Improve School Safety Research Articles

Students' perspectives and utilization of school resource officers after experiences with school discipline or law enforcement

AbstractSchool resource officer (SRO) programs were expanded to improve school safety, but limited research has assessed factors impacting students' perspectives on and intended utilization of SROs. We analyzed the relationships of students' experiences with law enforcement and school discipline with views and intended use of SROs. We used multilevel logistic regression models based on the 2019 Minnesota Student Survey to estimate odds ratios of negative attitudes toward SROs. Among all students, 94.4% agreed having an SRO at school was a good idea, 62.1% said they would feel comfortable going to their SRO with a problem, and 68.1% that they would tell their SRO if they saw something unsafe. Among students with recent suspensions, a parent/guardian who was ever in prison, or attending alternative learning centers, there was still widespread support for SROs, albeit lower support for SROs. Furthermore, only about half of students with recent suspensions or impacted by parental incarceration stated they would utilize SROs. These findings highlight discrepancies in students' attitudes toward versus utilization of SROs, especially for those disproportionately impacted by law enforcement or school discipline. This is relevant, as having trusted adults to turn to with problems has been identified as a cornerstone of school safety.

Zero tolerance: effects, bias, and more effective strategies for Improving school safety

In this article, the authors discuss zero tolerance policies and implications for those they affect most, namely students of color (e.g., Black, American Indian, Latino/a/e) and students with disabilities. First, we present a brief history of the use of zero tolerance policies in school discipline and review the literature on their effects. Although these policies seem race neutral, racial and ethnic disproportionality in their use is well documented. Then, the authors examine implicit bias as a contributor to a negative cycle of student-teacher interactions that influence disparate disciplinary outcomes. Lastly, the authors present recommendations for practice, including policy changes, systems for prevention, approaches for managing behavioral errors, and a promising approach to counteract bias in discipline decision making.

Neutrosophic MCDM Model for Assessment Factors of Wearable Technological Devices to Reduce Risks and Increase Safety: Case Study in Education

This study investigates the feasibility of using wearable technologies in education to improve safety. This article explores how wearables may be used to improve school safety and wellness, as well as their advantages, disadvantages, and future potential. The article covers a wide range of wearable gadgets and their respective safety-related features, from smartwatches to location trackers to panic buttons and biometric sensors. Privacy issues, data security, user acceptability, and ethical considerations are only some of the problems and hazards discussed in this research on wearables in education. This study the neutrosophic set to deal with uncertain data. The neutrosophic set is integrated with the multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) CRITIC method. The CRITIC method is used to compute the weights of factors and rank it. There are 15 factors used in this study. The case study is applied in the education field. Educators, technologists, and legislators all need to work together to guarantee the safe and effective use of wearable devices in schools, as shown by the study's findings. The article reiterates the importance of wearables and their potential to enhance safety measures in education before making the case for more studies, pilot programmers, and policy development to fully realize their promise.

Case Study of the Application of an Innovative Guide for the Seismic Vulnerability Evaluation of Schools Located in Sangolquí, Interandean Valley in Ecuador

The current study is based on the analysis and adaptation of a Federal Emergency Management Agency guide, FEMA P-1000, from the USA to improve school safety against natural hazards by applying the guide to the infrastructure of Ecuadorian schools, focusing primarily on seismic risk. By considering the technical foundations of structuring and managing disasters in buildings for school use, society will be provided with a practical procedure to recognize those aspects that need immediate attention as part of proper risk management. Here, a variety of parameters are involved in the proposed methodology of the given guide from FEMA combined with the national construction standards and regulations. The characteristics of nearby geological faults and structural and nonstructural vulnerability levels, amongst others, were also considered to allow for a detailed evaluation and a subsequent seismic risk categorization. Finally, the global risk is determined for the studied institutions of Sangolquí in the Valley of Los Chillos, within the Interandean Depression in central Ecuador.

