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School psychological and physical safety
How safety can be implemented in a school
Safety in school to protect our children
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In academic institutions several challenges exist in regards to discipline
Today’s teachers and students have been exposed to increasingly violent
and hostile environments. In the circumstance that a student is endangering another
person, punishment should be swift and intolerant. However there are instances that
require a different penalty level that are balanced in relation to the offense.
There is a definable need for alternative programs, peer mentoring, family support and
cultural diversity programs, all offer variety of avenues that are valuable to society.
Although zero tolerance policies for weapons and physical acts of violence are
nessacary. In today’s society a need for understanding and compassion are increasingly
obvious. In the words of Milwaukee’s school Superintendent William Andrekopoulos,
“Students are being suspended by the thousand’s, many for minor infractions such as
disrupting class”. When a student disrupts class there should be an alternative to
suspension or expulsion. As a young m...
Students that have been labeled “delinquent” need help in beating the odds to become successful adults. As C. Ogletree discusses article, Total Reform for a Broken System, a program needs to be created that includes family involvement and support to create concrete goals and means for students to achieve them, in the aim of becoming successful students throughout each school until graduation. It is a great goal for school institutions to strive in changing students’ behavior for the better, giving them a fair opportunity in education. Not to single out those of low-income homes, race, or learning disabilities. It should be the goal to get to the heart of misbehavior that is introducing so many students into the juvenile justice system. School institutions need to be place of supportive and structured learning from day one. Students enter school as young children, for the first time away from parents, relying on educators to guide them throughout their day. School Institutions should look for a positive approach that emphasizes on individual strengths to promote learning. The restorative circles program is having been introduced into school systems as an alternative to the zero tolerance policies. It creates an involvement of communication between all parties in any issue. Whether it be good or bad, it offers support for students to discuss issues and ideas, opening a line of communication between parents, teachers, and students, which will be key a student’s
Following the Columbine tragedy in 1999, “school systems across the nation introduced the zero-tolerance policies aimed at the curtailment of harmful student behaviors” (Noll, 2014, p. 295). The original focus of the policies was to eliminate the use/carrying of weapons but soon after spread to restricting drugs and medication (2014). By 2006 95% of the U.S. public schools had adopted the zero-tolerance policies and more than half of them reported taking significant action against students, many of which resulted in expulsion (2014). While the zero-tolerance polices were originally welcomed by all members of a community as a means of promoting and keeping a safer environment-- as of late many individuals are questioning the relevance of some actions and some school officials (2014).
The zero tolerance policy has become a national controversy in regards to the solid proven facts that it criminalizes children and seems to catch kids who have no intention of doing harm. Although, there has been substantial evidence to prove that the policies enforced in many schools have gone far beyond the extreme to convict children of their wrongdoing. The punishments for the act of misconduct have reached a devastating high, and have pointed students in the wrong direction. Despite the opinions of administrators and parents, as well as evidence that zero tolerance policies have deterred violence in many public and private schools, the rules of conviction and punishment are unreasonable and should be modified.
In conclusion, School Violence is a widespread issue that must be addressed. School shootings and bullying are some of the biggest issues in today’s school system. Many times the seed of the issue begins with bullying and ends with consequences like suicide and school shootings. They affect people as early as elementary school all the way to the college level, some even ending with death. Only together can we stop school violence if we take a stand and change the world.
Another major reason why juveniles are ending up in the juvenile justice system is because many schools have incorporate the zero tolerance policy and other extreme school disciplinary rules. In response to violent incidents in schools, such as the Columbine High School massacre, school disciplinary policies have become increasingly grave. These policies have been enacted at the school, district and state levels with the hopes of ensuring the safety of students and educators. These policies all rely on the zero tolerance policy. While it is understandable that protecting children and teachers is a priority, it is not clear that these strict policies are succeeding in improving the safety in schools.
