Criminal Justice Resources :
School Safety and Violence
According to a survey of crime and safety in Michigan schools, there were "5,316 incidents of physical violence or assault, or about five for every 1,000 students. 3,188 reports of sexual assault, or three for every 1,000 students. 5,382 larcenies, about five for every 1,000 students. In comparison, the FBI's crime statistics for Michigan last year showed about 3.5 violent crimes--murders, rapes, aggravated assaults, robberies--for every 1,000 people and about 41 incidents of all types of crime, including non-violent property crime, for every 1,000 state citizens. The state school crime report also found: 670 weapons on school property. 240 bomb threats in schools. 1,286 acts of vandalism and a total of $302,000 worth of property damage. 501 cases of illegal drug use or drug overdose on school property that were reported to police. 2,270 cases of minors in possession of alcohol or tobacco at school. 32 suicide attempts on school property." Source: "New Crime Survey Useless to Schools", Detroit News (30 Nov 2001): p.1,5 secA
"Victimization in the nation's schools has decreased since 1992, according to a new report by the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and the Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics. `Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2001' reports that, between 1992 and 1999, violent victimization rates at schools generally declined from 48 crimes per 1,000 students ages 12 through 18 to 33 per 1,000 students. Data also indicates that, between 1995 and 1999, the percentage of students who said they were the victims of any crime of violence or theft at school decreased from 10 to 8 percent. During 1999, students were victims of about 2.5 million crimes at school, 1.6 million thefts, and 880,000 nonfatal violent crimes, including about 186,000 serious violent crimes (rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault). In comparison, students were victims of 2.1 million crimes away from school: 1 million thefts and 1.1 million nonfatal violent crimes, including 476,000 serious violent crimes. Over the 1995-1999 period, teachers were the victims of 1,708,000 nonfatal crimes at school, including 1,073,000 thefts and 635,000 violent crimes. On a per teacher basis, this translates to 79 crimes per 1,000 teachers annually." Source: FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin v.71 no.3 (Mar 2002): p.13
School violence, although generally decreasing in the United States, is under-reported in many schools, according to a new report from the Reason Foundation. School crime data are largely unavailable and incidences of violence often downplayed. For the full article, see Kat McGreevy, "School Violence Is Under-Reported", School Reform News, April 1, 2005.
[Publications]
Center for the Prevention of School Violence
http://www.ncdjjdp.org/cpsv/
Established in 1993, the Center serves as a primary point of contact for dealing with the problem of school violence. The Center focuses on ensuring that schools are safe and secure so that every student is able to attend a school that is safe and secure, one that is free of fear and conducive to learning. Located at the North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence
http://www.Colorado.EDU/cspv/
Violence in America has reached epidemic proportions. Today, all Americans are touched directly or indirectly by violent acts. In response, the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence (CSPV) was founded in 1992 with a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York to provide informed assistance to groups committed to understanding and preventing violence, particularly adolescent violence. Since that time, our mission has expanded to encompass violence across the life course. Located at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Hamilton Fish Institute
http://www.hamfish.org/
As part of its mission to make schools safer for learning, this institute has compiled information on school violence and assessment tools for tracking school violence.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
International School Psychologists Association
Crisis Intervention and Violence Prevention Resources
http://www.ispaweb.org/main11.html#Crisis
(Last checked 05/01/07)
National Alliance for Safe Schools
http://www.safeschools.org/
School violence is not only an urban problem. Today, all schools must have an active plan for creating and maintaining a healthy and safe environment for students and faculty.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
National Association of School Safety and Law Enforcement Officers
http://www.nassleo.org/
(Last checked 05/01/07)
National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities
Disaster Preparedness for Schools
Resource List
http://www.edfacilities.org/rl/disaster.cfm
NCEF's resource list of links, books, and journal articles on building or retrofitting schools to withstand natural disasters and terrorism, developing emergency preparedness plans, and using school buildings to shelter community members during emergencies.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
National Education Association
School Safety Resources
http://www.nea.org/schoolsafety/nearesources-schoolsafety.html
Statements, publications, and advice from the NEA.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
National Resource Center for Safe Schools
Also know as SafetyZone
http://www.safetyzone.org/
Funded by the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education, this center works with schools, communities, State and local education agencies, and others to create safe learning environments and prevent school violence. The Center helps schools develop and implement comprehensive safe school plans, provides onsite training and consultation to schools and communities, creates and distributes resource materials and tools, provides Web-based information services, and partners with Stte-level agencies to increase State capacity to assist local education agencies.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
National School Safety and Security Services
http://www.schoolsecurity.org/
A Cleveland (Ohio)-based, leading national consulting firm specializing in school security and crisis preparedness training, security assessments, and related safety consulting for K-12 schools, law enforcement, public safety and other youth safety providers. President, Ken Trump. Web page also offers free resources as well, including:
(Last checked 05/01/07)
National School Safety Center
http://www.schoolsafety.us/
To serve as a catalyst and advocate for the prevention of school crime and violence by providing information and resources and identifying strategies and promising programs which support safe schools for school children worldwide. Web site includes resources for educators, parents, and reporters, plus web links.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
U.S. Department of Education
Emergency Planning
Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools
http://www.ed.gov/emergencyplan/
"U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige has unveiled this new web resource designed to be a one-stop shop that provides school leaders with information they need to plan for any emergency, including natural disasters, violent incidents and terrorist acts."
(Last checked 05/01/07)
5 Lessons Learned From the Platte Canyon School Shooting
http://www.campussafetymagazine.com/Articles/?ArticleID=130
It has been more than a year since a gunman barricaded himself and seven female students inside a Bailey, Colo., classroom. Although this incident resulted in the tragic death of one student, experts have gleaned valuable information from this shooting and offer best practices that other campuses can incorporate into their emergency plans. Article by Kate M. Dempsey and Lori R. Hodges, Campus Safety Magazine, Nov/Dec 2007.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Addressing School-Related Crime and Disorder
http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/html/cd_rom/solution_gang_crime/pubs/AddressingSchoolRelatedCrimeandDisorder.pdf
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), September 2001. This report is based on the activities of COPS School Based Partnership grantees. Tips and recommendations are provided for developing successful school-based, problem-solving efforts.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Annual Report On School Safety (1st, 1998)
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/AnnSchoolRept98/index.html
http://www.ed.gov/PDFDocs/schoolsafety.pdf
Following the tragic shooting at West Paducah High School in December 1997, President Clinton directed the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice to prepare, for the first time, an annual report on school safety. The first report provides parents, schools, and communities with an overview of the scope of school crime, and describes actions schools and communities can take to address this critical issue. Even more timely now that another tragedy has occured in Littleton, Colorado.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Annual Report on School Safety (2nd, 1999)
http://www.ed.gov/PDFDocs/InterimAR.pdf
Updated description of the nature and extent of crime and violence on school property. Describes measures some schools have taken to prevent and address school violence.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Annual Report on School Safety (3rd, 2000)
http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/193163.pdf
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Approaches to School Safety In America's Largest Cities
http://www.vera.org/publication_pdf/apprchs_school_safety.pdf
A report by Melorra Sochet of the Vera Institute of Justice. Prepared for the New York State Governor's Task Force on School Safety in the summer of 1999, "Approaches to School Safety in America's Largest Cities" shows the ways in which school systems and state and local governments in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston and Philadelphia structure their institutions to address school safety. Much of the report was later incorporated into the Task Force's final report and recommendations, which were endorsed by the Governor and released to the public in October 1999. 60pp.