The Effectiveness of the Say-Something Anonymous Reporting System in Preventing School Violence: A Cluster Randomized Control Trial in 19 Middle Schools

ABSTRACT We examined the effectiveness of the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System (SS-ARS) program in improving school safety in a cluster randomized control trial among over 700 students in 19 middle schools in the Miami-Dade County Public Schools. The SS-ARS is a program that emphasizes youth engagement and trains youth to recognize warning signs of possible harmful behaviors and to safely report potential threats. We compared 3-month posttest reports of students’ self-efficacy and intention to report warning signs and 9-month posttest perceptions of school and exposure to school violence in treatment versus control schools. Results show that SS-ARS improved both 3-month and 9-month self-efficacy and intention to report. The intervention also promotes perceptions of school safety and reduced violence exposure at 9-month posttest.

School Culture, Racial Composition, and Preventing Violence: Evaluating Punitive and Supportive Responses to Improving Safety

Research on the impact of school climate and culture on campus violence has yielded some promising responses for improving school safety. Evaluations of school policies and practices have shown that strict discipline and enforcement may have negative consequences and a disparate impact on students of color. Using a sample of 2092 respondents from the 2015–2016 School Survey on Crime and Safety from the Department of Education, the present research assessed the effectiveness of supportive programs and the impact of punitive responses to school violence within predominantly minority schools. Results from this study found that there were more statistically significant supportive policies that were associated with reductions in serious violence and disciplinary actions in predominately minority schools as compared to predominately white schools. Policy and research implications are discussed.

Restorative Justice and School-wide Transformation: Identifying Drivers of Implementation and System Change

ABSTRACT Restorative justice (RJ) practices have expanded significantly with the aim of improving school safety. Despite RJ’s potential for transformative change, the factors driving these changes have rarely been the focus of rigorous scientific investigation. This qualitative study applies a system change framework to examine how organizational system structures (i.e., resources, beliefs, policies, decision-making, and power) affect RJ implementation. This study leverages an experimental design to understand how enhancing staff capacity to implement RJ programming can promote system change. Findings highlight the influence of material resources, social relationships, beliefs about teaching and discipline, and decision-making by principals on the implementation of RJ practices. Findings also underscore the importance of developing RJ staff capacity to create a resource-rich environment that promotes implementation and drives system changes.

School Shootings and Security Lock‐downs: Myths, Positive School Climates, and Safer Campuses

AbstractSchool shooting tragedies and the juvenile justice system’s movement toward a retributive and punitive framework gravely impacted how primary and secondary school students, disproportionately urban districts, used security measures to lock down campuses and build “fortress‐like” schools. This iteration of control on school campuses emerged in tandem with the most recent generation’s zero tolerance approach to student violence and problems; a policy widely regarded as ineffective in urban, suburban, and rural districts. As school shootings continue to impact state legislative action and public reactions to school management, this paper takes a critical approach to school security policies and reviews the evidence on the risk for school violence and how to move away from student control approaches that do not improve school safety. Instead, the incorporation of prosocial education and school engagement efforts finds that school and student safety is improved. These, and related approaches to student body management, decreases campus violence and may also minimize the risk of some school shootings ‐ as rare as these tragic incidents are across the nation’s schools. The interplay of schools, students, and the juvenile and family courts is ongoing. Knowing how school districts can best approach their campus environments, safety, and learning is important for school social workers and court personnel because of how often these systems work, or do not work, together.

Conceptualizing and Measuring Safe and Supportive Schools

This paper describes how a partnership between a large, urban school district and researchers resulted in a process to measure school climate and support schools and the district in school safety efforts. The partnership utilized a comprehensive framework of safe and supportive schools, where constructs such as physical safety and security were included along with connectedness of staff and students, emotional safety, physical environment, engagement, and norms and policies. Researchers then developed a process for measuring these constructs using existing, school-level data collected by the state and the district and communicating the results to district and school staff. This paper aims to describe the method of identifying and utilizing school-level data, our development of a standardized measurement model, and our processes to communicate and consult with the district and schools on using a data-driven process to improve school safety.

