Where Girls and Women Won't Go: Female Students', Teachers', and Social Workers' Views of School Safety

Abstract

This article addresses the safety of female students, teachers, and social workers in school settings. Based on research in public health, urban planning, architecture, and environmental psychology, the authors present a conceptual framework aimed toward securing violence-prone school locations. The article presents findings from a study that mapped violence-prone locations in five high schools and then interviewed students and teachers about the relationship between gender and violence in those locations. The authors suggest that social workers use this conceptual framework and mapping procedure to create a dialogue within the school community about gender-related violence and to develop ways to secure unsafe school spaces for all females in the school community.