(Last checked 10/04/05)
Appropriate and Effective Use of Security Technologies in U.S. Schools
As a guide for schools and law enforcement agencies, reviews such security measures as video surveillance cameras and metal detectors, their costs, strengths and weaknesses, and legal issues that may be involved in their use. Also available in the MSU Main Library Government Documents stacks.
Last checked 10/04/05)
The Appropriate and Effective Use of Security Technologies in U.S. Schools
A Guide for Schools and Law Enforcement Agencies
http://www.ncjrs.org/school/pdf.htm
http://www.ncjrs.org/school/home.html
Because of recent school violence episodes, communities around the country have put pressure on school districts to incorporate more extensive security measures into their safety programs. The Appropriate and Effective Use of Security Technologies in U.S. Schools is a guide to help school administrators and their colleagues in law enforcement analyze a school's vulnerability to violence, theft, and vandalism, and research possible technologies to effectively address these problems. This NIJ Research Report is based on a 7-year study of more than 100 schools and offers practical guidance on several aspects of security, including security concepts and operational issues, video surveillance, weapons detection devices, entry controls, and duress alarms. National Institute of Justice. Sept. 1999. 140pp.
(Last checked 10/04/05)
Are America's Schools Safe? Students Speak Out: 1999 School Crime Supplement
http://www.safetyzone.org/pdfs/are_americas_schools_safe.pdf
This report presents the most recent information from students regarding school crime and violence. The data presented in the report are from the 1999 School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey. Students between the ages of 12 and 18 are asked about experiencing criminal victimization, availability of drugs and alcohol, presence of street gangs, presence of weapons, experiencing hate-related words and graffiti, bullying, avoiding school, and fear of attending school. National Center for Education Statistics, November 2002 (211 pages)
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Bath School Disaster
http://home.nycap.rr.com/useless/bath/index.html
Still the worst case of school violence ever recorded. We live in an age where we think that schools shootings, bombings, and the like are only a modern phenomenon. It’s not the type of thing that we would have expected to happen in the 1920s. And in Bath, Michigan.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Blueprints for Violence Prevention
http://www.safetyzone.org/pdfs/blueprints_2004.pdf
Describes the Blueprints for Violence Prevention initiative, presents lessons learned about program implementation, and provides recommendations for program designers, funders, and implementing agencies and organizations. The Blueprints project was developed by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence at the University of Colorado–Boulder and is supported by OJJDP. It has evolved into a large-scale prevention initiative, both identifying model programs and providing technical support to help sites choose and implement programs with a high degree of integrity. After reviewing more than 600 violence prevention programs, the Blueprints initiative has identified 11 model programs and 21 promising programs that prevent violence and drug use and treat youth with problem behaviors.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Bomb Threat Response: An Interactive Planning Tool for Schools
http://www.threatplan.org
The Bomb Threat CD-ROM is a free interactive planning tool for schools that included staff training presentation and implementation resources. ATF will distribute the CD-ROM to State and local law enforcement and public safety agencies and the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools will handle distribution to the country's public and private school systems. This web site also has an order form.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Bomb Threats in Schools
http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/mime/open.pdf?Item=1433
This report (82 pp.) (NCJ 208971), a new COPS POP Guide, reviews the factors that increase the risk of bomb threats in schools, identifies a series of questions that might assist departments in analyzing their local problem, and reviews responses to the problem and what is known about them from evaluative research and police practice. (COPS)
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Bombs and School Security: Are Your Schools Prepared for Bomb Threats and Bombs?
http://www.schoolsecurity.org/trends/school-bombs.html
High-profile school violence cases and other national incidents, along with easy access to formulas for homemade bombs on the Internet, have contributed to the growth of bomb threats, suspicious devices, and homemade bombs in schools, on school grounds, and even on school buses. The increase in these types of incidents was observed by National School Safety and Security Services and incorporated into our training programs over two years prior to the Columbine High School tragedy.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Bullying Contributes To School Shootings, Report Says
http://www.stateline.org/live/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=136&languageId=1&contentId=14154
Metal detectors, student profiles and police officers patrolling school hallways are less likely to prevent school shootings than anti-bullying programs like one conducted in Delaware, a study by the Secret Service and the US Department of Education (DOE) concludes. In three fourths of the cases studied for the "Interim Report on the Prevention of Targeted Violence in School," student shooters reacted violently to being bullied by fellow students, researchers found.
By Tiffany Danitz, Staff Writer, Stateline.org, Oct. 25, 2000
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Bullying in Schools
http://www.popcenter.org/Problems/problem-bullying.htm
Perhaps more than any other school safety problem, bullying affects students' sense of security. The most effective ways to prevent or lessen bullying require school administrators' commitment and intensive effort; police interested in increasing school safety can use their influence to encourage schools to address the problem. This guide provides police with information about bullying in schools, its extent and its causes, and enables police to steer schools away from common remedies that have proved ineffective elsewhere, and to develop ones that will work. Courtesy of Rana Sampson from the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Bullying in Schools
http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/html/cd_rom/solution_gang_crime/pubs/BullyinginSchools.pdf
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), January 2004. There is new concern about school violence, and police have assumed greater responsibility for helping school officials ensure students´ safety. As pressure increases to place officers in schools, police agencies must decide how best to contribute to student safety. Will police presence on campuses most enhance safety? If police cannot or should not be on every campus, can they make other contributions to student safety? What are good approaches and practices?
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Buyer Beware: What to Look For When You Hire a School Security Consultant
http://www.asbj.com/security/contents/0301trump.html
As an administrator or school board member, could you make these mistakes? You bypass proposals from a number of well-established school safety consultants and accept a "free" security assessment from a security equipment vendor. The vendor has no school experience and recommends only that you purchase $500,000 worth of new security equipment, which it, coincidentally, sells.
Unlikely? How about this? Your district gives thousands of dollars to a firm that promises to "certify" your school resource officers but discovers later that the "certification" holds no real standing in the school policing field and that the trainers have done little work with schools. Or this? You hire a "nonprofit" organization to evaluate your district's security needs. Later, you learn -- perhaps through the local newspaper -- that the group is being investigated for soliciting illegal tax-deductible contributions and has filed for bankruptcy. Article by Ken Trump and curtis Lavarello, March 2001.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Campus Public Safety: Weapons of Mass Destruction Terrorism Protective Measures
http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/emergencyplan/campussafe.html
The Office for Domestic Preparedness, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, has published a series of suggestions to guide and inform public safety planning efforts to prevent, deter or effectively respond to a weapons of mass destruction terrorist attack on college campuses.
April 2003.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Challenge: Preventing School Violence: Plans Make It Possible: Vol. 15, No. 1
http://www.thechallenge.org/
Provides critical information and resources to assist schools in creating safe and healthy environments for young people. This newsletter features articles and information about a different topic in each issue. This issue highlights the Final Report and Findings of the Safe School Initiative: Implications for the Prevention of School Attacks in the United States, which discusses the implications of what can be done to prevent school violence, particularly with regard to student-on-student violence (the most common type of school violence).
