Two laws promoted by NEA-Alaska - one passed in 1999 and one in 2000 - place new requirements on school districts. Local Associations and their members, parents, and community agencies should all be involved in implementing these laws, so they work as intended to make schools safer for learning.

School disciplinary & safety programs (House Bill 253, now,41aska Statute 14.33.110)

This law requires the school board of every Alaska district to adopt a written school disciplinary and safety program by January 1, 2001. Teachers, parents and other school staff must be involved. The plan must include:

• standards for student behavior that reflect community standards,
• a policy about when teachers may remove disruptive students from the classroom,
• procedures for notifying teachers of dangerous students,
• standards for when a teacher or teacher assistant may use reasonable force to maintain safety,
• policies necessary to comply with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,
• attention to the needs of students with mental health or substance abuse problems, contributing to disruptive behavior at school, and
• procedures for regular review of the program.

Other provisions of the law protect school staff from firing and from law suits for actions they reasonably take to enforce the discipline plan. The law also requires for the first time that Alaska school districts report incidents of disruptive or violent behavior to the Department of Education & Early Development.

School crisis response plans (AS 14.33. 100)

This law requires Alaska school districts to adopt a model school crisis response plan by July 1, 2000, and each individual school to complete a school-specific plan and form a crisis response team by December 31, 2000. School crisis response teams must include at least the principal, one certified and one classified staff member, and one parent. Districts and individual schools must consult with local social services and law enforcement agencies when they develop their plans.

These plans are to be updated annually. Annual training in crisis response is to be provided to all school district employees.

School plans must include who is in charge, names of the crisis response team and their roles, a communications plan, protocols for responding both to immediate danger and to traumatic events affecting the school, disaster and emergency procedures, and evacuation and lockdown plans.

S chools don't exist in isolation. As a result, any plan to make schools safer will only succeed if it involves families and communities as partners with schools. Only as partners can we Alaskans address the systemic roots of school violence and implement long-term change.

To be successful—

• School safety plans must include school staff as leaders and these key constituents as members: parents, law enforcement, child protection agencies, social service organizations, religious leaders, child advocates, business people, health services, and others.
• Community safety plans must include law enforcement agencies, elected officials, social service organizations, business people, and community representatives as leaders and parents and school staff as members.
• Family support plans must include parents as leaders and school personnel, family service organizations, community representatives, business people and others as members.

Successful school safety plans address both prevention and crisis response . They provide for:

• Legislation & local school district policy
• Crisis preparation & ongoing readiness
• Family & community outreach
• Professional development & instruction

1. Safeguarding Your Children-- At Home, At School, In the Community.
   link: http://www.pta.org/programs/sfgrdtoc.htm
2. Violence Prevention: Programs & Action for PTA & Community Leaders
   link: www.pta.org/programs/crisis/media/prg2.htm
3. Guide for Preventing and Responding to School Violence Published in April 2000 by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and others.
   link: http://www.theiacp.org/pubinfo/Pubs/index.html
4. Alaska Department of Education & Early Development school safety resources
   link: www.eed.state.ak.us/hs/schoolheaalth/resources.html
5. Center for the Prevention of School Violence
   link: www.ncsu.edu/cpsv/
6. Education Resources Information Center (ERIC)
   link: www.accesseric.org
7. Keep Schools Safe A joint initiative of the National Association of Attorneys General and the National School Boards Association, which have joined together to provide resources for school staffs, parents, and law enforcement officers.
   link: www.keepschoolssafe.org
8. National School Safety Center (NSSC) A non-profit partnership of the U.S. Departments of Justice & Education and Pepperdine University
   link: www.nssc1.org
9. www.nea.org/issues/safescho
10. http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/OSEP/ActionGuide/
11. http://helping.apa.org/warningsigns/what.html

Resources on how a safe and healthy school environment
provides a better learning environment.

NEA Health Information Network  

U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety & Health Admin  

Action Steps for Implementing a Healthy School Environment

Healthy Home

Healthy Building News

CHEC's HealtheHouse, Healthy Schools

Be Safe, Healthy Schools

Healthy Schools Network