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Hot Topics - Articles
written by the KCSS Staff |
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School Safety topics vary from school shootings
to cell phone policies. Articles on "hot button"
issues are listed below. These resources
detail how to develop policies and plans to address
cyber bullying, cell phones in school, crisis
planning, parental behavior in school and
endorsements in school safety at the graduate level.
Right- Barbara Gateskill,
assistant director of KCSS is conducting an
interview with students at Carr Elementary in Fulton
Independent School District during a Safe School
Assessment. |
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Editorial: Student Cell Phones Should be Prohibited
in K-12 Schools Jon Akers
As far as
the general public is concerned, I am acutely aware
that my position on the issue of allowing students
to have cell phones in their possession at school,
during school hours, is a minority opinion. As
an educator of 30 years (25 as a school principal)
and as the current state director of school safety,
I am only firmer in my opinion after the rapid
increase of add-on features to cell phones in recent
years (i.e. cameras, internet, text-messaging,
games, music, ability to record, etc.). |
Common Issues Found in Safe School Assessments
Barbara Gateskill
The safe school
assessment, a free service offered to schools in
Kentucky's 174 school districts is an independent
examination of a school's climate and culture as it
related to the enhancement of a safe and healthy
learning environment. The Kentucky Center for
School Safety has conducted this multi-faceted
service in 255 schools in 109 school districts thus
far as the demand for assessments has accelerated
significantly since the initiation of the process in
2003. |
School Shooters - Research Unveils 10 Myths
Regarding Perpetrators Steve Kimberling &
David May, Ph.D.
We may never know
why a person believes that shooting people while at
school will resolve any perceived injustices or make
things right. To that end, it may be helpful
to review some of the purported myths as well as the
key findings of a few research studies and then make
an analogy to the school setting. |
Problematic Parental Behavior in Kentucky Schools
David May, Ph.D.
"Breaking
News-Government Demands Schools Display Zero
Tolerance Posters Warning Parents of Prosecution for
any Assault on Teachers or other Staff". If
you read this, you may not be completely shocked,
but you would probably be surprised. |
Ensuring School Safety in Our Nation's Schools
U.S. Department of Education's Emergency
Response and Crisis Management Technical Assistance
Center
Creating and
maintaining a safe school environment is a goal
shared by all schools and districts. Tragic
events such as the shootings in Kentucky, Colorado,
and Minnesota, the tornados in Alabama, and
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita emphasize the importance
of engaging school administrators in developing and
maintaining school emergency management plans to
prevent-mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and
recover from all hazards (e.g. natural disasters,
school shootings, infectious diseases, etc.). |
Cyber-Bullying-The "Silent
Tormentor"
Karen McCuiston
Seasoned school
administrators and K-12 educators know there is a
wide range of disasters and offenses that can impact
school safety. One of the newest offenses,
referred to as the "Silent Tormentor," has become a
major issue schools are scurrying to find ways to
address. |
Emphasizing School Safety in Educational Settings
Jack Rose
School days of
yesteryear, when chewing gum and using tobacco
products were the major cultural and management
problems, are history. Bullying and violence
of various sorts have replaced gum chewing and
tobacco as major issues confronting teachers and
administrators. |
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