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Checklist of Characteristics of Youth Who Have Caused School-Associated Violent Deaths
web link
The National School Safety Center offers the following checklist derived from tracking school-associated violent deaths in the United States from July 1992 to the present. Follow this link to the School Associated Violent Deaths Report. After studying common characteristics of youngsters who have caused such deaths, NSSC has identified the following behaviors, which could indicate a youth’s potential for harming him/herself or others. National School Safety Center.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Classroom Killers? Hallway Hostages?
How Schools Can Prevent and Manage School Crises (Book Description)
http://www.schoolsecurity.org/crisis-book.html
Available in the Main Library Stacks.
Is it really necessary for educators and communities to brace themselves for an escalating wave of classroom killers and hallway hostages? National school safety and crisis preparedness expert Ken Trump, author of the best selling Practical School Security: Basic Guidelines for Safe and Secure Schools, dispels the myths, misconceptions, and hype surrounding the lessons learned from national school violence crises and shifting security threat trends in this new book. Trump employs over 15 years of school-specific security and crisis management experience to deliver balanced, practical, and cost-effective steps for preventing, and preparing to effectively manage, school crisis incidents.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Color of Discipline:
Sources of Racial and Gender Disproportionality in School Punishment
http://www.indiana.edu/~safeschl/cod.pdf
Minority disproportionality in school discipline has been a concern for over 25 years. This report reviews the literature concerning disproportional discipline, and tests alternative hypotheses for African American overrepresentation in office referral, suspension and expulsion. (Russell J. Skiba, Robert S. Michael, Abra C. Nardo, and Reece L. Peterson, Safe and Responsive Schools at the Indiana Education Policy Center, June 2000).
Also cataloged and listed in Magic, our online catalog.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Combating Fear and Restoring Safety in Schools (NCJ 167888)
http://www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles/167888.pdf
This 16-page Bulletin was written by June L. Arnette, Communications Director, and Marjorie C. Walsleben, Communications Specialist, at the National School Safety Center. The Bulletin addresses manifestations of street violence that have encroached on schools: bullying, gangs, the possession and use of weapons, substance abuse, and violence in the community. It also describes strategies and programs that are being implemented by concerned citizens to restore safety and calm to their schools. Contacts for further information are provided.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Conflict Resolution Education: A Guide to Implementing Programs in Schools,
http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/html/cd_rom/solution_gang_crime/pubs/ConflictResolutionEducation.pdf
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), October 1996. Geared toward educators, juvenile justice practitioners, and others in youth-serving organizations, this guide provides background information on conflict resolution education, an overview of four effective approaches, and guidance on how to initiate and implement conflict resolution education programs.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Crime in Schools and Colleges: A Study of Offenders and Arrestees
Reported via National Incident-Based Reporting System Data
http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/schoolviolence/2007/index.html
Data on crime in schools and colleges and the characteristics of those who commit these offenses can help inform the development of theories and applications to combat such crimes. This study examines characteristics of participants in criminal incidents at schools and colleges from 2000 through 2004 as reported to the FBI by law enforcement agencies.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Crime in the Schools
Reducing Conflict with Student Problem Solving
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/pubs-sum/177618.htm
Teachers, administrators, and students are expressing increasing concerns about the presence
of drugs, gangs, weapons and crime on school campuses. This NIJ Research in Brief, Crime in
the Schools: Reducing Conflict With Student Problem Solving, discusses an investigation of a
student-based problem-solving model for reducing crime in the Nation's schools. Results of this study indicate that a guided group process can reduce school crime and improve the overall school climate. However, most of the conflicts uncovered during this project concerned everyday school interactions rather than gangs, drugs, and armed agitators.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Crime, Violence, Discipline, and Safety in U.S. Public Schools: 2003-04
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2007302
Presents findings from the School Survey on Crime and Safety, information submitted by school principals on the frequency of criminal incidents at school, the use of disciplinary actions, and efforts to prevent and reduce crime at school. From the National Center for Education Statistics.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Crime, Violence, Discipline, And Safety In U.S. Public Schools: Findings From The School Survey On Crime And Safety: 2005-06
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2007/2007361.pdf
Kacey Lee Nolle et al. Presents findings on crime and violence in U.S. public schools, using data from the 2005-06 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS) which provides information about school crime-related topics from the perspective of the schools. 73pp.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Deadly Lessons - School Shooters : Secret Service Findings
http://www.knowgangs.com/school_resources/deadlylessons.pdf
Preliminary findings from Secret Service study of 41 achool shooters in 37 incidents. Bill Dedman, Chicago Sun Times, Oct. 15, 2000.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Derailed!: The Schoolhouse to Jailhouse Track
http://www.advancementproject.org/Derailerepcor.pdf
On May 14, 2003, Advancement Project released this first-of-its-kind report that looks at how zero-tolerance policies are derailing students from an academic track in schools to a future in the juvenile justice system. According to the report, in the mid 1980s, a spike in juvenile crime rates gave birth to the “superpredator” theory which held that America was under assault by a generation of brutally amoral young people, and that only the abandonment of “soft” educational and rehabilitative approaches, in favor of strict and unrelenting discipline—a zero tolerance approach— could end the plague.
“In school district after school district, an inflexible and unthinking zero tolerance approach to an exaggerated juvenile crime problem is derailing the educational process,” said Judith Browne, Advancement Project senior attorney. “The educational system is starting to look more like the criminal justice system. Acts once handled by a principal or a parent are now being handled by prosecutors and the police.”
Also cataloged and listed in Magic, our online catalog.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Early Warning Signs of Youth Violence: Fact, Fiction, or Fad?
http://www.schoolsecurity.org/trends/warning-signs.html
Advice from National School Safety and Security Services.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Early Warning, Timely Response: A Guide to Safe Schools
http://cecp.air.org/guide/guide.pdf
A report that provides an overview of research-based practices, including: characteristics of a safe and responsive school; early warning signs; getting help for troubled children; developing a prevention and responsive plan; and dealing with a crisis. The guide was developed by the U.S. Department of Education and Department of Justice.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
ERIC Clearinghouse on Counseling and Student Services (ERIC CASS)
Virtual Library Reading Room
Bullying in Schools
http://web.archive.org/web/20030604105546/
http://ericcass.uncg.edu/virtuallib/bullying/bullyingbook.html
Still available on the Internet Archive.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
ERIC Clearinghouse on Counseling and Student Services (ERIC CASS)
Virtual Library Reading Room
School Violence
http://web.archive.org/web/20030210213848/
http://ericcass.uncg.edu/virtuallib/violence/violencebook.html
Still available on the Internet Archive.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Evaluating Risk for Targeted Violence in the Schools:
Comparing Risk Assessment, Threat Assessment, and Other Approaches
http://www.treas.gov/usss/ntac/ntac_threat_postpress.pdf?SEARCH.X=18\&SEARCH.Y=10
Marisa Reddy et al. Psychology in the Schools, vol. 38(2), 2001.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Exposure to Violence and Victimization at School
http://iume.tc.columbia.edu/downloads/choices/choices04.pdf
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Facts About Violence Among Youth and Violence in Schools
http://web.archive.org/web/20041012084137/http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/fact/violence.htm
Daniel J. Flannery, Institute for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Kent State University, and Mark I. Singer, Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University. Institute for Urban and Minority Education, Teachers College, Columbia University, Choices Brief no. 4, 1999. Still available thanks to the Internet Archive.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
FAQs for Schools on Homeland Security
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/FAQs_school-color_62082_7.pdf
Prepared by the Michigan State Police, Emergency Management Division.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
The Final Report and Findings of the Safe School Initiative:
http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/preventingattacksreport.pdf
Implications for the Prevention of School Attacks in the United States. U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Department of Education, May 2002.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Gangs in Schools
http://www.nagia.org/Gang%20Articles/Gangs%20In%20Schools.htm
Gang culture among young people, in itself, is nothing new. Indeed, youth gangs have been a major part of the urban cultural landscape since at least the1830s, when Charles Dickens described Fagin's pack of young boys roaming the streets of London in Oliver Twist. In the late twentieth century United States, however, gangs have taken on a different character and have moved into areas un-imagined by Dickens. Most significantly, they are spreading from inner cities to smaller communities. Indeed, while gang activity has been stabilizing in urban areas, it has increased significantly elsewhere. At the same time, gangs have become a growing problem in public schools, which historically have been considered "neutral turf." Article by by Gary Burnett, ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education, and Garry Walz, ERIC Clearinghouse on Counseling and Student Services, courtesy of the National Alliance of Gang Investigators' Associations.
