Teacher Perceptions of School Safety

Teacher Perceptions of School Safety: Cautious Optimism

Teachers are very cautious indeed as it pertains to school safety. Here are some key figures that explain to explain why:

• Violent deaths at school: From July 1, 2004 through June 30, 2005, there were 21 reported homicides and seven suicides of children ages five through 18 at school. This figure is high enough to give most teachers pause.

• Violence and crime at school: Public schools experiencing one or more violent incidents increased during 1999-2000 and changed in 2003-2004 from 71 percent to 81 percent.

These two figures above explain the cautionary tone teachers take when discussing school safety. But what of teacher victimization at school? The following figures help shed some light:

• Nonfatal teacher victimization at school: A much smaller figure of teachers reported that they were threatened with injury by a student from their school in 2006-2007 (about seven percent). This figure is down from 12 percent in 1993-1994, and nine percent in 1999-2000.

These figures, taken from teacher reports, student reports and public records, help to explain teacher perceptions of school safety. The verdict? A sense of cautious optimism.

Reinforcing School Safety

Recent high-profile shootings in Colorado, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania have put the issue of school safety squarely at the center of the debate. There are, however, steps that every school can take to help minimize violence, while maximizing the safety of students and faculty members. They include:

• Limiting access to the school building.
• Monitoring school parking lots.
• Supervising student common areas such as the hallways, cafeterias and playgrounds.
• Conduct and hold school and community-based partnerships to help enhance safety measures for students beyond school grounds. A good example of this would be a community watch.
• Hold crisis plans and preparedness training.
• Encourage students to take responsibility for their part in maintaining a safe school, including student participation when planning safety precautions.
• Promote compliance with school rules.

Does a Zero Tolerance Policy Work?

Zero tolerance is a catch phrase of late that is designed to warn students of any given community that behavior that is not in compliance with the generally accepted rules of conduct will not be tolerated. The question, however, remains -- does it work?

Unfortunately, when it comes to schools and violence, there never seems to any clear-cut answers. Much like studies done on metal detectors and such, the policy of zero tolerance seems to have yielded half-hearted results.

Blindly enforcing this policy has led to some embarrassing hiccups for several school districts. And these embarrassing hiccups usually make the six-o-clock evening news with headlines like, “Five-year-old arrested after threatening classmate with book”. As long as the policy is enforced, without any discriminating decent among educators and principals, more stories like these are to be expected.

On the other hand, teacher perceptions of school safety have improved in recent years, and some believe it is in large part due to this very same policy. Some teachers now feel that they have more control over their classrooms and greater measures of discipline at their disposal. All in all, like many other polices of school days past, we’ll have to wait for history to make its final judgment.

A Final Word

We may never be able to fully extrapolate violence from our schools, but teachers, take comfort in knowing that there are things you can do to ensure a safe classroom, and by extension, a safe school.

First, get to know your students and learn a little bit about what’s going on in their lives. Is there trouble at home? Is Mom or Dad forced to work two jobs just to get by? Identifying possible sources of frustration can go a long way towards identifying possible conflicts.

Second, show your warmth and desire toward helping students learn. Hopefully you truly love your job. Show that enthusiasm and watch in delight as your students begin to reflect that feeling back.

Finally, be vigilant in reporting any kind of suspicious actively to the appropriate authorities, like a principal. Doing so ensures that you, your students, and your school in general, stays a safe place.