• Letter to parents
• Good conduct
  begins at home
• The need for a
  discipline code
• Putting the discipline
  code into action
• If your child breaks
  the rules
• Students’ rights and
  responsibilities
• Planning for safety
  and security
• Learning about safety
  in your child’s school
• Helping keep your
  child’s school safe
• Protecting your child
  in school
• Thanks!
• APPENDIX
• AFT Bill of Rights
  and Responsibilities
  of Learning

Planning for safety and security

Schools that set a good tone for learning, create an orderly atmosphere and take care of basic school discipline rarely have more serious problems. That’s why the UFT has repeatedly stressed the importance of high standards of conduct and discipline. And the majority of the city’s schools are safe for students.

However, a few schools have had continuing problems with student fights, intruders and violence — even with weapons or drugs. We at the UFT believe that safety planning is the best way to prevent such dangers. For the well-being of everyone in the school, the UFT has called for specific steps:

• Safety plans in every school that outline security measures and emergency procedures.
  Security officers in every school.
• Security surveys by the New York Police Department for schools that request them. These are used to develop strategies that meet their specific needs.
• Metal detectors in many secondary schools.
• Violence prevention training for school staffs in schools that request it.
• Conflict resolution programs that teach students how to handle their anger without resorting to violence.
• Alternative educational settings where students with chronic discipline problems can be placed for added counseling and other support.

These measures have already improved conditions in many schools and can make still more of a difference, especially with increased cooperation between the home and the school.

 

Learning about safety in your child’s school

One of the things the UFT fought for and won is a requirement that every school have a safety committee. This committee draws up the school’s safety plan and reviews it each year to see if it needs revision. Parents, as representatives from the parent association, can become members of that committee. Other members include teachers, supervisors, other school staff and, where appropriate, students.

The school safety plan should spell out the essential steps to keeping the school safe. For example, to prevent intruders and protect children, every school safety plan should have answers to the following questions:

• How are visitors greeted, screened, identified and signed in?
• Do visitors receive and wear passes?
• Are they escorted to their destination?
• How many doors allow entry and exit?
• Is someone stationed at every exterior door or are those doors regularly patrolled?
• What rules and procedures apply when someone other than a parent picks up a student?

Understanding the need for such procedures will also help you have patience when you visit a school. You’ll know that the security guard at the front door is doing an important and serious job by checking your identification and asking where you are going. In fact, if you find that the guard is not being properly attentive, let the principal know.

 

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