Also listed under Gangs
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Governor's Columbine Review Commission Report
http://www.state.co.us/columbine/
May 2001.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Gun Violence in Schools
http://www.abanet.org/dispute/gunres.html
http://www.abanet.org/gunviol/factsaboutgunviolence/schools.shtml
Access the ABA's policy, background report, congressional correspondence and facts on gun violence in schools.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Hatred in the Hallways : Violence and Discrimination Against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Students in U.S. Schools
http://www.hrw.org/reports/2001/uslgbt/toc.htm
Human Rights Watch, May 2001.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Homeland Security: The Role of Schools in a Post 9/11 Environment
http://www.schoolsafety.us/The-Role-of-Schools-in-Homeland-Security-p-11.html
"During the past decade, more than 300 school-associated violent deaths occurred on or near school campuses in America. School safety is a major issue in communities across the country, particularly now in those areas that are near strategically rich terrorist targets. Since 9/11, many schools have developed much closer partnerships with local law enforcement officials and with mental health professionals. This is particularly true as these school safety partners work with school officials to evaluate the risk of rumors and threats that may emerge on the school campus and as they deal with the aftermath of violence, terrorism and national tragedies such as Columbia Space Shuttle's fatal disaster. The importance of contingency planning cannot be overstated. On 9/11, many elementary schoolchildren were lining up outside their classrooms, prepared to enter when the first plane struck the North Tower, and students at Stuyvesant High School had a clear view of the Tower disasters. Evacuation plans played a key role when the tragedy struck. School officials in the area quickly learned that having more than one plan for evacuation is critical in the event of a crisis. Many of the strategies that would be used in a natural disaster, such as an earthquake or tornado, have significant application for managing the effects of a terrorist attack involving explosions or chemical, biological, or radiological warfare. While dealing with a human-caused terrorist attack is more unsettling for many than dealing with a natural disaster, the key for both is to be prepared." National School Safety Center.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
How Can We Prevent Violence in Our Schools
http://web.archive.org/web/20030402004316/
http://www.eric.ed.gov/resources/parent/prevent.html
Despite heightened public attention following a surge in multiple homicides in schools,
overall school crime rates are declining, according to the new 1999 Annual Report on
School Safety (U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Justice, 1999).
This brochure offers an overview of current school-safety and violence-prevention issues
and recommends organizations and resources that can provide additional information. Still available thanks to the Internet Archive.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
How To Handle Bomb Threats and Suspicious Devices
http://www.schoolsecurity.org/trends/SP&MBombArticle1999.pdf
Article by Ken Trump appearing School Planning & Management magazine, February 1999.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
I Can't Keep Them Safe
http://www.asbj.com/security/contents/0399busse.html
You probably don't remember the shooting in Le Sueur, Minn. It's been overshadowed by other small-town schools that experienced shootings during the 1997-98 school year: West Paducah, Ky.;
Pearl, Miss.; Jonesboro, Ark.; and Springfield, Ore. The difference in Le Sueur is that no one died. I write this article not to say that the other schools did something wrong and Le Sueur-Henderson did everything right. But I do think our experience shows how gaining students' trust and sharing information can mean, literally, the difference between life and death. Article by Nancy Busse appearing in American School Board Journal, March 1999.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
In the Spotlight: School Safety
http://www.ncjrs.gov/spotlight/school_safety/Summary.html
"In the Spotlight" is a new bi-monthly feature that focuses on prevalent issues in crime, public safety, and drug policy. This issue provides information about bullying, conflict resolution, security planning and other key issues. Also provides news about facts and figures, grants and funding, legislation, publications, and training and technical assistance programs. From The National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS).
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 1998
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=98251
This report, the first in a series of annual reports on school crime and safety from the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Center for Education Statistics, presents the latest available data on school crime and student safety. The report provides a profile of school crime and safety in the United States and describes the characteristics of the victims of these crimes. It is organized as a series of indicators, with each indicator presenting data on different aspects of school crime and safety. There are five sections to the report:
Each section contains a set of indicators that, taken as a whole, describe a distinct aspect of school crime and safety.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 1999
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=1999057
Analyzes national data from several sources on crimes committed in schools and to and from schools. In addition, "data for crime away from school are also presented to place school
crime in the context of crime in the larger society." According to the NCES, this report represents the most current detailed statistical information on the nature of crime in schools. Source: Scout Report, October 1, 1999.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2000
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2001017
This report presents data on crime at school from the perspectives of students, teachers, principals, and the general population from an array of sources that include: the National Crime Victimization Survey (1992-98); the School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey (1989, 1995 and 1999); the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (1993, 1995, and 1997); and, the School and Staffing Survey (1993-94). A joint effort by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Center for Education Statistics, the report examines crime occurring in school as well
as on the way to and from school. Data for crime away from school are also presented to place school crime in the context of crime in the larger society. The report provides the most current
detailed statistical information to inform the Nation on the nature of crime in schools.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2001
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/iscs01.htm
NCJ190075. Between 1992 and 1999, violent victimization rates at schools generally declined from 48 crimes per 1,000 students
ages 12 through 18 to 33 per 1,000 students. (BJS) 191pp.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2002
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/iscs02.htm
Examines crime occurring in school as well as on the way to and from school. A collaborative report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Center for Education Statistics, it presents data on crime at school from the perspectives of students, teachers, principals, and the general population, using a comprehensive array of sources. November 2002. NCJ 196753.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2003
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/iscs03.htm
Presents data on crime at school from the perspectives of students, teachers, principals, and the general population. A joint effort by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and National Center for Education Statistics, the report examines crime occurring in school as well as on the way to and from school. It provides the most current detailed statistical information to inform the Nation on the nature of crime in schools.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2004
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/iscs04.htm
A joint effort by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and National Center for Education Statistics, this annual report examines crime occurring in school as well as on the way to and from school. It provides the most current detailed statistical information to inform the Nation on the nature of crime in schools.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2005
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2006001
Uses a variety of federal data sources to report annually on crime in school or on the way to and from school. Finds that violence is still widespread but has declined since 1992 from 48 violent victimizations to 28 in 2003. From the National Center for Education Statistics and the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2006
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2007003
Annual report with data on crimes occurring at school or on the way to or from school. From the National Center for Education Statistics and the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2007
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/iscs07.htm
From July 1, 2005, through June 30, 2006, there were 35 school-associated violent deaths in elementary and secondary schools in the United States.
