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Even Eagles Need a Push
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Teacher Appreciation
“I touch the future. I teach.”
~Christa McAuliffe
~Christa McAuliffe
“The mediocre teacher tells.
The good teacher explains.
The superior teacher demonstrates.
The great teacher inspires.”
~William Arthur Ward
“A teacher affects eternity;
he can never tell where his influence stops.”
~Henry Adams
“The object of teaching a child
is to enable him to get along with out his teacher."
is to enable him to get along with out his teacher."
~Elbert Hubbard
“We teach best that which we most need to learn.”
~Richard Bach
Monday, April 16, 2012
Restorative Practices: Justice Is Vital for the Soul of a Community
Restorative
Practices:
Justice
Is Vital for the Soul of a Community
Leaders often focus on
religion for spirituality, nutritional food and exercise for the body,
academics for the brain, attributes for character, but, what is vital for the
soul of a community?
Restorative
Practices/Justice is "peacebuilding" instead of
"peacemaking", conflict "transformation" rather than
conflict "resolution."
Slogan: "Conflict is
opportunity; don’t waste it.”
According to Howard Zehr, families should practice "Restorative justice three's":
3 assumptions
underlie restorative justice: 1) When
people and relationships are harmed, needs are created. 2) The needs created by harms lead to
obligations. 3) The obligation is to heal and “put right” the harms; this is
a just response.
3 principles
of restorative justice reflect these assumptions. A just response 1) acknowledges
and repairs the harm caused by, and revealed by, wrongdoing (restoration); 2) encourages appropriate responsibility for
addressing needs and repairing the harm (accountability); 3) involves those impacted, including the community,
in the resolution (engagement).
3 underlying values
provide the foundation: Respect,
Responsibility, Relationship.
Restorative Practices & Justice empowers
students/individuals to realize they have a voice and they have ownership of
improving school & community atmosphere.
True peace requires
us not to just make peace by ending conflicts but to build an infrastructure
for peace
*Restorative Practices:W Philadelphia HS:
Principal Saliyah Cruz
W Philadelphia HS named a “persistently dangerous school" for violence/crime. After Restorative Practices implemented, students realized they had a voice and they had ownership of school atmosphere. (see videos below)
The Transformation of West Philadelphia High - Restorative Justice
Links to Jon Powell’s program at Campbell University and the OJJDP webinar on RJ:
http://law.campbell.edu/page.cfm?id=417&n=juvenile-justice-project
https://www.nttac.org/index.cfm?event=webinarBricksMortar_webinars
Friday, April 13, 2012
"Bully": Lee Hirsch
Lee Hirsch
Bully: Has a Timeless Issue Found Its Moment?
Posted: 04/13/2012 2:47 pm
Almost everyone has a story. That moment when we were bullied, or that entire school year, has stayed with us for a lifetime. Acutely memorable. Painfully timeless. Every year, the U.S. Dept. of Education estimates 13 million American kids are bullied. If you extrapolate that number, year after year, decade after decade, that means hundreds of millions of people.
What I do know is that in the three years since we began work on the documentary Bully, we as a nation have grieved far too often. We have learned the names and stories behind children who were bullied and took their own lives; among them, Ty Smalley, age 11, Montana Lance, age 9, Jon Carmichael, age 13, and Tyler Long, age 17.
As we learned their stories, we remembered and even relived our own. With each tragic narrative and the press that ensued, the issue was amplified, louder and louder, until it bore its way into our collective conscious and narrative.
We began this film with the sense that bullying was approaching a tipping point moment. After many screenings, I have been approached by people who were bullied ten, twenty, thirty, fifty years ago, who never told another person about their experiences of torment and abuse. Online, in our communities, on message boards and across our school districts, we began to hear from the multitudes of kids, teachers, parents, those who had been bullied decades ago; those whose were caring for grandchildren who were being bullied now; teachers who knew it was a problem in their school, but didn't know what to do about it; all of them raising their voices to say, this is our story.
I really don't know if bullying has gotten worse from the years when I was bullied. Or when you were bullied. There are many more avenues and platforms where bullying takes place, however, these are also the same platforms that are bringing our world together and creating community.
