Articles in the School Security category

Celebrate No Name-Calling Week

A rose by any other name (apologies to Shakespeare) can be really thorny. We all know that bullying is a serious problem that affects millions of students, and the annual No Name-Calling Week gives educators and students the tools and inspiration to launch an on-going dialogue about ways to eliminate name-calling in their communities. 

Bullied students feel unsafe and, therefore, are often absent from school.  In addition, bullying can affect the physical and emotional health of students and hinder their academic performance.  Bullying within school buildings is fairly common, but children spend countless hours “socializing” through mediums such as computers and cell phones and cyberbullying has presented itself as an “easy” and partly “masked” or anonymous way of harassing people. 

For these and other compelling reasons, BoardBuzz believes it’s imperative that schools address bullying—helping schools to be safe and supportive havens for students as well as places where they learn how to be respectful throughout their lives. Celebrating No Name-Calling Week, which began today, is a practical way to start the ball rolling.  No Name-Calling Week was inspired by a young adult novel called “The Misfits,” by author James Howe.  The book tells the story of a group of friends trying to survive the seventh grade in the face of all too frequent taunts based on their weight, height, intelligence, and sexual orientation/gender expression.  Inspired by the idea contained in the book, the No Name-Calling Coalition, created by GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network) and Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, and consisting of over 40 national partner organizations, organized a No Name-Calling Week in schools across the nation. 

Although the project is targeted at grades five through eight – years when name-calling is particularly serious – the concept can be easily adapted by students and educators at other grade levels.  To help celebrate, the No Name-Calling Week website offers free materials such as planning documents; elementary, middle, and high school lesson plans; art lessons; promotional items; and anti-bullying resources from coalition partners.  In addition, a Resource Kit is available for purchase that includes among other things: an educational video; a comprehensive resource guide with program information; 11 lesson plans; and a copy of “The Misfits.”

And if you need to learn more about ways to prevent cyberbullying, NSBA has the right resource for you!   NSBA’s Technology Leadership Network has partnered with CyberSmart! to distribute their free Cyberbullying Package to schools nationwide.  The materials in the package provide tools for schools to begin a dialogue with students and build a sustained cyberbullying prevention campaign, promoting behavior change and continually reminding the school community of the importance of safe and ethical online use.

What are your schools doing to prevent bullying? Leave us a comment.

Daniela Espinosa|January 25th, 2010|Categories: NSBA Opinions and Analysis, School Security, Student Achievement|

Top education books for 2009

31I1V7kdocL__SL160_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-dp,TopRight,12,-18_SH30_OU01_AA115_Read any good books lately? 2009 was an interesting year for education books — and the editors of ASBJ have picked 10 books published in 2009 that are notable for school leaders and anyone else involved in education.

Columbine, by Dave Cullen, tops the list. When I wrote about the 10th anniversary of Columbine in May 2009, I read the book and was stunned by how much we don’t know about an event that has shaped education for a decade. Cullen, a journalist for Salon, uncovers the myths of the tragic school shooting, revealing the ugly and unsettling truth about the incident.

For our complete list of top education books, go to http://www.asbj.com/MainMenuCategory/Archive/2010/January/Top-Education-Books-for-2009.aspx.

Let us know if you disagree with our choices or if you want to nominate another education book for the list.

Kathleen Vail, Managing Editor

Kathleen Vail|January 13th, 2010|Categories: American School Board Journal, Discipline, Governance, NSBA Publications, School Security|

NSBA endorses bill on use of restraints and seclusion

The Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act, H.R. 4247,  sponsored by U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), Chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor, and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), will provide—for the first time—federal legislation to reduce or eliminate the inappropriate use of restraints and seclusion in both public schools and private schools served by federal funds.  Michael Resnick, NSBA associate executive director, spoke in support of the bill as a balanced approach between federal policy to ensure a safe learning environment for all students and school personnel and the authority and flexibility local school districts need to address unique circumstances.  (Watch the press conference, select “click here to watch” in first paragraph and if you fast forward approximately 16 minutes into the presentation, you will see Mike Resnick).  Reggie Felton, NSBA’s director of federal relations, worked with the committee staff and other education organizations to ensure legislation acknowledges the role and authority of local school boards.

Joetta Sack-Min|December 14th, 2009|Categories: Educational Legislation, NSBA Opinions and Analysis, School Security|

Tasers— is there a place for it in schools?

