School safety plan
Over the past few years, violence in schools has become more prevalent. Educators are constantly looking for ways to make the school safer and make these violent acts happen less frequently. It is essential to develop school safety plans that are regularly checked and evaluated. Research has shown that schools that have a positive school climate, according to surveys, are less likely to have school violence. To create this atmosphere, schools need to focus on prevention and early interventions. This also involves finding a disciplinary team that develops programs around disciplinary actions because research shows that schools with solid disciplinary plans have less overall violence which makes the likelihood of an attack at school less (Skiba, Simmons, Peterson, & Forde, 2006). Therefore, one of the most important aspects of school counseling is helping to create a safe environment for all students at one's school. To do this, many schools create school safety plans that detail what to do in every emergency situation. This often involves who to call, where to go, and what to do afterwards. Indiana requires that each school has a safety plan on file to address these situations. Therefore, it is important that all staff members work together to create a comprehensive safety plan for that school.
These safety plans should include resources within the school and community that can help students. Emergencies do not necessarily have to be things such as school shootings or earthquakes. An emergency could be a situation where a student's family has lost their house and the professional school counselor and administration needs to work together to find the family a safe place to stay. This is why it is essential that the safety plan outline all community resources that can be helpful to the school.
Skiba, R., Simmons, A., Peterson, R. & Forde, S. (2006). The SRS schools survey: A broader perspective on school violence prevention. The Handbook of School Violence and School Safety: From Research to Practice, 157-169.
Below is an example of a safety plan for a real high school in California. I chose this safety plan because it includes step-by-step instructions for what to do in case of any type of emergency. It also includes outside resources to get in contact with during specific situations. Finally, it contains directions for issues like child abuse and sexual harassment.
These safety plans should include resources within the school and community that can help students. Emergencies do not necessarily have to be things such as school shootings or earthquakes. An emergency could be a situation where a student's family has lost their house and the professional school counselor and administration needs to work together to find the family a safe place to stay. This is why it is essential that the safety plan outline all community resources that can be helpful to the school.
Skiba, R., Simmons, A., Peterson, R. & Forde, S. (2006). The SRS schools survey: A broader perspective on school violence prevention. The Handbook of School Violence and School Safety: From Research to Practice, 157-169.
Below is an example of a safety plan for a real high school in California. I chose this safety plan because it includes step-by-step instructions for what to do in case of any type of emergency. It also includes outside resources to get in contact with during specific situations. Finally, it contains directions for issues like child abuse and sexual harassment.
California Safety Plan | |
File Size: | 6794 kb |
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It is also important to have some prevention measures in place for the school. These measures can include fire drills, tornado drills, and any drills that are common in one's area. This also could include having an emergency preparedness team to determine the needs of the specific school. This team could design a plan at the beginning of each year to make sure the school is as safe as possible and to determine who does what when emergencies arise. This way, the entire school knows every procedure and can be more efficient in the future to keep the students as safe as possible.