Here's what I do know: that in every corner of this country, children, teachers, coaches, parents, athletes, and musicians are now standing up, and standing together. Tony Scott from The New York Times has said that the film documents the emergence of a movement and a "shift in consciousness of the kind that occurs when isolated, oppressed individuals discover that they are not alone." He's right.
Today, for the first time, we are talking about it, we are coming together as communities to overcome the silence and shame. It is no longer acceptable to respond to bullying with the attitude "kids will be kids" or "boys will be boys." This is the moment when Americans of every generation are rising up to say enough! Our narrative must and will change.
We have seen the national conversation evolve from a growing awareness of the crisis, to collectively mourning the many lives this crisis has taken, to looking toward the future in hope in knowing we must find a way to prevent these tragedies in the future.
Voices across generations are loudly proclaiming that the time for bullying has come to an end. Together, by sharing our own stories, we can change this nation's story. We can create schools and communities that are the safe and peaceful spaces that we imagined. A new time. For all of us.
Bully is now playing nationwide. To get tickets, check out Fandango
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Bully: Guide to the Film
A Guide to the Film BULLY: Fostering Empathy and Action in Schools
The film BULLY follows five stories of children and families who are affected deeply by bullying within the course of a school year. With intimate glimpses into homes, classrooms, cafeterias, and principals’ offices, the film offers insight into the lives of bullied, ridiculed children. Historically, seemingly small instances of labeling and ridicule have catastrophic consequences for the marginalized groups involved. This film brings those “small” instances into the spotlight creating a space to discuss the effects of bullyng. The accompanying guide tells the personal stories of those bullied, and suggests that improving school climate takes fostering a reflective and engaging learning community.
• Facinghistory.org/safeschools provides additional resources about creating safe and caring school environments.
• A “toolbox” of discussion strategies that will help facilitate honest, open dialogue about the film with groups of students and adults alike.
The film BULLY follows five stories of children and families who are affected deeply by bullying within the course of a school year. With intimate glimpses into homes, classrooms, cafeterias, and principals’ offices, the film offers insight into the lives of bullied, ridiculed children. Historically, seemingly small instances of labeling and ridicule have catastrophic consequences for the marginalized groups involved. This film brings those “small” instances into the spotlight creating a space to discuss the effects of bullyng. The accompanying guide tells the personal stories of those bullied, and suggests that improving school climate takes fostering a reflective and engaging learning community.Features include:
• Essential background information about bullying, including testimony and research findings from experts who have studied the effects of bullying on children, parents, and communities.• Facinghistory.org/safeschools provides additional resources about creating safe and caring school environments.
• A “toolbox” of discussion strategies that will help facilitate honest, open dialogue about the film with groups of students and adults alike.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
"Bully" PG-13 to be released 4-13-2012
Bully’ Movie will Spark Cultural Change
Share This Story
Submitted by National Womens Law Center on Apr 6, 2012
By Kayla Faria
My 5-hour trip to a New York theater this weekend was the longest I have ever traveled to watch a movie, but the 1.5-hour “Bully” film was an even longer emotional journey.
It’s hard to sit in a theater and eat popcorn as kids are being brutalized and taunted in front of your eyes. “This can’t be happening,” you think, before remembering your childhood - it does. This isn’t a John Hughes’ movie. Jokes about “geeks” aren’t funny. It’s real life and kids go home thinking their lives are not worth living.
Alex, 12, is stabbed with pencils, strangled, punched and pushed, but it’s what he says that makes you really cry. When asked how the abuse makes him feel, Alex replies, “I don’t feel anything anymore.”
The film shifts between the stories of five children, capturing the struggles of these different families and their powerful stories in context of a systemic crisis. With more than 13 million children falling victim to bullying each year, the problem transcends geographic, racial, ethnic and economic borders.
It forces us to look at greater issues, including violence, homophobia, and a pervasive “kids will be kids” attitude that perpetuates bullying culture in schools, rather than focusing our anger on the faceless child issuing beat-downs on the skinny kid in glasses who has trouble making friends.
One principal “handles” a bullying complaint by forcing a handshake, then lecturing the child who has just been bullied that his unwillingness to shake his bully’s hand makes him equally bad.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” said the girl sitting beside me in the theater, echoing audience sentiment.
