NCJ Number
179172
Date Published
1998
Length
16 pages
Annotation
As collaboration between educators and law enforcement is essential to prevent violence in schools, and violence prevention programs must address how students deal with anger and conflict and how students get access to weapons, this document is designed to facilitate violence prevention programs and strategies.
Abstract
The document focuses on the value of a school-law enforcement partnership; action steps for policies, procedures, and programs; specific indicators of risk behaviors associated with violence, crime, and drug abuse; and strategies to involve young people in efforts to prevent violence, crime, and drug abuse. Individuals and organizations in the community that may need to be included in building an effective school-law enforcement partnership are identified, policies and procedures to guide school officials in violence prevention efforts are outlined, and the importance of school staff training and publication is emphasized. Guidelines for violence prevention programs are offered that center around involving young people, maintaining a good learning environment, developing anonymous reporting systems to permit students to share crime-related information in ways that do not expose them to retaliation, creating a suggestion box for students to offer ideas about reducing violence, developing a comprehensive truancy prevention effort, conducting periodic safety audits of the school physical environment, establishing emergency intervention teams, building and sustaining an inclusive educational environment, and helping students deal with stress. Examples of programs in Florida, North Carolina, and California to promote school safety are cited. 18 references, 4 endnotes, and 1 photograph