N.C. School Safety Report Makes Nearly 80 Recommendations
WILMINGTON, N.C.— North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory accepted the Center for Safer Schools 2013 Report on Friday. The report includes nearly 80 recommendations for the governor, lawmakers and state departments as well as school districts, communities and local law enforcement on how to make North Carolina schools safer and more secure and best practices to achieve that goal.
One of the most significant findings in the report is that school safety is everyone’s responsibility. Effective, efficient collaboration across state and local entities is a basic requirement. Local collaboration must include active involvement of parents, teachers, administrators, school resource officers and the community at large.
Other recommendations outlined in the report include:
- Educating local schools and school systems on the harmful impacts of bullying and cyber-bullying
- Seeking evidence-based solutions for bullying prevention
- Encouraging schools to put in place more effective alternatives to out-of-school suspension
- Assessment and improvement of physical aspects of schools and school campuses
- Strategies to encourage positive behavior
- Establishment of emotional supports such as effective mental health screening, intervention, treatment and other child and family supports
- Effective strategies for school resource officers.
According to a statement issued by McCrory’s office, progress has already been made on several of the report’s recommendations, including additional resources for hiring school resource officers in elementary and middle schools; additional resources for panic alarm systems to be put in schools in coordination with local law enforcement; legislation encouraging schools to hold a system wide school safety and school lockdown exercise; and legislation encouraging schools to develop and operate an anonymous tip line to receive information about internal and external safety risks. The Center for Safer Schools is also working to develop an anonymous reporting smart phone application.
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