Parents meet with this same inept school administrator to tell her that their child is being bullied on the bus. “I’ve been on that bus, they are just as good as gold,” the principal tells Alex’s mom who is crying because she doesn’t know how she can keep her son safe. As NPR reported, the principal delivered the “pacifying ‘we’ll take care of it’ speech” parents attest hearing “all the time right before nothing happens.”
Watching “Bully,” viewers are offered a glimpse into the hopelessness these children and parents feel.
They are not alone. Bullying among students was reported on a daily or weekly basis in 1 of 4 public schools, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The film wisely does not offer a single solution to “end” the nation’s bullying crisis because maybe there isn’t one answer. However, students, parents and school officials should know that schools are obligated under the federal law of Title IX to protect students from some forms of bullying and harassment.
“Title IX prohibits discrimination, including bullying and harassment, on the basis of sex in publicly funded education,” NWLC fellow Devi Rao explained in our “Ask The Experts” series. “If your school knows about the harassment, then it must do something to investigate the harassment and protect you.”
“In most cases, disciplining kids is not sufficient,” Rao said in an interview. “You can’t just label it (bullying or kids being kids) and say it’s not a civil rights problem because it can be.”
Harassment or bullying based on a student’s failure to conform to gender or sex stereotypes is prohibited under Title IX.
The law might protect a student like Kelby, 16, who was tormented by teachers and students alike after coming out as a lesbian in Oklahoma’s “Bible Belt.” Kelby’s father, a former Sunday school teacher, says he never understood the expression “you never know what someone’s been through until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes,” until he had a gay child.
Changing the culture in our nation’s schools starts with proactively changing the lens through which students see the world, and students watching this movie may rethink how they interact with peers. By viewing the problem through the eyes of these children and their families, this film should inspire serious discussion on how to change a school culture using programs and public policy.
The Safe Schools Improvement Act of 2011 in the House and Senate aims to do this by requiring local educational agencies to clearly prohibit bullying and harassment in discipline policies, report information on youth bullying and harassment and assess bullying and harassment prevention programs in elementary and secondary schools.
As a borderline idealist believing so strongly in the power of the individual story, I have hope that policymakers, parents, teachers, school administrators and students will be inspired to passionately prevent bullying and work toward ending the crisis facing our education system, so we all can get back to our popcorn, knowing the future of our country is safe on the school bus and in the classroom.
My 5-hour trip to a New York theater this weekend was the longest I have ever traveled to watch a movie, but the 1.5-hour “Bully” film was an even longer emotional journey.
It’s hard to sit in a theater and eat popcorn as kids are being brutalized and taunted in front of your eyes. “This can’t be happening,” you think, before remembering your childhood - it does. This isn’t a John Hughes’ movie. Jokes about “geeks” aren’t funny. It’s real life and kids go home thinking their lives are not worth living.
Alex, 12, is stabbed with pencils, strangled, punched and pushed, but it’s what he says that makes you really cry. When asked how the abuse makes him feel, Alex replies, “I don’t feel anything anymore.”
The film shifts between the stories of five children, capturing the struggles of these different families and their powerful stories in context of a systemic crisis. With more than 13 million children falling victim to bullying each year, the problem transcends geographic, racial, ethnic and economic borders.
It forces us to look at greater issues, including violence, homophobia, and a pervasive “kids will be kids” attitude that perpetuates bullying culture in schools, rather than focusing our anger on the faceless child issuing beat-downs on the skinny kid in glasses who has trouble making friends.
One principal “handles” a bullying complaint by forcing a handshake, then lecturing the child who has just been bullied that his unwillingness to shake his bully’s hand makes him equally bad.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” said the girl sitting beside me in the theater, echoing audience sentiment.
Parents meet with this same inept school administrator to tell her that their child is being bullied on the bus. “I’ve been on that bus, they are just as good as gold,” the principal tells Alex’s mom who is crying because she doesn’t know how she can keep her son safe. As NPR reported, the principal delivered the “pacifying ‘we’ll take care of it’ speech” parents attest hearing “all the time right before nothing happens.”
Watching “Bully,” viewers are offered a glimpse into the hopelessness these children and parents feel.
