Safe schools: Tips for parents and teachers

Staff Reporter

8 JUN 2011, 09:23

3 min read

Talk to your children
Initiate conversations with your children about issues and concerns they have with school, their peers and community safety.

Educate yourself
Find out if your child’s school has the following:

A code of conduct that all parents and learners have to sign;

Information on emergency procedures and support system numbers;

A school safety plan;

Ongoing training for staff on safety issues;

Records of incidents of violence and crime in the school;

Parental access to school reports on violent issues;

Ongoing school safety assessment;

A permanent school safety officer who reports to the subcommittee on school safety at school governing body level; and

A relationship with local police authorities and community leaders.

If your child’s school does not have any of the above, discuss the matter with the principal and the school governing body to ensure that they implement appropriate measures to remedy the situation.

Get involved
Get involved in your child’s life at home, in the community and at school by:

Monitoring his internet use;

Involving yourself in school functions, the school governing body and parent-teachers association;

Volunteering at your school and in programmes your child is involved in;

Involving yourself in community violence prevention efforts; and

Discussing any concerns you have with the school principal.

School principals need to be accountable for the safety of learners at school but, as a parent, you have a responsibility to engage the school on safety issues and to contribute to the safety of your child at home and in the community.

Be aware
Be aware of your child’s actions and what he or she is involved in. Know your child’s friends, their parents and their phone numbers. Check your child’s room and know what he or she is taking to and from school. Make sure that your child only uses the internet in a place where you or another adult you trust can monitor his or her usage. Know what is expected of you and your school in relation to safety.

Every school should have:

A school safety officer;

A school safety team;

Disciplinary procedures that all staff members and learners are aware of;

A code of conduct for learners;

A code of conduct for educators;

A school safety plan;

A set of emergency procedures that explain what to do in case of an emergency;

An incident recording system;

A reporting system that will encourage learners and educators to report incidences of crime and violence; and

A support system for learners and educators who might be affected by crime and violence at school level.

If your school does not have any of these in place, ask your principal and the district officer to put measures in place to develop the appropriate structure or policy.

Develop a visitor screening policy that is strictly enforced;

It is not enough to have security fencing, gates and guards if they are not adequately maintained
and access-controlled;

Be aware of what your school safety plan entails;

Have a comprehensive safety audit done of your school and district by a school safety organisation;

Train all staff in crisis response, dealing with drugs and illegal substances, gangs and school safety issues;

Implement violence prevention and peer mediation programmes in your school;

Develop prevention programmes to deal with gangs and bullying;

Make sure your school governing body is active and engaged;

Require all staff to wear picture identification; and

Develop a relationship with your local police and community leaders before any crisis occurs.

This information has been provided by the Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention, Cape Town, Tel 021 447 1818, www.cjcp.org.za.

For more information about school safety audits, school safety plan development, staff training or the Hlayiseka School Training Toolkit please contact the Centre for Justice and Crime
Prevention