Safty Thought: School Safty Policies

Albany Middle School in California is now using a “safe school ambassadors” program to keep the peace and build bridges among the school’s cliquey sixth through eighth grade students. According to the Albany Patch, 41 students who were considered influential to various cliques and social groups were selected to receive training in an effort to get rid of the bullying. Throughout their training, students learned how to talk, care and stand up for each other, no matter their background or clique. The “safe school ambassadors” have been given the tools to diffuse bullying, while being empowered to stand up and intervene when someone is being mistreated. The “safe school ambassadors” program is now being used in 900 schools around the country.

Knowing students have the power to influence each other, do you think a “safe school ambassadors” program would work well at your school? How have your students worked together to put an end to bullying at your school? Share your stories with us on Twitter @PSWORKS.

Source: Albany Patch

Youth Violence: Guns in Schools

After being bullied, abused, taunted and called names for months, 11-year-old Brenton Peraita told his bullies he wished for a gun to get rid of them. Shortly after his comment was made, Peraita was arrested for making criminal threats. Even though Peraita and his family made nearly 50 complaints to school administrators, it took Peraita sticking up for himself to end the teasing. Peraita was not the only one who got into trouble. In addition to arresting Peraita, police issued citations to the three students who had allegedly been bullying him.

Peraita, the victim, decided to use scare tactics on his bullies and was the one who got arrested. What went wrong here? Why was more not done after so many complaints by Peraita’s family? How can schools ensure that the victim is looked out for and not driven to a point of violence?

Share your thoughts and stories with us on Twitter @PSWORKS.

Source: Fox News Online

Safety Thought: New Policies for School Discipline

As the new school year approaches, the North Carolina General Assembly has approved legislation that will change 32 policies for the 2011-12 academic year. The policy changes, are being implemented to reduce the number of school suspensions. According to the new set of policies, only the possession of a firearm on school property will result in a 365-day suspension. In addition, long-term suspensions are being limited to incidences that disrupt the educational environment or threaten staff, student or school visitor safety.

What policies are you putting in place for your school this year? What policies do you have to ensure both student attendance and school safety? Share your stories with us on Twitter@PSWORKS.

Source: The Mount Airy News

Spotlight on School Kickback Scheme

Former North Chicago School Board Member, Gloria Harper, and the head of district transportation, Alice Sherrod, along with three other contractors, face a 26-count indictment because of a kickback scheme. According to the Chicago Sun Times, beginning in 2001, both women were said to be collecting money in exchange for providing business to suburban bus companies. This indictment calls for the forfeiture of 48 busses and vans, seven personal automobiles and nearly $10 million dollars.

Some school districts do not provide staff with the ability to report issues such as fraud, which can lead to incidences like those in North Chicago. PublicSchoolWORKS’ Fraud Reporting System, which is a part of its award-winning EmployeeSafe Suite, provides school staff with the ability to quickly report 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:The Chicago Sun-Times

StudentWatch: Youth Violence –Florida Teen Tips off Friend before Murdering Parents

In West Palm Beach, Florida, seventeen year old Tyler Hadley is being held without bond after being charged with the murder of his parents. A sad addition to this story is that Hadley told his best friend he was going to kill his parents several times before he actually committed the crime. This same friend later tipped off police to the killings after Hadley showed him his parents’ bodies at a party he threw after he killed his parents. Hadley’s public defender has entered a plea of not guilty.

Would this friend’s timely communication to authorities or school administrators through a tip line have changed the tragic outcome of this event? How do we instill in students the importance of treating threats to others seriously? While this teen had threatened to harm his parents before, any and all threats should be reported. If authorities had been could have involved in threats earlier, just by him knowing that other adults were aware of his thoughts it could have changed the outcome of events. In addition, authorities could have sought appropriate counseling for him and his parents.

Have you been made aware of a situation that could have escalated to violence with one of your students? If so, what did you do about it? Share your comments on our Facebook page.

Source: The Huffington Post Online

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