If the zero tolerance program is installed in the educational system, schools must decide when and how it should be enforced. This is a very complex issue and when open to debate you see three approaches to it. First, advocates of zero tolerance policies concentrate on positive changes in school security, ways of punishment, and change in student behavior. Those who oppose the policies argue that zero tolerance should be eliminated due to its lack of rationale and logic. Finally, the opposing viewpoint criticizes the zero tolerance policy for being too extreme and inappropriate for schools.
Schools inevitably must deal with disciplinary action when it comes to misconduct in students. However, at what point should the courts and law enforcement intervene? “Zero tolerance” policies started as a trend in the school setting during the 1990s in “response to the widespread perception that juvenile violence was increasing and school officials needed to take desperate measures to address the problem” (Aull 2012:182-183). However, national statistics indicated a decrease in juvenile’s share of crime during the influx of zero tolerance policies in schools (National Crime Justice Reference Service 2005).
Martinez, S. (2009). A system gone berserk: How are zero-tolerance policies really …..affecting schools? Preventing School Failure, 53(3), 153-157. Retrieved from …..http://search.proquest.com.ezproxylocal.library.nova.edu/docview/228530113?acco…..untid=6579
...insberg, B. (2013). Why Violence Works . the chronicle of higher education,. Retrieved March 25, 2014, from http://chronicle.com/article/Why-Violence-Works/140951/
There is an alarming trend in the United States over the last few years, violence and death in our educational system. Schools should be a sacred place for learning in a safe and comforting environment. Children that live in high-crime neighborhoods have traditionally had only one safe place to go: school. Once at school, these students should be able to look forward to a safe and stimulating day of learning and should be able to briefly forget their troubled lives. Students from more affluent areas are unable to comprehend how violence and death could possibly intrude upon their time for learning. Our parents love us, why would they send us off somewhere for eight hours a day if it wasn’t safe? I am sure many students that have been witness or victim to violence in our educational institutions ask this question every day.
School administrators and teachers today have to balance the priorities of the students in their classrooms. Schools are concerned with student performance in order to meet national guidelines and the well being of students to allow for the appropriate development during their childhood years. Added into this balance is the concern of mass school violence. Because recent school sh...
In every classroom, instructional activities are aimed at accomplishing different goals. Effective teaching strategies are a desired future state of demonstrating competence or mastery in the subject area being taught. This aim specifies the ways in which students will interact with each other and the teacher during instructional session. Each strategies has its place. The teacher decides which strategies to implement with each lesson.
The number of extremely violent crimes occurring in schools has been increasing over the last three years. Incidents that deal with school violence occur 16,000 per school day, which is equivalent to once every six seconds (Kipnis 11). School violence has been around since the1950's, but back then it was more an issue of juvenile delinquency than violent behavior (Baker 3). Crime in and around schools is threatening the well being of students, as well as the staff and surrounding communities. When looking at the urgent problem of school violence one must take into account several factors including the characteristics of the offender, the causes for the violence occurring, and the solution techniques.
The issue of school safety has become a controversial topic in the United States, due to tragic acts of violence occurring on a daily basis. American citizens should never have to cope with the negative impact of school violence, no matter how often they hear about the tragedies (Jones, "Parents" 1). In the past, schools were viewed as a safe place for children to get an education. Recently, the concern over violence in schools has taken a toll on many parents, school administrators, and legislatures (Eckland 1). Studies have shown that there are over 3 million acts of violence in American public schools each year. Not all occurrences are serious and deadly, but they occur on a daily basis throughout our country (Jones, “School” 6). This has caused many parents to worry about the well-being of their children while they are in class. This has also led to an increase in questions and concerns by parents and guardians. Many people have asked, “What are you doing about safety and security on my child’s campus” (Schimke 2). School violence is the cause of elevated worry and fear for their children, and school districts should enforce better security.
Violence on campus may destroy the school environment. The tension violence builds is enough to divert the students from doing their schoolwork. By distracting others from their class work, they make an enormous impact on the career they desire. The violence may reach a point when the violator brings a treacher...