The safety of everyone should always be a priority of every business. Consumers are deeply concerned over the fact that numerous cases of violence in schools are left unreported and undealt with each year. Learners are not the only ones involved in such incidents. The fact that sometimes, even the parents and faculty members are involved makes this a disturbing matter. How can these types of businesses increase the safety of their people?
School Shootings
Mass deadly shootings are being reported in schools, out of all places. What used to be a safe place for teachers and students became a traumatic venue of violence. We already lost many innocent lives because some people chose violence.
Preventing school shootings may be hard, but never impossible. Investing in the right technologies and crafting timely policies will help deter such incidents from happening. One of the things schools can invest in are safety equipment in school entrances and classrooms.
CCTVs are a good way to alert security personnel in case there are suspicious persons lurking in the school premises. Metal detectors are also a good way to prevent guns from being brought inside schools. It also helps if faculty members and staff are specifically trained to handle these types of emergencies.
Take active shooting training programs for schools as an example. This can help teachers and administrators identify, manage, and bring everyone to safety in case a mass shooter gets past the school’s security. Such programs can help schools identify issues, and bridge gaps that will definitely improve the safety of everyone in times of violence.
It also helps that troubled kids have many go-to persons they can confide in. Oftentimes, suspects of mass shooting incidents in schools are students themselves. According to a study, the common reasons for school mass shootings include getting revenge, mental health issues, alcohol or substance abuse, or the presence of violence in their daily life.
Bullying
Before, bullying was the most common safety issue surrounding schools. Many students would find themselves traumatized and unable to perform well in school due to school bullies. This could either be their classmate, a schoolmate, or even a faculty member.
Some people think that students can only be bullied outside school premises. But in reality, many cases of bullying happen in school. Sometimes, other students keep a blind eye to bullying incidents for fear of being involved.
These incidents are often shared on different social media sites, garnering up to millions of views and engagements. But then, cases of bullying are often ignored. Many bullies are not reprimanded enough to learn the consequences of their actions.
Schools need to be more vigilant when addressing cases of bullying involving their students. Bullying ruins a student’s learning experience. This should be a shared effort among the school itself, the educators, the students, and their parents.
For one, empathy and kindness should be taught to everyone. The kinder and more empathetic kids are, the less likely there are to bully others. Schools should host activities to help learners with improving their socio-emotional learning.
It also helps that many opportunities for connection are made possible. The more we empower kids to stop the bullies, and the more we encourage everyone to report cases of bullying, the more the less likely to continue with the behavior. Research shows that we can reduce the likelihood of bullying incidents for up to 50% if everyone is taught to speak up when witnessing other people bullying someone.
Everyone should take reports of bullying more seriously. This will make learners feel safer and give them the confidence to stand up for themselves. Thorough investigation and proper sanctions should be given when found guilty.
Educators spend more time with the learners than school any school staff. If trained well, they can easily tell if someone needs help. This way, they can talk to the students involved along with the guidance counselor to address the issue before it is too late.
The school should also have policies in place in case one is proven guilty of bullying depending on the case. People sometimes use bullying behaviors as a coping mechanism. While their actions should not be tolerated, the bigger picture involves getting them the kind of help they need to stop the behavior from endangering other people.
Bullying and mass shooting are the biggest threat to school safety. While one may have different reasons to commit crimes in educational institutions, prevention will always be a better choice than intervention. The earlier all schools start managing these threats, the safer our learners and teachers will feel and the better their learning experience at school will be.