Effects of school resource officers on school crime and responses to school crime

Research SummaryWe examined the effects of an increase in school resource officer (SRO) staffing on schools in a sample of 33 public schools that enhanced SRO staffing through funding from the Department of Justice's Community Oriented Policing Services Hiring Program and a matched sample of 72 schools that did not increase SRO staffing at the same time. In longitudinal analyses of monthly school‐level administrative data, we compared the treatment and comparison schools on disciplinary offenses and actions. We found that increased SROs increased the number of drug‐ and weapon‐related offenses and exclusionary disciplinary actions for treatment schools relative to comparison schools. These negative effects were more frequently found for students without special needs.Policy ImplicationsThe study findings suggest that increasing SROs does not improve school safety and that by increasing exclusionary responses to school discipline incidents it increases the criminalization of school discipline. We recommend that educational decision‐makers seeking to enhance school safety consider the many alternatives to programs that require regular police presence in schools.

The contribution of school safety to weight-related health behaviors for transgender youth

IntroductionThe aim of the present study is to examine gender identity disparities in different kinds of weight-related health behaviors, including physical activity, participation in physical education at school, and healthy and unhealthy eating habits, and to investigate the relationship between school safety and such behaviors in a sample of transgender and non-transgender students. MethodWe analyzed a statewide sample of 31,609 students (Mage = 14.04, SD = 1.70; 1.1% transgender). We used multilevel regression models to examine the interactive effects of gender identity and perceptions of school safety on the 4 different outcome variables (physical activity, physical education, healthy and unhealthy eating habits). All models included student- and school-level characteristics as controls. ResultsFindings indicated that transgender students, when compared to non-transgender students, reported (a) feeling less safe at school; (b) more physical activity, but less participation in physical education at school; and (c) both more healthy as well as unhealthy eating behaviors. Adjusted regression models showed a significant interaction between gender identity and perceived school safety on healthy eating behaviors; simple slopes indicated that transgender students have healthier eating behaviors when the school context is perceived as safe compared to those who perceived the school as less safe. ConclusionsSchool interventions are needed to improve school safety for transgender youth and to reduce gender identity-related disparities in healthy eating and physical activity. Research implications and limitations are discussed.

학교안전교육이 고등학생의 안전행동에 미치는 영향

The purpose of this study is to provide basic data for improving school safety education by analyzing the effect of school safety education on safety behavior of high school students. The subjects of this study were eight classes of U high school in Uiwang-si, Gyeonggi-do. They were educated for five minutes on the seven standards for safety education at the beginning of the physical education class for four months. A questionnaire was used as a research tool. Before and after the study, the researcher distributed questionnaires, and the statistics used 270 copies of the questionnaire collected after the study subjects responded by using self-assessment methods. The conclusions obtained by using the SPSS Win 21.0 and AMOS 19.0 programs for frequency analysis, percent calculation, Cronbach`s a coefficient, confirmed factor analysis, and response sample t-test are as follows: First, in the active participation of safety education, experimental group showed more active participation in safety education than control group at p>.05 level between experimental group and control group. Also, pre-post test of experimental group showed significant improvement at p>.05 level. Second, in active behavior according to education, the experimental group showed more active behavior than the control group at the p>.05 level between the experimental group and the control group. Also, pre-post test of experimental group showed significant improvement at p>.05 level. Third, in enhancing friend safety, the experimental group showed more actively help the peer safety than the control group at the p>.05 level between the experimental group and the control group. Also, pre-post test of experimental group showed significant improvement at p>.05 level. Fourth, in the positive compliance with safety regulations, the experimental group showed a positive compliance with the safety rules compared to the control group at the p>.05 level between the experimental group and the control group. Also, pre-post test of experimental group showed significant improvement at p>.05 level. In this conclusion, more active and systematic safety education, which entails action, should be conducted in schools.

Navigating Get-Tough and Support-Oriented Philosophies for Improving School Safety: Insights from School Administrators and School Safety Staff

Schools in the United States are increasingly faced with the challenge of navigating two seemingly contradictory approaches to school safety. On the one hand, they attempt to make schools safer by employing get-tough, punishment-oriented policies. On the other hand, schools promote support-oriented policies that seek to address the root causes of students’ behavioral issues. Despite considerable advances in research on school safety, little is known about how schools balance the implementation of these two approaches. To address this research gap, we present findings from interviews with school principals, assistant principals, discipline coordinators, police, and district leaders to illustrate how schools navigate the implementation of these competing school safety philosophies. Implications for theory, research, and policy are discussed.

