StudentWatch: Spotlight on Youth Violence

In Plymouth, Massachusetts four girls have been suspended from school as the result of Columbine-like threats they posted on a social media site. The four girls, ages 15 to 17, were reported by a parent and a student after they viewed the threats on Facebook. Police are currently investigating the alleged online threats and stated they found no weapons in the girls’ lockers.

With PublicSchoolWORKS’ Student Safety Reporting System, part of its award-winning StudentWatch Suite, parents and students are provided with 24/7 online and telephone reporting tools enabling them to report issues that might impact the safety of students, staff, or property. How do you make your students aware of the importance of reporting safety issues? Share your comments on our Facebook page.

Source: The Boston Herald

Spotlight on New Bullying Law

According to the New York Times, the aftermath of bullying incidents nationally and the public outcry from the death of Rutgers University Freshman, Tyler Clementi, pushed the state of New Jersey to pass the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights. The bill, which went into effect September 1, 2011, is being noted as the toughest bullying legislation in the country. Many teachers and administrators expressed concerns about the law because it demands that all public schools increase staff training, adhere to tight deadlines for reporting episodes and adopt comprehensive antibullying policies. A failure to comply with the implemented policies can result in educators losing their licenses. The executive director of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators, Richard G. Bozza, commented on the policy stating that schools do not have the resources or the staff to monitor the community in the manner the bill requires.

With legislation like the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights and the number of budget and staff cuts facing districts, it is important for administrators and teachers to have the resources necessary to easily and quickly report and track all bullying incidents. With PublicSchoolWORKS’ Student Bullying Reporting System, part of the award-winning StudentWatch suite, parents and students are provided with 24/7 online and telephone systems to report bullying incidents. These include built-in communication tools that immediately notify school administrators when an incident is reported. This system helps districts meet state mandates and provides tools for initiating, documenting and recording district and school responses to each reported concern. It also features live attendants who are able to receive information and initiate contact with various national crisis hotlines that may help a student deal with a personal emergency. Have you had a need for a bullying management system? Share your stories with us on Twitter @PSWORKS

Source: The New York Times

Safety Thought

Alvina Sheeley is one of eight candidates running for a Fairfield-Suisun school board seat in this November’s election. Despite spending almost 22 years as a teacher, this 70 year-old woman and school board candidate was arrested for abducting four young girls from a bus stop in 1998. Although she admits fault in the abduction, stating that she was under mental duress, and her teaching credentials remain revoked, if elected she could help drive the policy of this school district.

Do you think individuals with records such as Sheeley’s should be allowed to work in an educational leadership role? What would you do if your district had somebody running for a position on your school board that had a record that included harming a child? Can you have a say in the process? Share your thoughts with us on Twitter@PSWORKS

Source: The Daily Republic

Health and Safety

The American Diabetes Association recently came out with an article urging non-medical school personnel to provide supplementary diabetes care for students. While the school nurse is primarily responsible for monitoring a student’s diabetes plan, the diabetes health care community feels it may be too much for one nurse to monitor, since many nurses are required to visit multiple locations in a day.

PublicSchoolWORKS’ Students with Diabetes course helps provide information to staff to help them respond to students’ diabetic issues in a timely manner.

Will your staff recognize symptoms of advanced hypoglycemia? Would they know how to respond quickly to an issue? Share your comments on our Facebook page.

Source: American Diabetes Association