In 2005-06, 78 percent of schools experienced one or more violent incidents of crime, 17 percent experienced one or more serious violent incidents, 46 percent experienced one or more thefts, and 68 percent experienced another type of crime.
In 2005, approximately 6 percent of students ages 12-18 reported that they avoided school activities or one or more places in school because they thought someone might attack or harm them.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Keep Schools Safe
http://www.keepschoolssafe.org/
On September 2, 1998, the National Association of Attorneys General and the National School Boards Association joined together to address the escalating problem of youth violence occurring across our country. Our Youth Violence and School Safety Initiative is dedicated to promoting a mutual response to violent instances occurring in our communities and schools.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Keeping Children Safe in School: A Resource for States
http://web.archive.org/web/20000819073021/
www.childrensdefense.org/publications/schoolviolence.pdf
This report by the Children's Defense Fund is designed to give you the latest facts on school violence and some useful information on how to make schools in your community safer. From conflict-resolution to after-school programs, this guide will provide you with the tools to learn about these successful school violence prevention initiatives. This handy guide provides you with contact names, numbers, and web sites of key organizations where you can obtain helpful fact sheets, resource material, and program information. Still available courtesy of the Internet Archives.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Keeping the Peace: What You Should Know About Staffing A School Security Department
http://www.asbj.com/security/contents/0398trump.html
Advice from Ken Trump, President of National School Safety and Security Services, March 1998.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Keys to Safer Schools . com
http://www.keystosaferschools.com/
If you are not sure whether your school has done all it can to prevent or to be prepared for violent events, contact Keys To Safer Schools.com today. Web pages also includes articles for further reading.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Kids These Days: What Americans Really Think About the Younger Generation
http://www.publicagenda.org/specials/kids/kids.htm
(Last checked 05/01/07)
The Killer at Thurston High
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/kinkel/
A Frontline documentary.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Know Gangs' School Safety Resources
http://www.knowgangs.com/school_resources/index.php
Contents include: School Shooting Timeline, Columbine School Shooting, Jonesboro School Shooting, A Guide to Safe Schools
Deadly Lessons (PDF), and Youth Gangs in Schools (PDF). In addition, it contains links to news resources.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Lessons Learned from the Beslan (Russia) School Attack
http://www.asisonline.org/newsroom/beslan.pdf
Advisory from the U.S. Department of Education, Oct. 6, 2004.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Making Schools Safe
http://web.archive.org/web/20041013023235/
http://www.nga.org/center/divisions/1,1188,C_ISSUE_BRIEF%5eD_934,00.html
This Issue Brief identifies issues, strategies, and resources related to combating school violence. It is based on an executive policy forum series cosponsored by the National Governors Association and the National Institute of Justice. Still available thanks to the Internet Archive.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Managing Bomb Threats for School Administrators
http://www.aaets.org/arts/art99.htm
As our nation struggles to address youth violence, educators are faced with very challenging security threats. Bombs are one of several new crime trends. Administrators are asking for bottom line answers to questions like "do we evacuate?" and "who searches?" What is an acceptable search? Regrettably, there is very little reliable information to assist in determining the difference between a hoax and the real thing. This document is designed to assist school administrators as they face these life-threatening challenges. Marie Courtney Milkovich. The American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Michigan School Safety Practices Report
http://web.archive.org/web/20050824022252/
http://www.michigan.gov/cepi/0,1607,7-113-990-58152--,00.html
http://magic.msu.edu/record=b4877620a
The Michigan Center on Educational Performance & Information (CEPI) has released its first annual Public School Safety Practices Report, 2001-2002. The report provides data on assaults, arsons, bomb threats, suicides and expulsions in Michigan. Statewide and district data is relatively easy to read. However, school building-level data is only available in Excel format and some sorting and highlighting are required to display individual buildings.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
A Nation of Violence
http://www.asbj.com/security/contents/0399hayneschalker.html
The United States has the dubious distinction of leading the developed world in youth violence.
Article by Richard M. Haynes and Donald M. Chalker appearing in American School Board Journal, March 1999.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
No Safe Havens: Are schools vulnerable to terrorism?
A New National Survey Raises Troubling Questions
http://www.asbj.com/security/contents/0303trump.html
Terrorist attacks, anthrax scares, serial sniper shootings, and other incidents of extreme violence are changing the landscape of school safety and raising challenging questions. When national leaders issue warnings of terrorist threats, what steps should school officials take? Does allowing students to carry cell phones in school improve or detract from school safety? Should international field trips and student tours to national monuments be discontinued? Article by Kenneth S. Trump and Curtis Lavarello appearing in
American School Board Journal, March 2003.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Nuts and Bolts of Implementing School Safety Programs
http://www.vera.org/PDF/nutsbolts.pdf
A report by Melorra Sochet and Catherine Berryman for the Vera Institute of Justice. The report is intended to help teachers, principals, and school administrators find the right school safety programs. The manual identifies programs from around the country and describes the resources needed to implement each program. 2000.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Opportunities Suspended:
The Devastating Consequences of Zero-Tolerance and School Discipline
http://www.advancementproject.org/opsusp.pdf
The Devastating Consequences of Zero-Tolerance and School Discipline
This Advancement Project report written in collaboration with the Civil Right's Project at Harvard University, examines the devastating consequences of zero tolerance policies and school discipline. The report illustrates that Zero Tolerance is unfair, is contrary to the developmental needs of children and denies children educational opportunities. The report was released in June 2000.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
An Overview of Strategies to Reduce School Violence
http://web.archive.org/web/20030609024223/
http://eric-web.tc.columbia.edu/digest/dig115.asp
A digest on school violence available through the ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education. Still available thanks to the Internet Archive.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
A Practical Guide for Crisis Response in Our Schools [Book]
http://magic.msu.edu:80/record=b3972640a
School crisis response can no longer be delegated solely to members of a School Crisis Response Team. Today, crisis management is the responsibility of all educators. This dramatically expanded publication provides a structure and process for effectively managing the wide spectrum of school-based crises. It is an invaluable resource in preparation for, and during, actual crisis situations and continues to serve as a meaningful standard for our nation's schools.