They are not alone. Bullying among students was reported on a daily or weekly basis in 1 of 4 public schools, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The film wisely does not offer a single solution to “end” the nation’s bullying crisis because maybe there isn’t one answer. However, students, parents and school officials should know that schools are obligated under the federal law of Title IX to protect students from some forms of bullying and harassment.
“Title IX prohibits discrimination, including bullying and harassment, on the basis of sex in publicly funded education,” NWLC fellow Devi Rao explained in our “Ask The Experts” series. “If your school knows about the harassment, then it must do something to investigate the harassment and protect you.”
“In most cases, disciplining kids is not sufficient,” Rao said in an interview. “You can’t just label it (bullying or kids being kids) and say it’s not a civil rights problem because it can be.”
Harassment or bullying based on a student’s failure to conform to gender or sex stereotypes is prohibited under Title IX.
The law might protect a student like Kelby, 16, who was tormented by teachers and students alike after coming out as a lesbian in Oklahoma’s “Bible Belt.” Kelby’s father, a former Sunday school teacher, says he never understood the expression “you never know what someone’s been through until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes,” until he had a gay child.
Changing the culture in our nation’s schools starts with proactively changing the lens through which students see the world, and students watching this movie may rethink how they interact with peers. By viewing the problem through the eyes of these children and their families, this film should inspire serious discussion on how to change a school culture using programs and public policy.
The Safe Schools Improvement Act of 2011 in the House and Senate aims to do this by requiring local educational agencies to clearly prohibit bullying and harassment in discipline policies, report information on youth bullying and harassment and assess bullying and harassment prevention programs in elementary and secondary schools.
As a borderline idealist believing so strongly in the power of the individual story, I have hope that policymakers, parents, teachers, school administrators and students will be inspired to passionately prevent bullying and work toward ending the crisis facing our education system, so we all can get back to our popcorn, knowing the future of our country is safe on the school bus and in the classroom.
Apr 6, 2012 2:07pm
‘Bully’ Film Rating
Lowered to PG-13 After Public Pressure
Credit:
thebullyproject.com
ABC News’ Lauren Effron and Jenna Millman report:
The producers of
“Bully,” a documentary on the bullying crisis in U.S. schools, claimed what
they called a “huge victory” today when the Motion Picture Association of
America agreed to lower the film’s rating from R to the less-restrictive PG-13,
making it easier for younger audiences to see it.
“Bully” director
Lee Hirsch successfully negotiated with the MPAA to keep in a key scene that
showed 15-year-old Alex Libby getting viciously harassed on a school bus
provided Hirsch remove three ”F-word” references.
“I am excited
that kids my age can easily go see the movie now that we have a PG-13 rating,”
Libby told “Nightline” in an exclusive interview today. “I hope everyone who’s
ever been bullied watches this and knows they’re not alone, and that they can
stand up for themselves like I do now.”
The MPAA
originally ruled to have “Bully,” a movie about five American students who were
horrendously bullied at school, including two students whose tormenting ended
in their suicides, rated R, citing the bus scene with Libby and the ”F-word”
references as justification for the rating.
The original
ruling prompted the aggressive campaign by the Weinstein Co., which is
releasing “Bully,” to lower the R rating to PG-13. A petition on the website
Change.org demanding that the MPAA remove the R rating received more than
500,000 signatures. Many signers believed it was important that those under the
age of 17, who are barred from viewing R-rated movies without an accompanying
adult, see “Bully” and discuss its message. A number of prominent TV and film
personalities, including Anderson Cooper, Meryl Streep, Ellen DeGeneres and
Johnny Depp, threw their support behind the campaign to remove the film’s R
rating.
Faced with
enormous public pressure, the MPAA declared the film “Unrated” last week before changing it to
“PG 13″.
“Bully” opened
in New York and Los Angeles on March 30 to a strong $23,000 per screen average
box-office returns, Reuters reported. The new PG-13 rating comes just in time,
as the film is slated for wide release on April 13.
ABC News had
first followed director Lee Hirsch while he was still making “Bully” in 2010,
and spent time with the Long family a year after their son Tyler
killed himself. Tina and David Long helped lead the charge against bullying,
and the film recounts their efforts.
In a recent interview with “Nightline,” the Longs said the
work they did to combat bullying helped them deal with the pain of losing their
son.
