Defines bullying and sexual harassment, identifying characteristics of aggressors and victims, describing implications for school nurses, examining relevant federal laws, and reviewing a 10-Point Action Plan. A survey tool to assess bullying and teaching plans for parents of victims and aggressors are provided. Suggested linkages among relevant…

Schools can reduce their vulnerability to violence and other hazards by analyzing foreseeable risks, assembling a broad-based crisis-management team (CMT), providing adequate staff training, and developing a crisis manual. Common response problems concerning decision-making authority, communication, and performance expectations for CMTs are…

A Wisconsin school district has implemented four pillars of school safety: a strong link with 911 responders, a comprehensive staff education and training program, recognition of staff intuition or early warning power, and the empowerment of students as partners via the Ribbon of Promise National Campaign to End School Violence. (MLH)

This study investigated safety in Texas secondary school science laboratory, classroom, and field settings. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) drew a random representative sample consisting of 199 secondary public schools in Texas. Eighty-one teachers completed Incident/Accident Reports. The reports were optional, anonymous, and open-ended; thus,…

If schools are unsafe, they are made so, in part, by those people, young and old, who appear to value neither living things nor material objects. Moreover, they are made so by young people, research reveals, who, although bullying their classmates and teachers, nonetheless often fail to meet the commonly held stereotype of the bully. It is…

The 1994 Gun-Free Schools Act (GFSA) requires a minimum one-year expulsion for students who bring firearms to school. Although GFSA is not a zero-tolerance law, many school policies enacted in response to GFSA are often referred to as "zero tolerance." Zero tolerance generally is defined as a school district policy that mandates predetermined…

Recognizing gay students remains an emotional, politically charged issue. But Kevin Jennings, the 42-year-old executive director of the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), is not out to provoke shouting matches. Instead, he is quietly turning students into activists capable of changing schools on their own. Along with advocating…

In this article, the author discusses the effects of zero-tolerance policies in schools and depicts how the policies no longer make schools safe, even though many educators see them as the backbone of school discipline. A 2000 study by the American Educational Research Association (AERA) confirms that stringent zero-tolerance policies, though…

The undergraduate chemistry club of the Southwest Minnesota State University offers assistance in lead-testing through the anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) technique to elementary and secondary schools. Emphasis is given to this community service activity, which has increased club membership, and promoted discussion of water quality problems in…

For school officials in West Des Moines, Iowa, it was a disturbing discovery: A teenager convicted of molesting a 13-year-old girl was enrolled in one of their junior high schools. It was a situation that gave local officials reason to pause. They knew all about conducting criminal background checks on new employees, and they had heard that some…

No community is safe until every member takes responsibility for the community's collective safety. College communities are no different from families, towns and businesses in that respect. Getting everyone to accept responsibility is a challenge and skilled communication is an important component of the solution. As part of the front line,…

Concerns about school safety and disruptive behavior, as well as increasing use of zero tolerance policies, have resulted in escalating rates of exclusionary disciplinary practices (out-of -school suspension and expulsion) in America?s schools. The present study examines suspension rates in Kentucky middle schools (N=161), using both quantitative…

This article examines the conceptual basis for and methods used to assess school bullying, including the core bullying behavior elements of repetition, intentionality, and power differential and instruments needed to foster comparability across studies and to improve the precision of intervention capacity. Common bully self-report procedures…

According to Jay Worona, general counsel for the New York State School Board Association, "Balancing safety and student constitutional rights is not easy. It has to be a careful balance. School officials must be prudent and not overreact. But one part of the equation has to be paramount. And safety should be the primary concern"…

After six months of grueling campaigning, the author anxiously began his tenure as mayor of Meriden, Connecticut, a diverse community of about 58,000 residents that is approximately 20 miles north of New Haven and 20 miles south of the state capitol, Hartford. As a former special education teacher and a current vice principal, it was no surprise…