Safe schools: a reality check: safe school planning is a systematic process that should be woven into the culture of a school rather than being addressed by special, add-on programs.

In school districts across the country, safe school planning is being refined as we learn more about violence prevention. Some states have mandated safe school plan development, and we have all read articles explaining the elements of a safe school plan.

Safe school planning is a systematic process to create and maintain "a place where students can learn and teachers can teach in a warm and welcoming environment free of intimidation and fear" (Stephens, 1996). But consider this: As an administrator, do you conduct safe school planning solely because you are required to, or do you do it because you sincerely want to provide a safe and secure environment for students and staff. Not one of us wants to have an unsafe environment, but with so many items crowding the educational agenda, safe school planning may just not be getting the attention it deserves, until....

Reality is that we can't wait "until." Planning is an action word, it is proactive, and it implies progression toward an outcome. But how effective have we been in reaching our outcomes? Our response to why we are doing safe school planning directly impacts how effective we are.

The safe school spectrum

In some school districts, administrators have done "just enough" and have not fully grasped the purpose behind these actions. At the other end of the spectrum are school districts that have earnestly implemented their safe school planning process.

The Learning First Alliance, a partnership of 12 national educational groups, recently determined that "the creation of a safe and supportive learning community must be comprehensive, schoolwide and woven into the curriculum and culture of the school. It cannot be an add-on effort, satisfied by special programs to address specific topics, such as bullying, character education or dispute resolution" (Learning First Alliance, 2001).

Where do you fall on the spectrum of safe school planning? Let's run a reality check on your planning process.

1. Reality: A safe school climate is assessed, not assumed, and reviewed. To understand the safe school climate, a school conducts a site assessment and survey. The purpose of this action is to answer the question, "What have we done for violence prevention so far and where could we do more?" and to capture the attitudes about school safety.

The site assessment tool is a series of questions that address topics such as the physical, educational and behavioral aspects of violence prevention in school. Many versions of site assessment tools are available, ranging from very basic (20-30 questions) to comprehensive (400 or more questions). Site assessments can be conducted by school personnel or by hiring consultants to provide an "outside" view of the current situation.

The purpose of the survey is to basically answer, "How safe do you feel here?" Surveys can be provided to students, staff and/or parents, and as with the site assessment tool, many versions exist today. Keep in mind the more information you collect, the more in-depth will be your understanding of the safe school climate.

Reality indicators:

* A site assessment has been conducted.

* The site assessment's level of comprehensiveness meets your needs.

* The site assessment is formally reviewed and updated each year.

* The site assessment tool has a means to be revised with new questions.

* Surveys of parents, students and staff have been conducted within the last three years.

* Results are shared each year with school administration.

2. Reality: The safe school plan is a "living" document. The site assessment and survey provide results to guide the school in developing their safe school plan. This is the document that sets the actions the school will take for violence prevention, with measurable outcomes determined. The plan categorizes the actions for the coming year, the next three years and for the long term, if required. It provides accountability that actions are being taken to improve the safe school climate. This document is the heart of the safe school planning process.

But as is the case with many planning documents, we can state our goals, set our strategies, present our plan and then forget about it, until next year. Bottom line: work the plan, don't just plan the work. If the plan is not being actively worked, with people reporting on progress, then safe school planning is nonexistent at your school.

Reality indicators:

* The safe school plan describes actions for the coming year.

* A budget is allocated for implementing the safe school plan.

* Individuals/groups are assigned to specific strategies of the safe school plan.

* The school board approves the safe school plan each year.

* The safe school plan is available to the school community in print or on the school's Web site (caution--you may not want to publicize all parts for security reasons).

* The safe school plan is updated quarterly.

* The safe school plan outcomes are celebrated.

3. Reality: A Safe School Team is formed, trained and active. Three key words are used to discuss a safe school team. First, a school must form the team. Most schools have listed individuals, from the school as well as the community, on a piece of paper. Yet, the action often stops at that point.

If a school is actually doing safe school planning, then the safe school team is an integral part of the process. This group reviews the site assessment and survey results, develops the safe school plan, and connects with the school community on promotion of the plan. The team is trained in the basics of violence prevention. Members understand their roles and responsibilities. Participating on the team is part of their job; not an extra duty that competes with other responsibilities. The final word to describe the team is active. Attending regular meetings, presenting to the school board and leading strategies from the safe school plan are all actions of an active team.

Reality indicators:

* Safe school team formed.

* Safe school team listing is current and available to the public.

* Safe school team has received training on fundamentals of violence prevention.

* Safe school team has been assigned roles and responsibilities.

* Safe school team meets at least four times per year (more is better).

* Meetings are formally documented and recorded.

* Safe school team leads strategies for implementing safe school plan.

* Safe school team provides updates on planning to school administration.

4. Reality: All staff receive basic training on violence prevention; annual reviews are conducted as well. Although we have identified a key group of people (the Safe School Team) for our safe school planning process, they cannot be the only group. Awareness of violence and violence prevention must be communicated to all staff in the school system. And, as new information becomes public and we get smarter about this topic, updates should be provided to the staff through annual review sessions.

Reality indicators:

* Administration is trained in basics of violence prevention, including legal issues related to school violence.

* Teachers, paraprofessionals, student service personnel and office staff are trained in basics of violence prevention.

* Bus drivers, food service staff and custodial staff are trained in violence prevention and their role in bullying prevention.

* The school board is trained in the importance of safe school philosophy as reflected in policies and procedures.

* Yearly review sessions are held.