Book available in the MSU Main Library Stacks.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Practical Information on Crisis Planning: A Guide for Schools and Communities
http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/emergencyplan/crisisplanning.pdf
http://www.safetyzone.org/pdfs/crisisplanning.pdf
Intended to give schools, districts, and communities the critical concepts and components of good crisis planning, stimulate thinking about the crisis preparedness process, and provide examples of promising practices. This guide is designed to help readers navigate the process of reviewing and revising school and district crisis plans. This guide includes six sections enclosed in a folder: 1) Introduction; 2) Mitigation/Prevention; 3) Preparedness; 4) Response; 5) Recovery, and 6) Closer Looks. May 2003. 146pp.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Preventing School Shootings
http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/jr000248c.pdf
There is no one reason why school shootings occur, and no one type of student who becomes a shooter. This article dispels the myths and stereotypes about school shooters. Children who attack can be any age and from any ethnic group, race, or family situation. Contrary to assumptions that some of our youth "just snap" -- they don't. They plan. A Summary of a U.S. Secret Service Safe School Initiative Report (report summary), National Institute of Justice Journal, 2002.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Preventing School Violence
http://www.ncjrs.org/txtfiles1/nij/180972.txt
http://www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles1/nij/180972.pdf
In response to recent, tragic instances of violence in our Nation's schools, NIJ and other sponsoring Office of Justice Programs bureaus and offices presented a plenary session on school violence at the 1999 Conference on Criminal Justice Research and Evaluation. The three speakers addressed different aspects of school violence prevention. Sociologist Joseph Sheley suggests that youth violence occurs more frequently in students' neighborhoods and that schools are rarely the source of violence as much as they are the site where disputes arising in the neighborhood are acted out. Sheley also notes that the prime motive for carrying weapons is fear rather than criminal behavior. Ron Prinz argues that prevention must be considered from an empirically based, developmental perspective that also helps parents, teachers, and communities to develop and enforce congruent interventions. Public health psychiatrist Sheppard Kellam uses his decades-long work in Chicago and Baltimore to illustrate the necessity of community involvement when designing prevention programs. NCJ180972.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Preventing School Violence : a Practical Guide to Comprehensive Planning
http://www.indiana.edu/~safeschl/psv.pdf
Reviews of what we know about school violence prevention, including a review of current data on the prevalence of school violence and strategies that have been shown to be successful in improving school climate and reducing school violence and disruption. Russell Skiba, ... [et al] [Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana Education Policy Center, [2000?].
Also cataloged and listed in Magic, our online Catalog.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Preventing School Violence: Plans Make it Possible
http://www.thechallenge.org/15_1_prevent_violence.html
Despite the fact that schools remain one of the safest places for our children, recent tragic school events, such as the shootings at Virginia Tech, Platte Canyon High School, and the Amish schoolhouse have raised the level of anxiety about the safety of our students at school.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Preventing Youth Violence in Urban Schools: An Essay Collection
http://web.archive.org/web/20021003003744/
http://eric-web.tc.columbia.edu/monographs/uds107_index.html
Wendy Schwartz, March 1996.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Primer to Design Safe School Projects in Case of Terrorist Attacks
http://www.fema.gov/library/file?type=publishedFile&file=fema428_cover_toc.pdf&fileid=3bd267b0-659c-11db-8645-000bdba87d5b
The purpose of this FEMA primer is to provide the design community and school administrators with the basic principles and techniques to make a school that is safe from terrorist attacks. FEMA 428 includes information on how to conduct a threat/ risk assessment, prepare site layout and building design, and create school safety plans. It also includes a brief discussion on blast theory and CBR measures that can be taken to mitigate school vulnerabilities, as well as a standalone description of the concept of safe rooms within schools that will resist CBR and blast threats. FEMA. December 2003.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Profiling Students for Violence
http://eric.uoregon.edu/publications/digests/digest139.html
In the aftermath of the flurry of shootings and other incidents of violence that have erupted in our nation’s schools during the past few years, teachers and administrators are desperately seeking reliable ways of foretelling which students may be at serious risk of crossing over the invisible line into violence. Although there is no crystal ball that can predict with certainty an individual student’s future potential for violence, school officials are intensifying their efforts to identify potentially dangerous students. Linda Lumsden. ERIC Digest 139 - September 2000
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Promoting Safety in Schools: International Experience and Action
http://www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles1/bja/186937.pdf
http://www.ncjrs.org/txtfiles1/bja/186937.txt
NCJ 186937 describes the issues of school violence and school safety as concerns seen throughout the world. The document addresses the goals of implementing school safety and having plans to prevent crises and deal with the ones that arise. (BJA) 68pp.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Protecting Students from Harassment and Hate Crimes:
A Guide for Schools, September, 1999
http://web.archive.org/web/20030213014213/
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/Harassment/index.html
Abstract: Provides information to help schools and school districts protect students from harassment and hate crimes. This Guide defines and describes harassment and hate crimes, contains information about applicable laws, details specific positive steps that schools can take to prevent and respond to harassment, includes sample policies and procedures used
by school districts in the United States, and identifies many of the resource materials available to assist schools. This version of the document includes recent court decisions.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Reports May Soft-Pedal Extent of School Violence
http://www.stateline.org/live/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=136&languageId=1&contentId=15470
Just how safe are public schools? State and federal reports may not help parents figure that out.
Article by Pamela M. Prah, Stateline.org, Nov. 11, 2003.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Response to the Columbine School Incident
http://web.archive.org/web/20020612052438/
http://www.colorado.edu/cspv/Columbine/ColumbineFrame.htm
Report and web links put together the Center for the Study of Violence, University of Colorado, Boulder. Still available thanks to the Internet Archive.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Safe from Harm: An Online Anthology on School Security
http://www.asbj.com/security/index.html
It can happen anywhere -- a student shot, a school in chaos, a community tragedy. Schools are supposed to be safe havens, nurturing and stimulating evironments where children learn and grow. But when that safety is shattered by shootings, vandalism, and threats of violence, the nation cries out for answers. To help school leaders understand the roots of youth violence and strategies to prevent it, the editors of American School Board Journal have gathered this selection of practical resources on school safety. These articles, available online in their entirety, originally appeared in American School Board Journal, Education Vital Signs, School Board News, or other publications of the National School Boards Association (NSBA). This site will be updated as new material becomes available.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Safeguarding Our Children: An Action Guide:
Implementing Early Warning, Timely Response
http://web.archive.org/web/20030403053525/
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/OSEP/Products/ActionGuide/Action_Guide.pdf
Helps schools develop and carry out a violence prevention and response plan that can be customized to fit each school's particular strengths. This guide presents strategies that schools have used successfully to create and implement violence prevention plans; provides examples of sound practices and programs; and offers suggestions on recognizing, reporting, and using early warning signs effectively. Produced by the Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice of the American Institutes for Research, and the National Association for School Psychologists under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Eduction, Office of Speical Education and Rehabilitative Services, Office of Special Education Programs. K. Dwyer and D. Osher. April 2002. Still available thanks to the Internet Archive.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
School and Community Interventions to Prevent Serious and Violent Offending
http://www.ncjrs.org/html/ojjdp/jjbul9910-1/contents.html
Although youth who commit serious violent crimes are small in number, they account for a disproportionate amount of juvenile crime. How then can we best intervene with this difficult—even dangerous—population?
