Take School Shootings Seriously
Whether your school is day or boarding, whether it goes to 12th grade or only goes to 8th grade, whether it is in Connecticut or Hawaii or anywhere in between, take school shootings seriously.
There's plenty of help and food for thought in the following links. Use them as a starting point for your school safety plan. Above all, make sure you discuss and review the causes and warning signs of school violence with your administrators, teachers and staff.
School Safety Resources
- Checklist of Characteristics of Youth Who Have Caused School-Associated Violent Deaths
From the National School Safety Center. Compare the characteristics with those of the children who caused the Littleton shootings. - A Guide to Safe Schools
The Federal Education Department offers sound advice on what to look for and how to handle it. - CyberAngels
This is one of oldest and largest Internet safety programs. It's been around since 1995. -
American Psychological Association
The APA has plenty of useful training and awareness materials to help your community. - Keep Schools Safe
The National Association of Attorneys General and The National School Boards Association offer this joint initiative focused on school violence. - Coping With Violence
Family Education Network offers advice on how to communicate with your youth about violence. -
National Education Association's Safe Schools Resources
The NEA offers a series of Action Sheets with links to an assortment of useful studies, reports and articles. -
Journal of Adolescent Health
Read their thought-provoking paper entitled Youth Violence and Electronic Media: Similar Behaviors, Different Venues?