More than one third of Americans think that reducing school violence is the top challenge facing public schools. The challenge posed by National Education Goal 7 is that, by the year 2000, schools will be free of violence. Despite increased concern about school violence and pursuit of this lofty national goal, this paper presents the argument that…

This handbook was designed to help educators develop a proactive school-preparedness plan for dealing with a variety of crises, ranging from natural disasters to accidents to acts of violence. The School Emergency Response Plan (SERP) is not a violence-prevention program; rather, it is part of an overall effort to ensure a safe learning…

As part of its consideration of the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the House Subcommittee on Elementary, Secondary, and Vocational Education met to address the need to maintain schools as safe learning environments. The Safe Schools Act of 1993 had been introduced as the administration's effort to help deal with…

The goal of this safety guide is to enable students to take more responsibility for lab safety by using the Self-Audit System for Students and to understand the responsibility for safety shared by the institution through the development and maintenance of a Chemical Hygiene Plan. This student guide discusses safety equipment and the procedures…

Although school violence has been a concern in the United States for over two decades, the topic has only recently generated serious study in Canada. Central to the development of effective violence-mitigation policies is an understanding of how and why student victims, perpetrators, and observers respond to the school-based violence they…

This book offers guidelines for school district authorities in establishing or expanding the role of districtwide risk management and gives direction for the development of individual school-based risk-management programs. Part 1 relates fundamental constructs of risk management to school site-level and district-level management. Chapters address…

This document presents transcripts of testimony on provisions related to schools in the Lead Exposure Reduction Act of 1992 (H.R. 5730). Statements are presented by: (1) James Murphy, Superintendent of Schools, Bayonne, New Jersey, and Legislative Chairperson, American Association of School Administrators; (2) Vaughn Barber, Law Department,…

This paper describes how one Texas school district, the Aldine Independent School District (ISD), created its own police department as an effort to control school-related crime. Formed in 1990, the Aldine Police Department (ADP) entitles officers to issue citations to students or make arrests according to their assessment of the situation and with…

The Task Force on School Violence was convened to generate recommendations to key state policy makers to stem the rising tide of violence on school campuses. This report presents the task force's conclusions in two sections: (1) Findings; and (2) Recommendations. In their findings, the task force identified some key elements of prevention…

This guide was developed in response to a state act. The state's Board of Education was required to develop a list of recommended conflict resolution and mediation materials, models, and curricula that address responsible decision making, the causes and effects of school violence and harassment, cultural diversity, and nonviolent methods for…

The string of tragic, violent incidents that occurred during the 1997-98 school year has refocused the American public's attention on school crime and safety. This statistical compilation supports the "Annual Report on School Safety: 1998" by presenting the latest available data on school crime and student safety. The report presents a…

This booklet is intended to help parents and teacher activists think critically about the problem of violence in their schools and about how to respond. The booklet offers a framework for analyzing violence prevention programs that may already be in place in the schools, and it provides ideas for improving programs or starting new ones. The…

While all school districts are responsible for the management of their existing buildings, they often approach the task in different ways. This document presents two models that offer ways a school district administration, regardless of size, may introduce activities into its ongoing management process that will lead to improvements in earthquake…

Intended to help reduce the number of school eye injuries in New Jersey, this document begins with a brief review of existing legislation regarding eye protection in educational institutions and a list of elements essential in an eye safety program. Second, eye protection equipment is examined in terms of: the advantages of safety spectacles over…

This brief report cites the grade of "improving" given to the American educational system on the last of the six National Education Goals proposed by the President and the Governors in 1990. The sixth goal states that "By the Year 2000, every school in America will be free of drugs and violence and will offer a disciplined…