EmployeeWatch: Spotlight on School Theft

Theft by school staff and officials is a topic that frequents media headlines. In Wildomore, California Jose Cavajal, an ex-Lake Elsinore Unified School District official has been charged with draining approximately $5,000 from a district purchasing account. Cavajal is being charged with one felony count of embezzlement for allegedly stealing the money after his employment ended in 2010. Cavajal served as a public information officer for the district and had access to the account.

PublicSchoolWORKS’ Fraud Reporting System, which is a part of its award-winning EmployeeSafe Suite, provides school staff with the ability to quickly report issues such as fraud, suspicious activity, harassment and other risk issues. Once a report has been entered, the system quickly notifies the appropriate people to intervene. This helps schools address situations that could otherwise go undetected for long periods of time before ever being investigated. Being able to intervene more quickly can help to limit the legal exposure often associated with these issues and can help administrators answer the question, “What did you do?” Has your school or district been a victim of employee fraud? Share your stories with us on Twitter @PSWORKS

Source: Lake Elsinore-Wildomar Patch

Safety Thought: Prevent Your School from Closing

What would you do if there were cracks in your schools chairs and broken desks? Who would you contact if the bathrooms at your school had no soap in the dispensers or toilet paper in the stalls? As result of the Guam Department of Educations’ (DOE) failure to address various health violations, the Department of Public Health and Social Services closed Simon Sanchez High School. The closure resulted from numerous violations including baseboards in disrepair, cracked floor tiles, empty toilet paper dispensers and leaking ceilings. The Guam DOE Superintendent Nerissa Bretania Underwood said the first inspection had a specific list of violations and at least several of them were addressed.

How could this have been prevented? What is your school doing to make sure that staff and students are safe? Are you in jeopardy of closing your doors? Share your stories with us on Twitter @PSWORKS.

Source: Guampdn.com

Safety Thought: School Safety Policies

According to Philly.com. a federal grand jury has indicted two former top charter school officials, Hugh C. Clark and Ina M. Walker, in Northwest Philadelphia on charges of stealing $522,000. Clark, the president of the charter’s board and Walker, the charter school’s chief executive officer, allegedly used the money slated for New Media Charter School to pay expenses at another small private school they controlled called Lotus Academy. They also used the money to fund personal businesses, including the Black Olive health-food store and restaurant in Mount Airy. Lastly, they used some of the money for personal expenses, including meals and credit-card bills. The Philadelphia School Reform Commission (SRC) forced the pair to step down and cut all ties to the charter school. The SRC also required all members of the charter board to step down.

PublicSchoolWORKS’ Fraud Reporting System, which is a part of its award-winning EmployeeSafe Suite, provides school staff with the ability to quickly report issues such as fraud, suspicious activity, harassment and other risk issues. Once a report has been entered, the system quickly notifies the appropriate people to intervene. This helps schools address situations that could otherwise go undetected for long periods of time before ever being investigated. Being able to intervene more quickly can help to limit the legal exposure often associated with these issues and can help administrators answer the question, “What did you do.” Has your school or district been a victim of employee fraud? Share your stories with us on Twitter @PSWORKS.

Source: Philly.com

Youth Violence: School Bullying Correlates to Partner Violence

Have you ever heard someone say, “They are just being kids?” Has anyone ever told you, “I’m sure they will grow out of it?” According to two online studies published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine and the Archives of General Psychiatry, boys who bully their peers as a children are more likely to commit intimate partner violence (IPV) as adults. In a sample of 1,491 men from ages 18 to 35 the study found that men who are violent have increased gray matter volume in their mesolimbic reward systems.

Rather than ignoring bullying use PSW’s Student Bullying Reporting System. It provides 24/7 online and telephone systems with built-in communication tools that immediately notify school administrators when an issue is reported. How often do your students/parents report bullying? Do you have a way to track bullying issues in order to address them before the situation gets out of hand? How do you prepare parents and students to deal with bullying? Share your answers to these questions by joining the discussion on our Facebook page.

Source: Doctors Lounge Online