School Safety: Ensuring students’ physical and emotional safety and security
Students, parents, teachers, and administrators have the right to expect their schools to be safe havens of learning. Several important strategies and resources can be used to create safe, positive, and secure school environments: the quality of relationships between staff and students and their families; adequately trained staff; support from the community, including law enforcement and social service agencies; and safe physical buildings and grounds.
Below is an archive of Partners for Public Education web posts about school safety.
Story Archive
Making schools safe from bullying
October 2017
One out of three U.S. students say they have been bullied at school. U.S. Sen. Bob Casey of PA is one of several lawmakers in Washington who wants to do something about it.
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Bullying beyond the school day
October 2017
The rise of social media and texting has led to new and more sophisticated ways for bullies to reach their victims. No longer is bullying confined to face-to-face encounters.
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What can adults do to help stop bullying?
October 2017
It is important to understand what bullying is and what it is not. With that knowledge, you will be better equipped to recognize the warning signs when a child you love is involved in bullying
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Standing up to bullying
October 2017
October is National Bullying Prevention Month, a great time for all of us to acknowledge this problem and do our part to end it in our schools and our communities.
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Talk to your kids about online threats
December 2016
The digital world is teeming with opportunities to learn in new ways and connect with friends. It can also be a dangerous place for kids and teens in the age of cyber bullying.
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Making schools bully-free zones
October 2016
Thousands of school children are staying home from school each day to avoid bullies, and that's unacceptable to U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr. He is advocating for legislation intended to curb bullying in schools and on social media.
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Operation Safe Stop
October 2016
In October, the PA Department of Transportation is partnering with the State Police, local law enforcement, school districts, intermediate units, and school bus drivers to educate motorists about the laws of the road when it comes to school buses. It's part of a project called Operation Safe Stop.
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Creating a safe school environment
October 2016
When we send our kids off to school each morning, we count on school employees to watch out for all students as they travel on the bus, learn in the classroom, and interact with friends in the cafeteria and school yard.
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Staying safe on the school bus
August 2016
When your kids head for the bus each morning, you want to know that they will be safe throughout the day. Here are some tips to keep in mind as a new school year gets underway.
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New Pennsylvania law aims to protect child victims of cyber bullying
January 2016
The face of bullying has changed with more and more students facing round-the-clock cyber bullying and harassing text messages and social media posts.
Last summer, a new law went into effect making cyber harassment of a child a third-degree misdemeanor in Pennsylvania.
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Texting for help
January 2016
Crisis Text Line was created to connect people by text with crisis counselors. In less than two years, it had responded to 6.5 million text messages.
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Minding your mind helps students recognize warning signs of mental illness
January 2016
Every 12 minutes, one person in the U.S. dies by suicide, and nine out of every 10 of those individuals have a diagnosable mental health disorder.
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Q&A: School social worker Stephanie Warshaw discusses QPR
January 2016
If you are a parent who has concerns about your child, how can QPR help?
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Take all signs of suicide seriously
January 2016
Nobody likes to think about young people taking their lives, but suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people ages 10-24. The good news is that there is a technique much like CPR for people of all ages who are considering suicide. It's known as QPR — short for Question, Persuade, and Refer.
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Protecting children online starts with conversation
December 2015
Children and teens have many opportunities to connect with friends and learn in new ways with digital technology. This is mostly a good thing, but parents and other caring adults should know what signs of trouble to watch for when the children in their lives log on.
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October is National Bullying Prevention Month
October 2015
Students learn best and achieve their full potential when they feel safe and secure at school, on the bus, and at home. Bullying is not only a threat to a child's safety and wellbeing; it's a threat to his or her education.
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New requirements for parents volunteering in schools
February 2015
Pennsylvania's new Child Protective Services Law requires any unpaid, adult volunteer who has direct contact, routine interaction, or responsibility for the welfare of children in public schools to provide a series of background checks.
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Safe driving starts with involved parents
January 2015
Teens with parents who monitor and set rules for driving "reported fewer risky driving behaviors and half the crash risk in the last year as teens who described their parents as less involved," according to TeenDriverSource.org.
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Be a better bystander
January 2015
Did you know that an analysis of 30 school shootings found the attackers had told others about their plans in advance four out of five times? Imagine if more people spoke up about threats of violence before they happened.
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Reading the warning signs of suicide in a young person
January 2015
Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people between 10 and 19 years of age. The good news is parents, teachers, and friends are in key positions to identify the warning signs in young people and to get them help.
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Putting an end to name-calling by embracing kindness
January 2015
In the young adult novel The Misfits, four friends struggle to survive 7th grade in an environment of vicious taunts and name calling. The 2003 book has inspired an annual event in schools across the country, known as "No Name Calling Week," celebrated Jan. 19-23 this year.
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Got active kids? Here's how you can keep them safe on the playing field
January 2015
With more than 38 million children and adolescents participating in sports in the United States, there are bound to be some injuries. According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, the most common types of sport-related injuries among children are sprains, muscle strains, bone or growth plate injuries, repetitive motion injuries, and heat-related illness.
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Teach your children to be safe on the school bus
October 2014
When you kiss your children goodbye each morning as they head out the door to school, you want to know that they will be safe throughout the day. For most
children, the school day starts on the way to the bus stop.
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Keep your students safe online
April 2014
Advances in technology over the past two decades have brought about new obstacles for parents, educators, and law enforcement.
Parents and teachers cannot let their guard down when our children are in the classroom, library, or using the internet in their homes.
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Parents Corner - Know the Signs of Bullying
July 2012
Bullying has become a hot topic in the media and schools recently as bullies find new ways to target and intimidate their victims. The consequences of their actions have been felt in communities across the country.
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