Police issued X-26 Taser

Police issued X-26 Taser

An interesting  and, for the moment, civil debate  has ensued between North Carolina’s Guilford County law enforcement and school officials.

On one hand, we have the district. Tasked with  providing a nurturing and safe learning environment, it has contracted with various local law enforcement agencies to help them in this endeavor, placing them in just about every middle and high school campus. 

And for it’s part, the local police departments are more than willing to help schools remain the secure and sound places of learning they should be. Where the two entities are disagreeing, however, is the method.

When the Guilford County Sherrif’s Office began arming its deputies with Tasers in 2007, it also went to the school resource officers. And this year, two other police departments that the district works with, provided their SRO’s with Tasers, too, heightening a percolating sense of unease that educators and families have felt about having these weapons on school sites.

It certainly didn’t help, when an SRO used a Taser on a female high school student earlier this year, nor that days later another SRO suffered injuries after breaking up a student fight because, according the sherrif’s office, the deputy wanted to avoid further controversy and abstained from using the device.  

School board member Sandra Alexander told the News & Record, the majority of the board and the public don’t like the idea of Tasers in schools, with the board extending an invitation to local law enforcement officials to speak about the matter at an upcoming board meeting.  
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Naomi Dillon|November 16th, 2009|Categories: American School Board Journal, Governance, School Climate, School Security|Tags: , , , , |

Zero tolerance policies shouldn’t replace common sense

Back in July, my colleague Lawrence Hardy wrote a list of “five reforms that failed.” Not surprisingly, “Zero Tolerance” policies were ranked. Larry’s example was a Delaware high school student who got suspended for bringing a pastry knife to school for a Junior Achievement project.

It certainly wasn’t the first time zero tolerance got lambasted, but apparently some schools in Delaware still didn’t get the message.

This week, a 6-year-old boy named Zachary Christie is the poster child for zero tolerance gone amuck. He’s a Cub Scout who loves school so much that he sometimes wears a suit. And on Sept. 29, he was so excited about a new tool his parents gave him—a jackknife-type tool that has a knife, fork and spoon for camping—that he brought it to school to use for lunch.

And that’s where the trouble started. Under the Christina, Del., school district code, knives are banned. Zachary was sentenced to 45 days in a school for juvenile delinquents, and his parents, who are home-schooling him in the interim, created a website and are making the rounds on national news to tell their son’s plight.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

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Naomi Dillon|October 13th, 2009|Categories: American School Board Journal, Governance, School Climate, School Security|

As youth violence, crime ramps up in Chicago, officials spring into action

stockvault_18636_20090818The gut-wrenching photo in this morning’s New York Times tells only part of the story: a little girl holds a sign saying, “Don’t shoot. I want to grow up.”

The gruesome beating death of a Chicago honors student outside his high school wasn’t an act of gun violence, though. This time, Derrion Albert, 16, was beaten to death by a group of thugs with a railroad tie. His death might have been another statistic in an urban district struggling to deal with violence, except a bystander caught the beating on a cellphone video.

That video—shown on broadcasts internationally—did not help Chicago’s reputation for violence, but it did spur local and federal officials into action. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, the former Chicago schools superintendent, and Attorney General Eric Holder will visit Albert’s family today and later will speak about the federal initiatives to curb school violence.

Albert was the third student to die violently in Chicago this year, and he was the 67th since the 2007-08 school year, according to the New York Times.

Hundreds of others have been shot or beaten on their way home from school, arguably the most dangerous time of day.

The new schools chief, Ron Huberman, has a plan, and it’s not just about increasing security. Instead, he’s using $60 million in federal stimulus funds for the next two years to use data to find the students most at risk for becoming victims.
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Naomi Dillon|October 7th, 2009|Categories: American School Board Journal, Governance, School Climate, School Security|

Driving “drunk” in school zones

“It’s like you’re driving drunk!” is what I tell friends and relatives who talk

Photo courtesy of Stockvault

Photo courtesy of Stockvault

on their cell phones while driving.  And if  that sounds overly emphatic (it’s correct, by the way), that urgency is in roughly inverse proportion to what people tend to think about the dangers of this practice — i.e., that it’s no big deal.

It is a big deal, unfortunately, as numerous studies show. Among the latest is from Safe Kids USA, which looked at distracted drivers in school zones and came up with some disquieting results.

