Posts Tagged ‘school safety’
Back-to-School Safety Tips
With the new school year fast approaching everyone is preparing. Parents and students are buying school supplies. While teachers and administrators are finishing up lesson plans a schedules. They are many things that have to be done to be prepared for back to school. There are also several things that should be considered to increase safety for the new school year. The following tips come from Universal Protection Service.
- Walking to and from school: map out the route your child will take and know who lives along it. While you don’t have to know every house owner, it is important you research for any possible sexual predators that may live in the area. Also advise your children to stay on the preselected path and avoid any parks, alleys, fields, etc., where there aren’t a lot of people around. Find out beforehand if there will be crossing guards at the intersections, and arrange for neighborhood children to walk together. Ensure your child knows their address and phone number.
- Riding a bike or scooter: make sure they know and obey the traffic laws and wear proper safety equipment. Bike helmets, sturdy shoes and a backpack that isn’t overloaded will all help make the trip easier and safer for your little one.
- If you plan on driving your child to school, make sure you see them enter the school yard or building before you leave.
- If your child will be taking the bus, instruct them to arrive at the stop early, stay out of the street while waiting and always keep themselves visible to the bus driver.
- Dealing with bullies: teach your child to stand tall, remain calm and walk away from difficult confrontations; if you suspect your child is being bullied, visit the school immediately and explain the situation to the principal.
- Playground safety: check out the equipment your child will be playing on and report any potential hazards. Remove the drawstrings from around the neck of clothing; any drawstrings at the waist or bottom of a garment should be trimmed to no more than three inches long.
- “Latchkey” kids need strict rules in place while they’re home alone: set a check-in time for them to call and let you know they made it home, and make sure they understand to keep the doors locked once they’re inside. Additionally, you and your children should make plans beforehand for what they need to do in emergency situations, such as fires, accidents, earthquakes, etc.
(For the rest of the article click here.)
In regards to bullying, SchoolTipline encourages students and parents to contact school administrators before the problem becomes too large.
SchoolTipline encourages families to be sure they are prepared for the new school year in every way possible. The tips above will help to increase safety for students and help the new school year begin smoothly.
Cyber-bullying discussed at school safety meeting
Cyber-bullying discussed at school safety meeting
Philly.com
Organizers of a cyber-bullying conference in Gloucester County yesterday set the tone by showing the movie Sticks and Stones.
In it, the popular Lindsay and loner Brandon share a high school English class. Though they rarely speak to each other, they exchange text messages in class and instant messages late at night.
But when Lindsay’s boyfriend gets into her computer, he sends a humiliating picture of Brandon to the entire school. One night he even messages Brandon from Lindsay’s screen name, pretending to be her. When Brandon confesses his love, she tells him to “just disappear.”
He does. The movie ends with Brandon hanging himself from a bridge.
After the viewing, the more than 300 law enforcement officials and educators on hand talked about ways to combat the misuse of technology among students.
“The crimes that are committed by technology are not going to go away,” said Sgt. Steve LaPorta of the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office’s cyber-crimes unit. He said Internet safety concerns have grown from child predators and cyber stalking to sexting and online harassment.
The setting for the film and discussion was the third annual School Safety and Security Conference, organized by the Prosecutor’s Office and hosted by six other county prosecutors, including those from Camden and Burlington.
In the 10 years since the Columbine shootings, the development of new technologies - e-mail, texting, instant messaging - “has really presented a challenge to all of us,” said Gloucester County School Superintendent Mark Stanwood.
(click here to view full article)
Ciberbullying is is a serious issue that should not be overlooked. Teens are taking advantage of technology to continue bullying after school. This type of depersonalized bullying can be more harmful than verbal abuse to a victim. When a teen is in front of a screen, it is easier to say things that are more hurtful than spoken words. In cyberspace there is no limit, you can be whoever you want to be.
SchoolTipline provides students with the necessary tools to report any type of bullying. It is important to empower students who are willing to help stop bullies at their schools.
Phila. schools could lose safety advocate
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Phila. schools could lose safety advocate
The Philadelphia School District stands to lose its safety watchdog, and the man who holds the job contends he’s being punished for speaking out about violence in city classrooms.
Pennsylvania officials, though, say the decision to ax the position is based only on a brutal budget.
Safety has long been a hot-button issue for the district. In 2007-08, crime there hit a record level, though preliminary numbers for last school year indicate violence was down more than 10 percent.
