Security Lockdown to Ensure Neutral Ground

Schools have begun partnering with communities, law enforcement agencies and parents to develop awareness and crisis management programs. The declining rates of violent crime -- which fell from 48 per 1,000 students in 1992 to 28 in 2003 -- indicate that these implementations do hold positive effects.

Surveys show that students have noticed heavier security measures enacted at their school. Fifty-three percent of teens in middle and high school responded in surveys that they witnessed heavier security guard and police watch, locked doors and gates barring outsiders access to the school and increased enforcement of visitor sign-in.

Schools also implement early intervention units to teach students about the dangers of drugs, gangs and violence. Programs instituted to treat and care for students with social or emotional problems also can ward off aggressive behaviors before they manifest in a more dangerous form. More than 50 percent of the perpetrators of homicide expressed violent thoughts in some form before the incident, including notes, drawings, substance abuse or even talking about distress to administration who did not follow through with supportive measures.

If parents, teachers and guards stay alert for traits prevalent in students who end up committing violent acts, then the majority of these deaths can be prevented.

Students shouldn’t be preoccupied with the possibility of gangs walking through their halls, of bullies pestering them at lunchtime, of thefts and vandalism and weapons. Experts attest that school grounds must be labeled and upheld as a safe haven in which students can learn without interruption or fear. Although the majority of schools report significant improvements and mitigation of fear, certain schools are much safer than others.

Specific Implementations: Testing Special Strategy

The three most dangerous states (likely because of their high population and urban settings) are California, Florida and New York, respectively. Neighborhoods and schools with higher crime and violence rates require even heavier intervention and law enforcement.

Governmental and non-governmental organizations have developed and tested the effectiveness of various prevention programs during the past few years.

One of the largest efforts to promote child development in a stable environment is the Safe Schools / Healthy Students Initiative. Sponsored by the U.S. Departments of Education, Justice, and Health and Human Services, the program has handed grants to 143 schools across the nation to implement safety plans that rely on the whole community to contribute.

Within these plans, law enforcement, mental health, social service and educational procedures are all laid out to ensure a haven and helping hand for any child who needs it. Each school carries out an assessment, both locally and across other schools participating in the initiative, to judge the effectiveness of each of the plans to harvest the most successful pieces for future use.