One would assume that if more and more people are driving while phoning or text messaging — and, by all estimates, they are — they’re not suddenly hanging up or signing off when they enter school zones.

It’s also not surprising that a recent Canadian study, cited in the report, found that more child-car collisions occur within 150 meters of schools than 300 or more meters away.

Just how many people are driving while distracted in school zones? Safe Kids wanted to find out, so it posted observers at 20 middle schools in 15 states. It found that 187 out of every 1,000 female drivers (and 154 out of every 1,000 male drivers) were distracted by at least one of the following: cell phones or electronics; eating, drinking, or smoking; reaching or looking behind; grooming; or reading.
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Naomi Dillon|October 6th, 2009|Categories: American School Board Journal, Governance, School Security|Tags: |

National Cyber Security Awareness Month

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM), a national public awareness campaign to encourage everyone to protect their computers, children, and data.

As the Internet becomes increasingly pervasive, it is important that everyone takes steps to stop it from becoming invasive. People are constantly connected from home, school, work, and even in between on their mobile devices. BoardBuzz thinks we should all take a moment and think about our cyber security. Check out StaySafeOnline.org’s top tips to keep you safe online:

  • Know who you’re dealing with online
  • Keep your web browsers and operating system up to date
  • Back up important files
  • Protect your children online
  • Use security software tools as your first line of defense
  • Use strong passwords or strong authentication technology to help protect your personal information
  • Learn what to do if something goes wrong

StaySafeOnline.org also has a page dedicated to K-12 educators, asking

“Are your students, faculty and staff safe and secure on the Internet?

Schools and the Internet are becoming increasingly intertwined. The Internet has opened our children to opportunities and risks.

Teaching Internet Safety and Cyber Security has a place in the classroom in the same way schools teach other life safety skills.

Teaching our children to safely use computers helps protect them from cyber crime and our nation’s Internet infrastructure from cyber criminals. Making school networks safe and secure protects your school, faculty and staff as well.”

The page promotes three pillars, Cyber Security, Cyber Safety, and Cyber Ethics, as a means of teaching students about online safety. They also recommend you check out Cybersmart! NSBA’s own Technology Leadership Network recently partnered with CyberSmart! to distribute the free CyberSmart! cyberbullying prevention lessons to schools nationwide. The standards-based K-12 lessons are based on the most current research on online victimization, using best practices from the field of character education. Teacher lesson plans, student activity sheets, home connections, prevention activities, and optional Web 2.0 strategies are included.

BoardBuzz suggests you check it out too.

Andrew Paulson|October 2nd, 2009|Categories: Educational Technology, NSBA Opinions and Analysis, School Security|

UPDATE: Smart safety

Yesterday BoardBuzz told you about a new school safety alert program from Consumer Reports, supported by NSBA and National PTA.  The story is picking up steam and was featured on the Today Show this morning.  For more information, click here.   For NSBA’s press release, click here.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Christina Gordon|October 2nd, 2009|Categories: Announcements, NSBA Opinions and Analysis, School Security, Wellness|

Smart safety

BoardBuzz was excited to see NSBA teaming up with National PTA and Consumers Union.  The groups have banded together to share safety alerts on product recalls with schools across the country.  The new School Safety Alert website offers information on all product recalls that schools and school districts can access and share directly from their websites. 

“Working with our communities – with parents and businesses – and by using the communications tools that are available to us is the best way for school boards to make sure that this kind of message reaches the public,” said C.H. ‘Sonny’ Savoie, President of NSBA. “NSBA is proud to be working with the Consumer’s Union and PTA on this unique partnership.”

“Time and time again, we’ve seen incidents of recalled products including bassinets, window blind chords, and toys killing or injuring children.” said Jim Guest, President and CEO of Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports. “The goal of the School Safety Alert Program is to get key recall and safety information to parents and prevent those tragedies. The National PTA and NSBA are ideal partners given their incomparable reach and impeccable reputations as trustworthy resources for educators and families.”

“National PTA prides itself on being a resource for parents and child advocates. For decades families have relied on PTA for information important to them. That’s why we’re proud to serve as a key partner with Consumer Reports and the NSBA to help keep children and families safe by providing them timely and relevant information,” said Chuck Saylors, National PTA President.

For more information on the program and to add the link to your school district’s site, click here.

Christina Gordon|October 1st, 2009|Categories: Announcements, NSBA Opinions and Analysis, School Security, Wellness|
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