“I don’t think
the pain will ever go away, but it gives you … hope,” David Long said.
ABC News’ Kevin Dolak
contributed to this report.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Attorney General Holder Recognizes Six Cities for Youth Violence Prevention Efforts
Participating Cities Include Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Memphis, Tenn., Salinas, Calif. and San Jose, Calif.
On April 2, 2012, the Department of Justice issued the following press release:
WASHINGTON Attorney General Eric Holder today recognized six cities for their progress in preventing youth violence at the second annual summit of the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention held in Washington, D.C. The Attorney General was joined by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan, White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett and Office of National Drug Control Policy Director R. Gil Kerlikowske at the two-day summit.
In his remarks before summit participants today, the Attorney General announced preliminary plans to expand the forum to four additional cities through a competitive application process. The Attorney General also announced the launch of an online toolkit that will be available to the public and will provide resources on how to gather and use data on youth violence, identify community assets, develop measurable objectives and create and implement plans.
Our goal is to expand the national conversation about youth violence and its impact on our homes and communities, said Attorney General Holder. The department is committed to working with our partners to create and sustain strategies to prevent this violence and keep our youth and communities safe.
Launched in 2010 at the direction of President Obama, the forum is a network of communities and federal agencies working together to share information and build local capacity to prevent and reduce youth violence. Participating cities include Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Memphis, Tenn., Salinas, Calif., and San Jose, Calif. An interim independent assessment of the forums work in the six participating cities, conducted by John Jay College of Criminal Justice and Temple Universitys Department of Criminal Justice recently, indicated promising results and progress to date.
On the first day of the two-day summit, mayors from the six cities presented their successes and challenges in addressing youth violence in their communities. Thirteen youth from various cities also led discussions and provided recommendations on how to prevent youth violence in their communities and Grammy-nominated hip hop artist Lecrae Moore shared his experiences with violence and gave a special performance. Tomorrow, representatives from the Department of Labor will announce jobs available for youth in the forums cities as part of the administrations Summer Jobs+ initiative to support joint interagency youth violence prevention efforts.
Other forum speakers included Congressman Robert C. Scott, forum Mayors Dennis Donohue (Salinas), Rahm Emanuel (Chicago), Chuck Reed (San Jose), A C Wharton (Memphis) as well as Mayors Michael Nutter (Philadelphia) and Antonio Villaraigosa (Los Angeles), and representatives from Target Corporation, Casey Family Programs, and other business, faith and philanthropic leaders.
On Thursday, April 5, 2012, following the forum, the White House will recognize 12 forum representatives as Champions of Change at a special awards ceremony to be held at the White House. The 12 will be honored as local leaders who have made a difference in their communities through their youth violence prevention efforts.
The Departments of Justice, Education, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development and Labor and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy are the forums federal partners. Participating cities are selected based on need, geographic diversity and willingness and capacity to undertake comprehensive efforts that are the hallmark of the forum. More details about the forums goals and city plans, the toolkit and the assessment are available at: www.findyouthinfo.gov.
Resources:
Read the full release at http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2012/April/12-ag-413.html
-----------------------------------------------------
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is a component of the Office of Justice Programs in the U.S. Department of Justice.
To subscribe or unsubscribe to JUVJUST, please visit https://puborder.ncjrs.gov/listservs/subscribe_JuvJust.asp.
On April 2, 2012, the Department of Justice issued the following press release:
WASHINGTON Attorney General Eric Holder today recognized six cities for their progress in preventing youth violence at the second annual summit of the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention held in Washington, D.C. The Attorney General was joined by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan, White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett and Office of National Drug Control Policy Director R. Gil Kerlikowske at the two-day summit.
In his remarks before summit participants today, the Attorney General announced preliminary plans to expand the forum to four additional cities through a competitive application process. The Attorney General also announced the launch of an online toolkit that will be available to the public and will provide resources on how to gather and use data on youth violence, identify community assets, develop measurable objectives and create and implement plans.
Our goal is to expand the national conversation about youth violence and its impact on our homes and communities, said Attorney General Holder. The department is committed to working with our partners to create and sustain strategies to prevent this violence and keep our youth and communities safe.