Union leaders and others, however, say school violence is still underreported.
Jack Stollsteimer, the current safe-schools advocate, said he worried that safety would suffer and crime would be reported even less if his office disappeared.
“There would be nobody here telling the truth about what’s going on in terms of violence in the Philadelphia schools,” he said. “They’re going to lose their only independent voice.”
The office is responsible for an annual report analyzing school violence and recommending safety fixes. Staff members also advocate in behalf of victims of violence.
Amid widespread concerns about violence in city schools, the legislature created the job nine years ago. At the time, the safe-schools advocate was the only job of its kind in the state and, for a time, was the only such job in the country.
But the office was never fully funded. Though it was designed to have a $1 million budget and a full legal staff, it has received only $387,000 for the last few years, enough to pay Stollsteimer and a handful of clerks.
(Click here to read full article)
School safety should be a top priority in every school. It is imperative that schools have someone overlooking the safety of children and teens. Often, school administrators overlook incidents and don’t prioritize the need for implementing a system that ensures the safety of a school.
Even though times are tough and school budgets might be shrinking, this does not mean the safety of children should be jeopardized.
SchoolTipline provides school safety solutions that promote a unique two-way communication system in which students, administrators and counselors can work together to ensure school safety.
Teen takes life: Bullying the cause?
Trees wrapped in white plastic in honor of Iain Steele.
On June 3 of this year, 15 year old Iain Steele took his own life. His parents said they think bullying was the reason.
“Iain’s parents know their son had other problems, but they believe the harassment contributed to a deepening depression that hospitalized the 15-year-old twice this year. On June 3, while his classmates were taking final exams, he went to the basement of hisWestern Springs home and hanged himself with a belt.
A school spokeswoman said she did not believe Iain was bullied. Police are investigating the allegations.
‘No kid should be afraid for himself to go to school,’ his father said. ‘It should be a safe environment where they can intellectually thrive. And he was, literally, just frightened to go to school, fearing what he would have to deal with on that day. And it was day after day.’
his classmates at McClure Junior High School in Western Springs often called him “emo” — a slang term for angst-ridden followers of a style of punk music, said Sikora, 15.
The bullying could also be physical, Iain’s friends and parents said. In 8th grade at McClure, one bully pushed Iain into a locker while he was on crutches and accused him of faking an injury to get out of gym class. But Iain rarely shied away from his tormentors, his father said, and in this case, Iain punched the bully in the jaw.
‘He was mainly bullied,’ Sikora said, ‘only because he was different, or hurt or stupid things like that. He never bothered anybody. … It was all just because he was different and an easy target.’”
Steele continued to be bullied and was hospitalized twice this year for depression and anxiety. He began seeing a therapist and psychiatrist and taking medication for depression and anxiety.
On June 3, he took his own life.
SchoolTipline sends its condolences to the Steele family during this difficult time.
Relentless bullying, like that faced by Iain, must be stopped.
By getting students involved school administrators can be made aware of more cases of bullying. With administrators seeing the problems hopefully tragic cases, like this one, can be prevented.
SchoolTipline featured in Record Herald
Social network site combats bullying
By RYAN CARTER
Staff Writer
Bullying can take many forms- physical abuse, name calling, tormenting, etc.
And now, it has even expanded to the Internet as bullies use social networking sites and email to make threats. Even cell phone calls and texting can become vicious. Sometimes, the effects can be devastating as suicide among those who are bullied has become more and more commonplace across the country.
But there are methods to prevent bullying. Research has shown that the best way to improve the safety climate of a school is to create an open culture of communication, said Kyle Aldous, an administrator for http://schooltipline.com, a national website created to break up harassment and settle disagreements and threats in a peaceful manner at schools around the nation.
(Click here for the full article)
Thurgood Marshall students create anti-bullying mural.
Thurgood Marshall Middle School students in front of the mural.
Middle-school students at Thurgood Marshall Middle School completed a mural in the style of artist Keith Haring to illustrate the importance of respect in the school community.
The project was in response to an anti-bullying assembly that took place in the spring at the school, which is a regional, public magnet school that is affiliated with Six to Six Magnet School.
David Weitzman, a social worker at Frenchtown Elementary School in Trumbull, had visited Thurgood Marshall students to discuss his experience working in the New York City Public School System.
To address violence in New York City schools, Weitzman conceived a project to create and paint murals in the hallways of schools that promote peace, understanding, respect and love. After the project was completed, the school system noted a significant decrease in violence on school property.
