• Early elementary school children need brief, simple information that should bebalanced with reassurances that their school and homes are safe and that adults arethere to protect them. Give simple examples of school safety like reminding childrenabout exterior doors being locked, child monitoring efforts on the playground, andemergency drills practiced during the school day.
• Upper elementary and early middle school children will be more vocal in askingquestions about whether they truly are safe and what is being done at their school.They may need assistance separating reality from fantasy. Discuss efforts of school andcommunity leaders to provide safe schools.• Upper middle school and high school students will have strong and varying opinionsabout the causes of violence in schools and society. They will share concretesuggestions about how to make school safer and how to prevent tragedies in society.Emphasize the role that students have in maintaining safe schools by following schoolsafety guidelines (e.g. not providing building access to strangers, reporting strangers oncampus, reporting threats to the school safety made by students or communitymembers, etc.), communicating any personal safety concerns to school administrators,and accessing support for emotional needs.
• Schools are safe places. School staff work with parents and public safety providers (local police and fire departments, emergency responders, hospitals, etc.) to keep you safe.• The school building is safe because … (cite specific school procedures).• We all play a role in the school safety. Be observant and let an adult know if you see orhear something that makes you feel uncomfortable, nervous or frightened.• There is a difference between reporting, tattling or gossiping. You can provideimportant information that may prevent harm either directly or anonymously by telling a trusted adult what you know or hear.• Don’t dwell on the worst possibilities. Although there is no absolute guarantee thatsomething bad will never happen, it is important to understand the difference between the possibility of something happening and the probability that it will affect our school.• Senseless violence is hard for everyone to understand. Doing things that you enjoy,sticking to your normal routine, and being with friends and family help make us feel better and keep us from worrying about the event.• Sometimes people do bad things that hurt others. They may be unable to handletheir anger, under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or suffering from mental illness. Adults (parents, teachers, police officers, doctors, faith leaders) work very hard to get those people help and keep them from hurting others. It is important for all of us to know how to get help if we feel really upset or angry and to stay away from drugs and alcohol.• Stay away from guns and other weapons. Tell an adult if you know someone has agun. Access to guns is one of the leading risk factors for deadly violence.• Violence is never a solution to personal problems. Students can be part of thepositive solution by participating in anti-violence programs at school, learning conflictmediation skills, and seeking help from an adult if they or a peer is struggling with anger, depression, or other emotions they cannot control.NASP has additional information for parents and educators on school safety, violenceprevention, children’s trauma reactions, and crisis response at www.nasponline.org.
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