The Benefits, Risks, and Challenges of Get-Tough and Support-Oriented Approaches to Improving School Safety

Schools have adopted get-tough policies and support-oriented policies, each of which creates not only potential benefits but also potential risks for youth delinquency and education. This article identifies potential benefits and risks of get-tough approaches and support-oriented approaches, respectively, to reduce delinquency. It then identifies challenges that can arise when schools seek to balance both get-tough and support-oriented policies. We illustrate these challenges by drawing on prior scholarship on these policies as well as a process evaluation of a large metropolitan school district’s pilot initiative to promote school safety and academic performance by assisting court-involved youth. We argue for developing a stronger empirical foundation for school-based approaches that aim to improve school safety and educational outcomes of youth.

Schools\u2019 Flood Emergency Preparedness in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan

Pakistan is highly exposed to climate-induced disasters, especially floods. Flooding history shows that educational establishments have been disproportionately hard-hit by flooding events. In Pakistan, school safety and preparedness is still a choice, rather than a mandatory requirement for all schools. But schools in Pakistan do have a responsibility to keep safe the students in their care, especially during and after the catastrophic events. This implies the need to maintain the environment in and around school property, so as to minimize the impacts of floods and to have the mechanisms in place to maximize a school’s resilience. This study examined the emergency preparedness activities of 20 schools in four districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province that had recently been severely affected by floods. Through face to face interviews and a structured questionnaire (n = 100) we collected data on the four pillars of emergency preparedness: emergency planning, preparation measures, safe school facilities, and hazard education and training. The study revealed that the majority of the sample schools had experienced more than one natural hazard-induced disaster, predominantly flooding, yet despite this had not undertaken adequate emergency preparedness activities. There are particular gaps with regard to plans for students with disabilities, the continuity of school operations after a disaster, the presence of maps to identify evacuation routes, the availability of emergency equipment and resources, disaster preparedness guidelines, and psychological first aid and crisis counseling. The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis that our researchers carried out indicates that, although schools in the survey have taken many steps towards flood preparedness, many weaknesses still exist and there remain significant opportunities to strengthen the preparedness level of many schools. The goal of this study is to inform policy decisions that improve school safety in Pakistan and to suggest the priority areas for future school disaster preparedness and management efforts.

Kentucky High Schools with SROs and Without

School violence has become a focal point, sparked by violent mass killings throughout the nation. One of the most substantial efforts for improving school safety and security is the utilization of specially trained police, titled school resource officers (SROs). Regardless of the importance of maintaining safe schools and an environment that is conducive to learning, relatively little research has been conducted examining the effectiveness of these programs and the variables that may influence those findings (Raymond, 2010). This research uses two studies focused on the association of SROs and reported criminal violation rates at Kentucky high schools. Findings indicate no statistically significant differences in reported criminal violation rates between high school populations without SROs and those with full-time SROs. Implications of these findings are discussed in addition to how SRO presence may affect the frequency and accuracy of reported criminal violations.

Do anti-bullying laws work? New evidence on school safety and youth violence

This study is the first to comprehensively examine the effect of state anti-bullying laws (ABLs) on school safety and youth violence. Using existing data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveys and the Uniform Crime Reports, and newly-collected data on school shootings, we find little evidence that the typical state ABL is effective in improving school safety and student well-being. However, this null finding masks substantial policy heterogeneity. State mandates that require school districts to implement strong, comprehensive anti-bullying policies are associated with a 7 to 13 % reduction in school violence and an 8 to 12 % reduction in bullying. In addition, our results show that strong anti-bullying policy mandates are associated with a reduction in minor teen school shooting deaths and violent crime arrests, suggesting potentially important spillover effects.

