4) Community Initiatives for Safer Schools; 3 things you can do to psychologically prepare your children to have a successful year; Keeping Your Kids Safe at School; Best email of the Year

Contact: saferschools@yahoo.com

SCHOOL SAFETY IS EVERY CHILD'S RIGHT
SCHOOL SAFETY IS EVERY EMPLOYEE'S RIGHT

Research reveals a child needs
to be "fed nutritionally" and
to feel "safe, loved, valued"
for the brain to be
most receptive to learning.
 
Academic success increases with a
"Focus on safety".

 
Many students who commit violent crime, threaten others or act out are crying for help.  We must not let their cries for help be ignored.

"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 (positive learning, healing, and growth for all involved) are accountable.

*Write legislators requesting their support (see below and Safer Schools blogsite page, "Legislation: Requests Made to NC Legislators and NCAE/NCRSP").
*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



Requests made to NC Legislators & NCAE/NCRSP
(NC Association of Educators/NC Retired School Personnel):
 
1) Include oral and written threats of violence in the School Law Enforcement Report Form and publicly report this information on the monthly school board agenda.
2) Institute a Violence Risk Threat Assessment, a process in which school administrator, law enforcement official, mental health counselor, and teacher(s)/employee(s) involved TOGETHER investigate, examine, evaluate and report the threat.
3) Enact PROACTIVE legislation similar to VA Code 18.2-60: VA Teacher Association and VA legislators passed AFTER the VA Tech massacre: at school or school activities, oral threats of bodily harm are a Misdemeanor 1; written threats of bodily harm are a Felony 6.


GUILFORD COUNTY SCHOOLS LAW ENFORCEMENT CRIME MONTHLY REPORT
* School Law Enforcment Report should include oral and written threats of violence and be publicly reported on the monthly school board agenda
* Law enforcement looks at trends: 16 violent issues in schools
* We urge Legislators to include written and oral violent threats in school crime monthly report.

Discussion of:
* Alternative school(s): Policy needs to be available to public: What are criteria? Consistency? How many seats for our 73,000+ students?
* Safe environment: Safe and equal for all; consistent expectations & accountability across GCS Schools


Elected officials state: "Nowhere else in our society, in our businesses and community, would we tolerate actions considered misdemeanors and felonies. Why in our schools?"

Law enforcement leader responded, "You are singing music to my ears" and connected "Safer Schools" Team members to community leaders and other law enforcement personnel.

Legislators and citizens are encouraging us to expand the "Safer Schools" Program state-wide/nation-wide

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Prepare your kids for a new school year
3 things you can do to psychologically prepare your children to have a successful year:

1) Create realistic expectations.
Don't mislead your kids into thinking that learning is always enjoyable.
Don't ask your kids, "Did you have fun in school today?"  Instead, ask them what they learned or how they dealt with some of the drama that is an intrinsic part of getting along with other people.
Help them understand that teachers are not entertainers.  Their jobs are to help children learn, which can be exciting at times but also tedious, too.  Prepare your children to expect and accept both parts.

2) Expect strong effort.
Although success in school is important, recognize that not every child has above-average academic ability.  However, you should expect your children to work hard and achieve at a level consistent with their talents.
Kids who succeed in school have a high degree of self-control.  They learn the benefits of delayed gratification.  You can encourage your child's self-control by restricting television and computer usage during the week and reviewing your student's exams and homework.
Let your child know that school performance is very important.

3) Focus on your child's development in all areas.
Our children learn lots of important lessons in school other than how to solve math equations or write a book report.  Psychologists call these other abilities "emotional intelligence", and they involve key skills in communication, problem solving, self-control and interpersonal relations.
It's really important to talk about this stuff with kids.  Ask them about how they resolved a disagreement with a peer or teacher.  Discuss how they responded to another student being rediculed.
Help them acquire an emotional resiliency to deal with failure, persistence when confronted with tough situations, and a positive outlook.  We know that their success beyond school is due as much to their character as it is to their competence.  Help them develop into young people who are honest, loving, and grateful.

Finally, recognize that although teachers are some of the most important people in the lives of children, we remain the most important influence in determining how our kids turn out."