In the Bridgeport mural, the theme “Respect is learned, earned and then returned” is illustrated in three frames.
It is important to teach children at an early age to respect other students. Thurgood Marshal Middle School is an example of how parents, teachers and kids work together to stop bullying. The mural will remind students to be courteous and respectful to others.
Bullying is a serious issue that affects not only the children who are bullied, but family members who see the victim suffer from the abuse.
SchoolTipline applauds Thurgood Marshall school administrators for taking the initiative to include children in this project.
SchoolTipline Featured in OC Register
“In recent years, pictures of smiling teens who took their own lives have been plastered across newspapers and television screens nationwide – their parents naming bullying as the culprit responsible for their child’s death.
The Mendez family of Orange County recently filed a $3 million lawsuit against the Capistrano Unified School District saying their son, Daniel, 16, of San Clemente High School, killed himself May 1 because of extreme bullying.
“Everything I read in that story is what is happening to my son, all the same signs are there,” Raminfard said. “I do not want to see my son’s picture end up in the paper like that.”
There are groups parents can seek out to help with bullying if they feel their schools are not taking the issue seriously.
SchoolTipline is an anonymous service for students and parents to report potential threat or bully attacks via the group’s Web site or a text message. After receiving a report, School Tip Line immediately notifies school officials and follows up on progress.
The service is for students who want to report school violence but are afraid to step forward.”
(Click here for the full article)
SchoolTipline Featured on KESQ.com
Website Allows Students to Log Out of Harassment
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By Elyse Miller, News Channel 3 Reporter
emiller@kesq.com
Bullying is something most people have experienced — the name calling, physical abuse and tormenting. Often students don’t report it, because they’re afraid of the repercussions. Now, there is a website helping students log out of the harrassment.
From the playground and classroom to the internet and cell phones, the bullying field is growing and becoming more vicious. The effects reach beyond the physical abuse. It strikes down confidence and self-worth, causing students to become depressed, skip school, drop out or worse.
“It is a fairly common occurrence for students to commit suicide because of bullying,” says Justin Bergener, creator ofSchooltipline.com.
Schooltipline.com is breaking up harrassment, settling disagreements, and threats at schools around the nation.
“There are a lot of students and parents looking for somewhere to turn to and they’re not finding it at school,” says Bergener.
“A lot of kids are afraid to come forward, my daughter was,” says parent Tracey Martin.
Through the website, students, teachers, and counselors work through the problems anonymously.
“It’s an icebreaker for students to start talking about these things,” says Bergener.
Here’s how it works: go to schooltipline.com and check if your school participates. If they’re not on the site, invite them.
Once the school is on, students login and select the nature of the report. Issues range from weapons, drugs and fights to cheating. Next, students can type in an anonymous message which goes directly to the school leaders.
“Based on wether it’s bullying or drugs, it can be routed to specific people in the school,” says Bergener.
As the site grows in popularity, creators are finding easier ways to end harrassment fast. Now, students can send anonymous text messages to contact help immediately.
“It’s an early warning when something is happening that is in violation of school policy,” says Bergener.
With a quick tip and fast action school leaders can stop fights, abuse, danger and potentially saves lives.
“I truly believe prevention is the key,” says Bergener.
Bullying Statistics
Lake County teen sentenced to 7 years in prison
“CLEARLAKE, Calif.—A Lake County teenager accused of fatally stabbing a classmate has been sentenced to seven years behind bars.Superior Court Judge Arthur Mann sentenced 19-year-old Gabrielle Varney Monday in the June 2008 killing of 17-year-old Heather Valdez at a Clearlake school bus stop.
Varney pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and using a knife to kill Valdez in April and was facing a maximum of 12 years in jail.
Varney says Valdez had been bullying her for months at Carle Continuation High School. She told authorities she stabbed Valdez in self-defense after the girl punched her.
Valdez’s aunt, Tammy Davis, called Varney “pond scum” and a “cold-blooded killer” Monday in court.
But Varney’s attorney, Stephen Carter, said his client was not a monster.”
SchoolTipline sends its condolences to the Valdez family.
Crimes like these could be prevented if school administrators were aware of bullying incidents among students. Students must be provided with an outlet to resolve bullying issues before something like this happens.
SchoolTipline provides an easy way for students to communicate with administrators. Our goal is provide students with a safe environment, free of violence.
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