The Four Tenets of School Safety
This interactive Web Blog will is divided into four major tenets for developing a safe school.
Tenet One: “School Building Security,” provides administrators with an overall program for securing their school facilities. It provides policies and procedures necessary for securing both internal and external building security. The author has provided short rationales for each policy and the necessary forms for their implementation. The section concludes with a valuable assessment tool that administrators and security officials can use to evaluate the present level of building security and provides a reference point for future security planning.
Tenet Two: “Developing a Crisis Management Plan” provides policies and procedures necessary to prevent and react to school threats, emergencies, and evacuations. The section is divided into two parts: those crisis situations that require evacuation and those crisis situations that require taking shelter.
Tenet Three: “School Health Services,” provides policies and procedures for dealing with a variety of health issues. Its major purpose is to help school staff members recognize and react appropriately to those medical situations that occur within the school setting. It includes policies and procedures for reacting to student injuries, handling contagious and chronic illnesses, recognizing social and psychological issues, and administering medications.
Tenet Four: “Intemedation Prevention” By incorporating a school program that addresses the issue of bullying, students are learning that bullying occurs through various behaviors and to extreme degrees. Across our nation, students in public schools are learning how to identify and avoid bullies through classroom activities and seminars. These students are signing pledges and working with professional educators to rid their school of bullying problems.
Everyone has observed or experienced bullying at one time or another. The goal in our schools today is to eliminate bullying completely and to create a safe environment for our students. Bullying can be physical, verbal, or emotional. The offender may use intimidation tactics. The severity of each offense ranges from subtle to very blatant. For example, an intimidating glare may be used as a bullying tactic.
All four sections are important parts of a comprehensive crisis management plan in any school, but to be most effective, the policies and procedures must be tailored to meet the individual school’s needs.
Filed under: School Safety Tenets