Dr. Gregory Ramey, child psychologist and vice president at
Dayton Children's Medical Center, at Rameyg@childrensdayton.org.

This article appeared in the Dayton Daily News.
Greensboro News & Record: 8-19-2012
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Keeping your kids safe at school 
8-24-12: High Point Enterprise
 

(ARA) - The start of the school year is a time of great anticipation for parents and kids alike. New teachers. New classes. New and old friends. It’s a time for fun and learning.
Parents expect schools to be safe havens, but the reality is that children face a host of dangers all day long. Bullying, taunting and teasing are only some of the hazards that kids must deal with it every day at even the best schools in America.
About 30 percent of middle and high school students say they’ve been bullied. Among high school students, one out of nine teens reported they had been pushed, shoved, tripped or spit upon during the last school year, according to a National Institute of Child Health and Human Development research study.
FindLaw.com, the nation’s leading website for free legal information, offers the following tips on how to keep your children safe at school:
* Talk to your kids about school safety. Talk about bullying and make sure your child understands what is and is not acceptable behavior. Also discuss when and how to report bullying.
* Go to the bus stop. If your schedule allows, go to the bus stop with your child and get to know the other kids and parents, along with the bus driver.
* Get to know your kids’ teachers. Send your child’s teacher an email to introduce yourself and regularly check in on your child’s academic and social progress. Learn how his or her teacher approaches bullying and other issues that may distract from the school’s learning environment, such as the use of cell phones and iPods.
* Read the school’s policy on bullying. Become familiar with school policies about bullying - particularly the protocols for identifying and reporting bullying behavior. Pay careful attention to policies regarding cyberbullying, which can take place outside of school.
* Watch and listen for the cues. Many kids don’t want to reveal to their parents that they’re being bullied, taunted or teased by other kids. If your child is withdrawn, not doing homework, sick more often than normal or demonstrating other out-of-the-ordinary behavior, talk about what seems to be bothering him or her.
* Know where your kids are at. Sometimes bullying and other unsafe situations take place outside of school grounds, such as at other students’ houses. Telling your kids that you want to know where they are and that they need permission to visit a friend’s house shows them you care. It also reassures them that they can contact you if they need help.
* Monitor Internet use and texting. Put the home computer in a public place and don’t allow your kids to use a computer in their bedroom by themselves.
* Talk to other parents. You may learn that their children also have been bullied or have been involved in activities on and off school grounds that you should be concerned about. You stand a much better chance of obtaining changes and creating a safer environment for your student by acting together rather than alone.
* Put it in writing. If you suspect your child is being bullied or sexually harassed by another student (or a teacher or staff member), ask for a face-to-face meeting with the school’s principal. If the principal does not act, hire an attorney and escalate your complaint to the superintendent and school board. Putting your complaint in writing about the specific types of negative behavior affecting your child is necessary if you need to litigate the complaint in court.
* Take appropriate action when bullying becomes assault. If your child is physically assaulted on the bus, in school or on school grounds, contact the local police department, particularly if there is a school liaison officer assigned to the school, about whether a police report or assault charges should be filed. Do not wait to let the school handle the situation.
For more information about how to keep your kids safe at school, visit FindLaw.com.


Read more: High Point Enterprise - Keeping your kids safe at school

Best email of the year
Definitely one of the BEST!
NOMINATED FOR --- BEST E MAIL OF THE YEAR



After being interviewed by the school administration, the prospective teacher said:


'Let me see if I've got this right.


'You want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor their T-shirt messages, and instill in them a love for learning.


'You want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, and raise their sense of self esteem and personal pride.


'You want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, and how to register to vote, balance a checkbook, and apply for a job.


'You want me to check their heads for lice, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, and make sure that they all pass the final exams.


'You also want me to provide them with an equal education regardless of their handicaps, and communicate regularly with their parents in English, Spanish or any other language, by letter, telephone, newsletter, and report card.


'You want me to do all this with a whiteboard, a bulletin board, a few books, a big smile, and a starting salary that qualifies me for food stamps.



'You want me to do all this, and then you tell me......


I CAN'T PRAY?'