5. Reality: Violence prevention is not a new topic. If you are doing safe school planning, then your actions should not be the best kept secret in town. You should not receive a blank stare if you ask a parent what the school has done for violence prevention. Parents, students and all staff need to know the actions the school is taking for violence prevention.

Reality indicators:

* The school Web site has a section on safe schools or violence prevention and it is current.

* The school's mission statement includes safe school terminology.

* Handbooks have a section specific to school safety or violence prevention.

* Safe school topics are agenda items at staff and school board meetings.

* A safe school activity is conducted each year.

* Posters and warning signs are present in the school promoting a safe environment.

* Safe Schools Week is celebrated each year (third week in October) and the community is involved.

6. Reality: Violence is not a weapons-only issue. Incidents that occur on a school campus can often be the "wake-up call" that violence prevention is needed. Tracking the decline of these incidents can serve as an indicator that progress is being made. Yet, if we are only looking at a reduction of violent incidents and then calling our work done, we haven't fully understood safe school planning.

Violent incidents are on the extreme end of the violence continuum. This continuum, however, starts with put-downs, insults and bullying. If we do not stop these actions, we then are dealing with the other end of the violence continuum with hate crimes, gangs and suicides. "School safety is more than the absence of violence" (Morrison, Furlong, Morrison, 1997). It is emotional safety. It is intellectual safety. It is just not physical safety.

Reality indicators:

* An incident tracking system is in place.

* Incidents are reviewed each year for trends or identification of problem areas.

* A system in place to report a concern with a student (such as a student assistance team).

* All students have at least one adult who is concerned about them and knows their history, without having to look in a file.

* Programs are available to support students such as Academic Boosters, etc.

7. Reality: Staff are educated in violence prevention instructions, actions and knowledge. Another key group of participants in safe school planning is the school staff, with a special focus on the teachers. Yet, many of our teachers have received their degrees without ever having had a class in violence prevention. We expect them to be experts, to know how to handle difficult situations and teach violence prevention. But that's not reality. Instead, we need to provide them with the tools to do the best job they can when it comes to violence prevention--tools that involve educating them on this topic, providing opportunities to learn more, and instructions for teaching violence prevention.

Reality indicators:

* Staff have training on specific topics of violence prevention (determined through site assessment and survey process).

* Staff have the opportunity to earn certificates or graduate level credits in violence prevention.

* Teachers and paraprofessionals are trained in the teaching of prosocial skills for students and their role in bullying prevention.

8. Reality: Students have a key role in prevention of violence.

Another key group of participants in safe school planning is, of course, the students. We must view them as part of the solution and not just the problem. They, too, need the education for learning actions and knowledge about violence prevention and their role in providing a safe, secure and welcoming school.

Reality indicators:

* Violence prevention curriculum is delivered to all students in all grades.

* Students receive prosocial training.

* Students are trained in their role regarding school safety.

* Students know how to report concerns, either through a tip line or other means.

* Students are part of the safe school team or focus groups that give feedback to the school and assist in decision-making.

9. Reality: School safety is everyone's business. Every person has a role in violence prevention, from the student sitting in the desk at school to the senior citizen who lives across the street. "Violence is everyone's problem and every member of the community must be enlisted to reinforce lessons learned at school ... and work to reduce violence in the community as well as the school" (Kadel, Watkins, Follman and Hammond, 1999).

Reality indicators:

* Community members are present on the Safe School Team.

* Parents are given basic information about their role in school safety.

* Articles discussing school safety are present in the local newspaper.

* School board meetings are held to discuss school safety, with the public invited.

* Local police officers or school resource officers are introduced at school assemblies.

* Community members have a liaison on the Safe School Team to contact for concerns or questions.

10. Reality: Violence prevention actions are supported by policies and procedures. This is one area where schools have been aggressive in safe school planning. Schools in the past had one general safety policy for protection of students and staff, but now schools have explicit policies for sexual harassment, hazing, violence prevention, bullying, etc. In our safe school planning, rules and consequences for these actions must be clearly stated, concise and consistently enforced--no exceptions. One easy way to negatively impact your safe school planning is to break this rule.

Reality indicators:

* Specific policies for violence prevention topics are present.

* Surveys indicate the policies and procedures are enforced consistently.

* Policies and procedures are reviewed each year.

11. Reality: Safe school planning never stops. The forgotten part of a process is often the "return loop." Looking at how you can improve and what new issues will impact the current process is vital to keeping the safe school planning process effective. Safe school planning is not a one-time activity.

Reality indicator:

* You have dealt with some aspect of the safe school planning process within the last week.

Creating and maintaining a safe, secure and welcoming school is ever-changing and never stopping. We have too much as stake to think otherwise.

References

Stephens, Ronald. (February 1996). "The Art of Safe School Planning." The School Administrator. American Association of School Administrators: Arlington, VA.

Learning First Alliance. (November 2001). Every Child Learning: Safe and Supportive Schools. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development: Baltimore, MD.

Morrison, Gale; Furlong, Michael; and Morrison, Richard. Edited by Goldstein and Conoley. (1997). Chapter 12: "The Safe School: Moving Beyond Crime Prevention to School Empowerment." School Violence Intervention: A Practical Handbook. Guilford Press.

Kadel, Stephanie; Watkins, Jim; Follman, Joseph; and Hammond, Cathy. (1999). Reducing School Violence: Building a Framework for School Safety. The Regional Education Laboratory at SERVE: Tallahassee, FL.

Lidia Clarksean and Mary Helen Pelton are consultants with Safe School Navigator, a violence prevention program developed by MacNeil Environmental, Inc. For more information, call [phone], ext. 256.