As an administrator, dealing with violence in your facility is a grim reality. Although extreme incidents of school violence garner the most media attention, many educational settings have more commonplace—yet no less significant—activities that constitute incidents of violence. These include threats of physical violence, harassment, intimidation or other threatening, disruptive behaviour. Acts of violence not only affect those involved, they also disrupt the educational process, leading to absenteeism and poor academic performance from students and disenchantment and high turnover for teachers.
Recognizing the risk of violence and taking action is essential. The creation of a comprehensive violence-prevention plan is often the most important, yet least costly, portion of an institution’s safety program.
There are several actions you can take to protect students and employees from violence at your facility. School policies that clearly express zero tolerance for violent acts are an essential foundation, and effective communication of these policies to students and teachers alike is equally important. Improving security measures at your facility can further ensure safety.
Environmental Design
Evaluate the design of your facility and identify security measures that can be instituted for your staff and students’ safety. Consider making the following adjustments to your facility to prevent incidents of violence:
Administrative Controls
Identifying Potentially Violent Situations
Numerous factors can trigger a violent incident between students, and no characteristics necessarily typify a perpetrator. However, there are often several red flags that can be detected before a student commits an act of violence. Be alert, and train staff to be alert for these indicators of potential violence, stressing the importance of reporting any suspicious behaviour:
Train teachers not to overreact but also not to ignore these red flags. Discussing a potentially violent situation with experts on staff can help determine how it may be best handled.
Responding to Violence
No amount of preventive action can guarantee immunity from violence at your facility. It is essential that when a violent incident does occur that the response be timely and appropriate. After the incident, recognize that students and teachers could be traumatized, and provide appropriate counselling.
Beyond Training
Proper training should increase awareness of school violence risks, emphasize the importance of adhering to protective administrative controls and encourage staff to immediately report any suspicious or threatening behaviour. Training, however, is only one component of a successful violence-prevention program. A comprehensive approach, including changes to security measures and administrative controls, is vital to your program’s success.
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