Today I learned some jaw-dropping stats from the Bureau of Justice Statistics: In 2007-2008, there were 1.2 million victims of non-fatal crimes at school and 1,701 homicides among school-aged youths.
While it’s prudent to exercise caution, we don’t want our kids to live in fear in a place we send them to learn. The experts say there is not one across-the-board solution that can be applied to all schools. Factors that should be considered when learning how to deal with school crime are location, quality of living, and the local socio-economic status.
Some suggested ways to prevent school crime are:
- Update the decision-making process at school. Form a committee involving school faculty, parents, and even community members. Think through the crime and the causes of your local criminal activity, then think through all possible solutions.
- Define expectations. Set the rules and make them known to students from the beginning of school.
- Engage students. Include students in the learning process versus providing lectures only.
While these strategies sound like they need to be implemented by educators and administrators, student safety is the ultimate goal. Most schools encourage parent participation in decisions and would be likely open to suggestions concerning child safety.
