Strategies Involving Students and Teachers in School Security

• NCJ Number: 74397
• Author(s): J I Grealy
• Date Published: 1980
• Length: 9 pages
• Sale Source: Eric Document Reproduction Service
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Association of Secondary School Principals, Miami Beach (FL), January 11-15, 1980

Annotation

This paper described a 1978 demonstration program developed by a Florida school board which tried to reduce school crime through environmental design, as well as change student and staff attitudes toward crime.

Abstract

The Broward County school district in Fort Lauderdale, Fl., was selected as the school component in a national project known as Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design funded by the LEAA. First, a fear study was conducted in all 20 high schools which indicated that much anxiety about crime was related to isolated or hidden areas and restrooms. The most successful strategy was locating a police/school precinct in a high school complex. Officers used the facility 24 hours a day for shift changes and administrative work. The presence of the police not only discouraged vandalism and crime, but also improved relations between the police, students, and school staff. To deter bicycle theft, a secure compound was constructed outside the school which was fenced in and locked for the entire school day. An unsecured area was located within the school grounds for students who did not attend school all day. Entrance to all parking lots was controlled. Students painted murals on walls that had been prime targets for graffiti, and miniplazas were located in unused space within the school. Landscaping was done by horticultural students to create pleasant areas for eating and socialization. Neither the murals nor plantings have been vandalized. Two-way radios were given to all key personnel with the principal's secretary serving as the base operator. Thus the staff has been able to respond quickly to incidents and deter disruptions by students or outsiders. Other methods used in the project included sealing off open areas under stairwells, installing an alarm system for protection during nonschool hours, alterations to restrooms, and establishing an advisory committee composed of teachers and students. A Jume 1978 survey of teachers and students in four high schools showed that fear of crime had decreased somewhat from the previous year.