(Last checked 05/01/07)
School Critical Incident Planning: An Internet Resource Directory
http://www.nlectc.org/assistance/schoolsafety.html
Events in recent years have shown that schools are not immune from violent critical incidents. The Internet resources gathered here are intended to assist law enforcement and school personnel with preparation, response, and resolution in regards to a school critical incident.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
School House Hype: School Shootings and the Real Risks Kids Face in America
http://www.cjcj.org/pubs/shooting/shootings.html
Article by Elizabeth Donohue, Vincent Schiraldi, and Jason Ziedenberg, National Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
School House Hype: Two Years Later
http://www.cjcj.org/pubs/schoolhouse/shh2exec.html
(Last checked 05/01/07)
School Resource Officer Training Program
http://www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles1/ojjdp/fs200105.pdf
http://www.ncjrs.org/txtfiles1/ojjdp/fs200105.txt
OJJDP Fact Sheet, No. 5, March 2001
(Last checked 05/01/07)
School Resource Officers, School Police, & School Security Officers
http://www.schoolsecurity.org/resources/school-resource-officers.html
Although the placement of law enforcement officers in schools, typically known as School Resource Officers (SROs), has grown tremendously over the past decade, the move to do so appears to have increased dramatically following the school shootings of the late 1990s. Does the presence of police in schools create a prison-like environment? Absolutely not! Advice from National School Safety and Security Services.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
School Safety : In the Spotlight
http://www.ncjrs.gov/spotlight/school_safety/Summary.html
Definitions of the term "school violence" range from very limited—for example, relating only to the use of guns in school—to very extensive, including all youth misconduct and the many community and societal influences on such behavior (Preventing School Violence: Plenary Papers of the 1999 Conference on Criminal Justice Research and Evaluation-Enhancing Policy and Practice Through Research, National Institute of Justice, 2000).
School-based violence prevention efforts can take many forms. Such efforts include adopting zero tolerance policies, requiring students to wear uniforms, employing surveillance cameras and metal detectors, and stationing law enforcement and mental health personnel in the schools (Indicators of School Crime and Safety 2002, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2002)[1].
A compilation of resources.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
School Shooter: A Threat Assessment Perspective
http://www.fbi.gov/publications/school/school2.pdf
Details warning signs in a student's personality, family, school, and social life that could indicate a propensity towards violence. It defines what a threat is and advises school and law enforcement officials on what to do if they suspect someone is at risk for committing a violent act. Courtesy of the FBI.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
School Vandalism and Break-Ins
http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/mime/open.pdf?Item=1560
(80 pp.) (NCJ 210918), a new COPS POP Guide, describes the problem and reviews the risk factors of school vandalism and break-ins and discusses the associated problems of school burglaries and arson. It then identifies a series of questions to help analyze a local problem and reviews responses to the problem. From the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services of the Justice Department (COPS).
(Last checked 05/01/07)
School Violence entry from Encyclopedia of Crime and Punishment, Vol. 2, 2002
http://law.jrank.org/pages/12103/School-Violence.html
In addition to the general commentary, includes sections on:
The History Of School Discipline,
School Shootings,
Bullying,
Shootings Become More Frequent,
The Spring Of 1998,
Columbine And Beyond,
Causes Of School Violence,
Effects Of School Violence, and
Prevention.
School Violence and No Child Left Behind : Best Practices To Keep Kids Safe
http://www.reason.org/ps330.pdf
Lisa Snell. Reason Policy Study 330, January 2005.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
School Violence and the Zero Tolerance Alternative:
Some Principles and Policy Prescriptions
http://ww2.psepc-sppcc.gc.ca/publications/policing/199567_e.pdf
Report of surveys of Canadian police, school officials, youth, the general public, and print media on attitudes towards school violence and zero tolerance policies. Thomas Gabor. [Ottawa] : Solicitor General Canada, 1995.
Also cataloged and listed in Magic, our online catalog.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
School Violence (Special Issue)
http://www.ncjrs.org/html/ojjdp/jjjournal_2001_6/contents.html
http://www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles1/ojjdp/188158.pdf
Juvenile Justice, Vol. 8, No. 1, June 2001, presents three articles that examine the extent and nature of school violence and review promising approaches to creating safe schools and resolving conflicts peacefully; the journal also describes other resources related to these issues..
(Last checked 05/01/07)
School Violence: What is Being Done to Combat School Violence? What Should Be Done?
http://magic.msu.edu:80/record=b4572213a
U.S. Congress. House. Committee on Government Reform. Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy, and Human Resources. Committee Hearing 106-111, May 20, 1999.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
The State of School Safety in American Schools 2004-2005
http://seraph.net/school_safe_report.html
This report was developed by the SERAPH Research team of SERAPH.net, a group composed of educators and crime researchers. The team used interviews with 1,520 educators, 925 law enforcement officials and numerous scientific studies to create a detailed assessment of problems facing American schools. “In 2000,” states research team leader Dale Yeager, “The United States Human Rights Projects' - National Campaign to Fight for Children asked SERAPH to create a detailed report on school safety for select members of the U.S. Congress. Because of the misconceptions about school safety by the public and many legislators we felt that releasing this years report to the public would assist in educating people about the problem.”
The report covers many areas not traditional discussed in school safety research such as: Young Children and Aggression, Educational Philosophies and Student Aggression, Health Issues and School Safety, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Piercing and Tattoos, Girl Aggression, Sexism and School Safety, Youth on Youth Sex Aggression.
“The issue of school safety affects everyone in society. Juvenile crime, domestic violence, poverty are all tied to school safety issues. The report will provide factual information to the public so that they can understand the complexity of the problem and provide information to legislators so that they can assist schools in preventing and managing school safety issues.” Source: Dale Yeager [info@seraph.net], SERAPH, http://www.seraph.net, 610-237-3902.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
States Experiment with Schoolhouse Safety
http://www.stateline.org/live/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=136&languageId=1&contentId=13995
Despite the fact that the violent loss of life at American high schools declined as the 1990s came to a close, the recurrence of jarring multiple shootings has forced policy makers to tackle an assignment that none of them ever wanted: how best to ensure student safety and prevent future massacres. Prior to the attack at Colorado’s Columbine High School in April 1999, mass shootings like those in Paducah, Ky., and Jonesboro, Ark., prompted bursts of legislative activity on the issue. Columbine brought these concerns to the national level. Analysts say that, in the year since, state lawmakers have climbed a steep learning curve toward comprehensive, preventive solutions already experimented with in states like California, Kentucky and North Carolina. Tiffany Danitz and John Nagy, Staff Writers, stateline.org, April 12, 2000.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
The Students' Report on School Crime
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/srsc.htm
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/ascii/srsc.txt
This report is the first focusing on data collected in the 1995 School Crime Supplement (SCS), an enhancement to the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). It compares findings from the 1989 and 1995 SCS on student reports of victimization, drug availability, street gang presence, and gun presence at school. In each year, the SCS was administered to about 10,000 persons age 12 through 19 currently attending school. This joint BJS and National Center for Education Statistics report presents the first findings from the 1995 supplement, discussing relationships among the the variables examined, such as how drug availability, street gang presence, and gun presence are related to student reports of being victimized at school. April 12, 1998
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Ten Steps to Safer Schools
http://www.asbj.com/security/contents/0398stephens.html
Security for students and staff begins with planning. Article by Ronald D. Stephens appearing in
American School Board Journal, March 1998.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Threat Assessment in Schools: A Guide to Managing Threatening Situations and to Creating Safe School Climates
http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/threatassessmentguide.pdf
http://www.treas.gov/usss/ntac/ssi_guide.pdf?SEARCH.X=18\&SEARCH.Y=10
http://www.safetyzone.org/pdfs/ssi_threat_assessment.pdf
