfortunately educators are forced to operate under
almost ridiculous circumstances. Until
parents become vocal and active in making a difference
in public education, administrators are left vulnerable
and ineffective. There has to be a ground swell of
parental commitment to the improvement of our schools.
If there is to be a light at the end of the tunnel, it
is our responsibility to hold the torch high enough to
provide a beacon of light bright enough and strong
enough for
our children to follow.
We cannot educate our
children in schools where weapons, gang violence and
drugs threaten their safety. For students to learn well,
their schools must be disciplined and feel safe. While
most schools do provide a secure learning environment, a
growing number of schools in all types of
communities--urban, suburban, and rural--are
experiencing problems with violence and with alcohol and
drug use.
Fortunately, schools,
parents, and communities are finding practical ways to
provide children the safe and disciplined conditions
they need and should expect to find in school, such as
by promoting smaller schools, respectful communities,
fair and rigorously enforced discipline codes, teacher
training to deal with violence, school uniforms, and
after-school programs that keep kids productive and off
the streets.
As a nation, we too
must do everything possible to ensure that schools
provide a safe and secure environment where the values
of discipline, hard work and study, responsibility, and
respect can thrive and be passed on to our children. We
have a basic, old-fashioned bottom line. We must get
drugs and violence out of our schools, and we must put
discipline and learning back in them.
To provide national leadership,
coordination, and resources to prevent and respond to
juvenile delinquency and victimization. OJJDP
accomplishes this by supporting States and local
communities in their efforts to develop and implement
effective and coordinated prevention and intervention
programs and improve the juvenile justice system so that
it protects the public safety, holds offenders
accountable, and provides treatment and rehabilitative
services tailored to the needs of families and each
individual juvenile.
Also See: Bullying(excerpt)
In this country, bullying has
traditionally been viewed as some perverse sort of
child's play, its occurrence usually eliciting the
common phrase, "Kids will be kids." Today, bullying is
rightfully being recognized for what it is: an abusive
behavior that often leads to greater and prolonged
violent behavior. This phenomenon is more accurately
termed "peer child abuse."
More
Eric
Clearinghouse on Urban Education: PREVENTING
VIOLENCE BY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN This
digest presents an overview of effective antiviolence
strategies for use with elementary school children that
educators can integrate into their schools and classrooms.
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our children to follow.
