School Safety
School safety is a set of characteristics that define a school environment as comfortable and conducive to a low probability of violence and crime. Within current media trends, reporting on the positive aspects of the school environment is less popular than reporting on crime or school shootings. Although statistics do not show a significant difference in changing trends in school crime, this should not allow the media to undermine perceptions of school safety (May, 2014a).
Instead, attention should be paid to the positive effects that school has. Among the most significant are children’s adjustments to society and learning the first interactions related to communication, problem-solving, cooperation, and negotiation. Highlighting these positives will reduce the number and prevalence of myths about school because teenagers will not be blamed for nothing (May, 2014a). If society wants schools to be the safest places, it will have to trust research that demonstrates schools’ safety. Furthermore, it will help schools themselves to identify and address their problems consistently.
School Homicide Statistics
When researching the incidence of school crime, one of the main challenges for sociologists and criminologists is integrating into that environment to understand its characteristics. May et al. (2014b) suggest that one common mistake is profiling school offendersâassigning them to types based on a narrow set of attributes that often consist of myths. Such myths include: “he hadn’t threatened anyone,” “he was a loner,” or “he was crazy” (May et al., 2014b, 17).
Such myths often do not correspond to reality, as there is a limited understanding of the nature of the crime. The overall number of school shootings, as the most horrific crime, did not increase critically between 1997 and 2013, as discussed in the media (May et al., 2014b, 20), although it can be said that the number of victims did. The Internet age has likely contributed to the increase in victims, making the old causes of crime less relevant in the 21st century.
The undermining of school safety may be related to how the media treats it, so there should be a change in administration behavior and public policy. Tactics for interacting with students should be revised, individual safety and trust should be prioritized, measures should be implemented to discourage bullying, and profiling should be eliminated (May et al., 2014b, p. 22). Using these measures, not only can crimes be expected to decrease, but even potential acts of assault can be prevented (Freilich et al., 2022). We can achieve it by building proper communication and creating a psychologically comfortable environment for adolescents in schools.
Reports on Weapons Among Students
Reporting on carrying weapons among students is not as common because they have some limitations in understanding the reality of their classmates’ intentions. Although the frequency of actual carrying is relatively low (1 in 20), this should not detract from the overall prevalence of the problem (May et al., 2014a, p. 30). Pegg (2021) found that fear of school shootings causes students to experience many mental problems.
Reasons for gun ownership vary widely, but they generally boil down to students being concerned about their safety. In this case, there is a paradox: students fear for their lives and carry guns, thereby risking harming themselves and other students who are also worried about a school shooting. It can cause students to report carrying guns, even if it is their friends at school.
There is a correlation between academic performance and discipline and reporting weapons, which depends on gender and age. Female and middle school students are most likely to report carrying a gun (May et al., 2014a). The lack of similar statistics in other groups suggests a lack of protection in the school environment for students who report guns and those who carry guns. The fear and possibility of incurring anger and exposing oneself to risks from students with guns can create a gap in addressing school crimes (Carlton, 2021). Open dialogue and protection of all parties involved in potential conflicts should be a priority in school policies to enhance institutional safety.
Improving School Safety
The school environment should be safe, so society and the state must implement measures to enhance its quality and create a comfortable learning environment for students. May (2014b) suggests a crisis response plan to quickly organize children’s safety. Among the top recommendations should be to take children out of school, create evacuation plans, and set aside areas outside the conflict zone. In addition, attention should be paid to who and how to help resolve the conflict, such as school psychologists and specially trained personnel to counteract and disarm a schoolchild with a weapon.
Measures designed to prevent conflict should be taken into consideration. Changing the school climate, introducing communication channels for feedback and anonymous referrals, and integrating social-emotional learning and violence prevention programs can help reduce the risks of violent crime (School Safety Working Group, 2020). An empirical approach with support among students may have more positive outcomes compared to strict policies and significant restraints (Mears et al., 2018). School safety can be fully achieved by immersing students in the school environment and examining it in the context of external and internal triggers.
References
Carlton, M. P. (2021). School safety: Research on gathering tips and addressing threats. National Institute of Justice, 283. Web.
Freilich, J. D., Chermak, S. M., Connell, N. M., Klein, B. R., & Greene-Colozzi, E. A. (2022). Overview of The American School Shooting Study (TASSS). National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs. Web.
May, D. C. (2014a). Introducing the critical study of school safety. School safety in the United States: A reasoned look at the rhetoric. Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press (3-12).
May, D. C. (2014b). School-level crisis response planning. School safety in the United States: A reasoned look at the rhetoric. Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press (195-203).
May, D. C., Elrod, P., & Lowe, N. (2014a). Predictors of weapon reporting among students: Who tells and why? School safety in the United States: A reasoned look at the rhetoric. Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press (29-49).
May, D. C., Henry, E., Kimberling, S. (2014b). Forty years of school homicides. School safety in the United States: A reasoned look at the rhetoric. Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press (13-28).
Mears, D., Montes, A. N., Collier, N. L., & Siennick, S. E. (2018). The benefits, risks, and challenges of get-tough and support-oriented approaches to improving school safety. Criminal Justice Policy Review, 30(9). Web.
Pegg, H. (2021). The impact of school shootings on American students: A research paper and a play [Honor thesis]. Middle Tennessee State University. Web.
School Safety Working Group. (2020). Ten essential actions to improve school safety. Washington, DC: Office of Community-Oriented Policing Services. Web.