Launched in 2010 at the direction of President Obama, the forum is a network of communities and federal agencies working together to share information and build local capacity to prevent and reduce youth violence. Participating cities include Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Memphis, Tenn., Salinas, Calif., and San Jose, Calif. An interim independent assessment of the forums work in the six participating cities, conducted by John Jay College of Criminal Justice and Temple Universitys Department of Criminal Justice recently, indicated promising results and progress to date.
On the first day of the two-day summit, mayors from the six cities presented their successes and challenges in addressing youth violence in their communities. Thirteen youth from various cities also led discussions and provided recommendations on how to prevent youth violence in their communities and Grammy-nominated hip hop artist Lecrae Moore shared his experiences with violence and gave a special performance. Tomorrow, representatives from the Department of Labor will announce jobs available for youth in the forums cities as part of the administrations Summer Jobs+ initiative to support joint interagency youth violence prevention efforts.
Other forum speakers included Congressman Robert C. Scott, forum Mayors Dennis Donohue (Salinas), Rahm Emanuel (Chicago), Chuck Reed (San Jose), A C Wharton (Memphis) as well as Mayors Michael Nutter (Philadelphia) and Antonio Villaraigosa (Los Angeles), and representatives from Target Corporation, Casey Family Programs, and other business, faith and philanthropic leaders.
On Thursday, April 5, 2012, following the forum, the White House will recognize 12 forum representatives as Champions of Change at a special awards ceremony to be held at the White House. The 12 will be honored as local leaders who have made a difference in their communities through their youth violence prevention efforts.
The Departments of Justice, Education, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development and Labor and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy are the forums federal partners. Participating cities are selected based on need, geographic diversity and willingness and capacity to undertake comprehensive efforts that are the hallmark of the forum. More details about the forums goals and city plans, the toolkit and the assessment are available at: www.findyouthinfo.gov.
Resources:
Read the full release at http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2012/April/12-ag-413.html
-----------------------------------------------------
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is a component of the Office of Justice Programs in the U.S. Department of Justice.
To subscribe or unsubscribe to JUVJUST, please visit https://puborder.ncjrs.gov/listservs/subscribe_JuvJust.asp.
Monday, April 2, 2012
What Can I Do/Expect?
*Organize
church/community forums led by "Safer Schools" Team. (contact:
saferschools@yahoo.com)
*Ensure children are fed nutritionally: i.e. Backpack-Food Program.
*Volunteer in our schools: i.e. tutoring, etc.
*Teach children "Telling Is Not Tattling": It is a means of protecting oneself and others. Students are often the first to know critical information “under the radar”.
*Support schools when they do things right and
hold them accountable when they do not.
*Insist schools have strict safe school policies (including dress code) with accountability.
*Require annual updates for students, parents, and school personnel about safety concerns.
*Provide annual training for all personnel to facilitate identifying issues.
*Assure citizens: Violence Risk Threat Assessment and Restorative Practices/Justice (positive learning, healing, and growth for all involved) are accountable.
*Write legislators requesting their support (see Safer Schools blogsite page, Legislation: Requests Made to NC Legislators).
*If threatened or feel unsafe, complete and file a police report ASAP. Keep the original copy: this will be needed if I petition the court for a Restraining Order.
*Share "Safer Schools" blogsite: www.saferschools.blogspot.com
*Ensure children are fed nutritionally: i.e. Backpack-Food Program.
*Volunteer in our schools: i.e. tutoring, etc.
*Teach children "Telling Is Not Tattling": It is a means of protecting oneself and others. Students are often the first to know critical information “under the radar”.
*Support schools when they do things right and
hold them accountable when they do not.
*Insist schools have strict safe school policies (including dress code) with accountability.
*Require annual updates for students, parents, and school personnel about safety concerns.
*Provide annual training for all personnel to facilitate identifying issues.
*Assure citizens: Violence Risk Threat Assessment and Restorative Practices/Justice (positive learning, healing, and growth for all involved) are accountable.
*Write legislators requesting their support (see Safer Schools blogsite page, Legislation: Requests Made to NC Legislators).
*If threatened or feel unsafe, complete and file a police report ASAP. Keep the original copy: this will be needed if I petition the court for a Restraining Order.
*Share "Safer Schools" blogsite: www.saferschools.blogspot.com
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