Safety in Schools

Schools all around the world face a range of hazards and threats that can be closely related to how safe the children and staff feel at school. Safety in schools is defined as school related activities that are set in stone in order to protect children from bullying, violence, substance abuse, harassment and more. When schools are labeled as safe, they usually are actively promoting both physical and emotional safety of all students whether it is through security systems or constant counselor check ins with students. School safety is extremely important in the education field because this can be related to academic performance. Students who are victims of physical or emotional violence in school are more likely to fail, suffer from poor attendance or dropout. When a school environment feels positive and has easy access to help if needed, emotional, social and mental problems can be likely reduced. 

A police officer gives children high fives 
in the hallway. He is protecting the school.

When I think about school safety, Columbine comes to mind. I was able to visit this school memorial in Colorado which opened my eyes to how important safety in schools is. No child or staff member should ever face the possibility of violence occurring when they come to school. In addition to my immediate thought of school shootings, bullying, harassment, physical abuse, and digital issues are just as important. I have been fortunate enough to attend schools that have been quick to respond to any type of issues that happened. Counselors were readily available to assist in positive communication, anger management and conflict resolution, so that children would feel safe emotionally and mentally as well. In sixth grade, my middle school faced a bomb threat phone call. I immediately started to panic as a 12 year old since the fire alarms were pulled and the whole school evacuated to the nearest elementary school. Even though this was a fake bomb threat, it was not something to ignore. Firemen came to look in the school and all of the children were picked up by their family members. My schools have luckily always had locked doors all around, so visitors can only enter through the main lobby. This reduces the possibility of violence to occur in the school. Since I have experienced these events, I am more aware on the importance of school safety because school should be a place where students can learn and grow without the fear of violence. Families put trust in the school to keep their child safe and have them return home at the end of the day. Safety should always be a priority rather than just a thought.