Implementing Effective Programs to Increase Safety and Reduce Bullying in Connecticut Private Schools, USA: A Policy Perspective

Introduction: Providing a safe, supportive, and encouraging school environment is a social responsibility that parents delegate to lawmakers, teachers, and school administrators. It is in some respect a public right—or at least a perceived right—that the public has come to expect from its lawmakers, teachers, and administrators. Objectives: This research seeks to evaluate the role of Safe School Climate Coordinator in establishing a school climate programs and related policies to improve school safety and reduce bullying. Methods: The research employed the qualitative methodology from which six key themes emerged: mental health support; resource constraints; impact and influence of technology and social media; clear definition and distinction of bullying, harassment, and teasing; parental involvement and support; and importance and significance of the network’s culture. Nine participants from seven private schools in Connecticut took part in semi-structured interviews that were specially designed and conducted by the researchers. The nature of the interviews allowed participants to provide useful insights into the role they played in enhancing school climate by carefully developing and implementing policies and programs that reject violence and promote a school environment that is safe and conducive to learning. Findings: The administrators were involved in training teachers and staff in detecting bullying activities and to immediately address them if identified. In order to protect the privacy and confidentiality of the participants and any information that was shared during the discussion, no personally identifiable information was used. A three-letter code or initials was used to further mask the identity of the participants. Each school administrator contributed equally to the discussion and actively participated in the semi-structured interviews. Most were interested in the outcome and willingly agreed to provide input regarding the development and implementation of school safety and antibullying manual as a deliverable for this action research project. Conclusion: The Safe School Climate Coordinator role was examined to ascertain actions taken to improve school safety and prevent bullying activities. The results of this study highlighted the importance of robust policies and careful oversight by the school administrators in maintaining a safe and bully-free environment. A safe and nurturing school culture paired with strong leadership can positively influence the school’s environment resulting into improved academic successes and favorable behavioral outcomes of students.

델파이 기법을 활용한 학교안전사고 예방정책에 관한 연구

본 연구는 지속적으로 증가하고 있는 학교안전사고를 저감시키기 위한 방안으로 델파이 기법을 활용하여 학교안전사고 예방정책을 제시하는데 목적이 있다. 델파이 조사결과 분야별 학교안전사고 예방정책 개선 방안은 다음과 같다. 첫째, 학교시설을 기획, 설계 및 시공, 유지관리, 평가 등 4단계로 구분하여 체계적인 안전정책을 수립할 필요가 있다. 둘째, 학교안전정책이 학교현장에서 유용한 대책으로 활용되기 위해서는 시설안전 담당자들이 부담으로 느끼는 책무성과 예산상 한계를 극복할 수 있는 연구가 필요하다. 셋째, 예방대책이 지속적으로 안전정책에 반영되기 위해서는 각 분야별 관련부서의 검토를 통하여 해당 법령이 개정되도록 노력할 필요가 있다. The purpose of this study is to suggest school safety accidents prevention policy by applying delphi technique as a method to decrease school safety accidents which have been increasing consistently. As results of Delphi, the plans to improve school safety accidents prevention policy per area are as follows: First, it is required to establish systematic safety policy by dividing school facilities into four stages such as planning, designing and building, maintenance and evaluation etc. Second, it is required studies to overcome budget limitation and accountability of people in charge of safety of facilities to apply school safety policy as a useful measure. Third, it is required to make an effort to revise relevant legislations through examinations of relevant government ministries per each area to reflect prevention measures to safety policy consistently.

Our schools are safe: Challenging the misperception that schools are dangerous places.

Massive public attention to school shootings has created the misperception that schools are dangerous places, even though crime statistics show that schools are one of the safest places in the United States. The fear of school shootings has caused many school systems to divert their budgets to excessive building security measures and adopt dubious crisis response plans. School disciplinary practices have shifted toward the criminalization of student misbehavior and a zero tolerance philosophy that fails to improve school safety and results in high rates of student suspensions and dropouts. The use of a threat assessment approach to evaluate individual student behavior in context and resolve conflicts and problems before they escalate into violence is one promising alternative that has been adopted statewide in Virginia public schools. School safety should focus on the everyday problems of bullying and fighting, and apply public health principles of primary and secondary prevention using well-established psychological interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record Language: en