This report outlines a process for identifying, assessing, and managing students who may pose a threat of targeted violence in schools. This guide is intended for use by school personnel, law enforcement officials, and others with protective responsibilities in our nation's schools. It includes suggestions for developing a threat assessment team within a school or school district, steps to take when a threat or other information of concern comes to light, consideration about when to involve law enforcement personnel, issues of information sharing, and ideas for creating safe school climates. Robert A. Fein et al. U.S. Secret Service and US Department of Education. May 2002. 90pp.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
The Threat of Harm
http://www.asbj.com/199903/0399coverstory.html
Why you can't afford to take students' threats lightly. Article by Julie Rasicot appearing in
American School Board Journal, March 1999.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
The Three Rs and Emergency Preparedness: Contingency Planning for our Schools
http://web.archive.org/web/20030414023458/
http://www.cmsinc.freeservers.com/thethreersandemergencypreparedness.pdf
Article by Edward V. Badolato, President of Contingency Management Services, Inc. December 1999. Still available thanks to the Internet Archive.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Toward Safe and Orderly Schools:
The National Study of Delinquency Prevention in Schools
http://www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles1/nij/205005.pdf
This NIJ Research in Brief presents findings from a national survey of elementary, middle, and secondary schools. Problem behavior is widespread and most common in urban areas and middle schools. Schools have adopted a surprisingly large and diverse array of activities, curricular programs, and security measures, but many of these are unproven or poorly implemented. Key characteristics of successful programs and how schools can improve program quality and implementation are identified. Nov. 2004. 20pp. (NCJ 205005)
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Violence Among Middle School and High School Students: Analysis and Implications for Prevention
http://www.ncjrs.org/txtfiles/166363.txt
This NIJ Research in Brief presents the results of a study examining violent incidents among at-risk middle and high school students. The study focused not only on the types and frequency of these incidents but also on their dynamics--the locations, the "opening moves," the relationship between disputants, the goals and justifications of the aggressor, the role of third parties, and other factors.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Violence and Discipline Problems in U.S. Public Schools : 1996-97 (NCES 98030)
http://web.archive.org/web/20030401081912/
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs98/violence/
This report presents findings from the Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence commissioned by NCES to obtain current data on school violence and other discipline issues in our nation's public elementary and secondary schools. The survey requested information about 1) the actual number of specific crimes that had occurred at school during the 1996-97 academic year; 2) principals' perceptions about the seriousness of a variety of discipline issues at their schools; 3) the types of disciplinary actions schools took against students for some serious violations; and 4) the kinds of security measures and violence prevention programs that were in place in public schools. Still available thanks to the Internet Archive.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Violence in American Schools
http://www.colorado.edu/cspv/research/violenceschools.html
In this volume, experts from a range of disciplines use a variety of perspectives, notably those of public health, criminology, ecology, and developmental psychology, to review the latest research on the causes of youth violence in the nation's schools and communities and on school-based interventions that have prevented or reduced it. They describe and evaluate strategies for the prevention and treatment of violence that go beyond punishment and incarceration. The
volume offers a new strategy for the problem of youth violence, arguing that the most effective interventions use a comprehensive, multi disciplinary approach and take into account differences in stages of individual development and involvement in overlapping social contexts, families, peer groups, schools, and neighborhoods. This book can be used profitably by school teachers and administrators. Provided by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Violence in the Schools
http://education.indiana.edu/cas/tt/v2i3/v2i3toc.html
A special edition of Teacher Talk, a publication of the Center for Adolescent Studies at the School of Education, Indiana University.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Virginia Model for Student Threat Assessment
web link
"Each time there is a highly publicized school shooting, there is widespread concern that school violence is rampant in the United States. For example, after the 1999 Columbine shooting, a Gallup poll found that two-thirds of Americans believed that a similar incident could happen at schools in their community. Zero tolerance policies were greatly expanded nationwide so that students were expelled for seemingly minor offenses such as bringing a plastic knife to school, pointing a finger like a gun, or shooting a paper clip with a rubber band (Cornell, 2006). After several high profile shootings in the fall of 2006, there were renewed recommendations to arm teachers with guns (Associated Press, 2006b) and even a call to issue Kevlar-coated textbooks to students for use as bullet shields (Associated Press, 2006a). A Fort Worth suburban school division went so far as to hire a former military officer to train students to attack and subdue an armed gunman (Dallas Morning News, 2006). Rather than rely on unrealistically heroic measures, it may be more useful to consider less dramatic but more practical prevention approaches that can be implemented well before a gunman appears on school property. Strategies to maintain school safety must be based on a factual assessment of the risk of violent crime and objective evidence of what prevention methods are effective."
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Weapons in School and Zero Tolerance
http://www.abanet.org/crimjust/juvjus/cjweapons.html
An online article by Robert E. Shepherd, Jr. and Anthony J. Demarco appearing in the ABA's Juvenile Justice, vol. 11, no. 2, Summer 1996.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Yahoo School Violence Web Links
http://dir.yahoo.com/Society_and_Culture/Crime/Juvenile/School_Violence/
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Yahoo School Violence Web Links
http://uk.dir.yahoo.com/Society_and_Culture/Crime/Juvenile/School_Violence/
Courtesy of Yahoo UK.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Young Guns: Do Your School Employees Know What to Do When a Kid Brings a Gun to School?
http://www.asbj.com/security/contents/0496gavin.html
Word reaches you that a student has brought a gun to school. Is confronting the student a job for a school administrator or for the police? If you think school employees can handle a situation like this on their own, you'd better think again. Are you prepared to tell a slain student's parents their child died because you thought you didn't need professional assistance to handle a student with a gun? Article by Thomas A. Gavin, April 1996.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Zero Tolerance
http://www.justicelearning.org/viewissue.asp?issueID=8
When Congress passed the Gun Free Schools Act in the early 1990s, they sought to crack down on kids with guns. In practice, the law provided schools with a tool to handle discipline problems, vandalism, assaults, drugs, sexual harassment, even cheating. School boards call it zero tolerance. Critics call it a deeply flawed policy. Administrators are enforcing zero tolerance policies that often result in school suspensions or expulsions for minor infractions. Do these policies unjustly punish first time offenders, or is that simply the price we must pay for safe schools? Source: Justice Learning Blog sponsored by the Annenberg Public Policy Center.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Zero Tolerance, Zero Evidence: an Analysis of School Disciplinary Practice
http://www.indiana.edu/~safeschl/ztze.pdf
Explores the controversies that appear to be inherent in the use of a zero tolerance disciplinary approach in schools and explores the evidence concerning the effectiveness of zero tolerance in contributing toward school safety or reduced student disruption. Russell J. Skiba. [Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana Education Policy Center, 2000.
Also cataloged and listed in Magic, our online catalog.
(Last checked 05/01/07)
Zero Tolerance, Zero Sense (American Bar Journal)
In the wake of a spate of shootings, school boards are adopting strict policies to crack down on trouble-making students. As a result, good kids, whose behavior would have merited a trip to the principal's office in the past, are being suspended, kicked out of school or even prosecuted. Critics say schools should be innovative rather than inflexible in doling out punishment An article by Margaret Graham Tebo appearing in ABA Journal, April 2000, p.40+
MSU faculty, staff, and students with a pilot id and password can access this article electronically. It is also available in the MSU Library Periodical Reading Room (and eventually the Main Library Stacks).
(Last checked 05/01/07)
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Jon Harrison
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