Characteristics of a Safe School
Well functioning schools foster learning, safety, and socially appropriate behaviors. They have a strong academic focus and support students in achieving high standards, foster positive relationships between school staff and students, and promote meaningful parental and community involvement. Effective prevention, intervention, and crisis response strategies operate best in school communities that:
- Focus on academic achievement -
Our schools shall convey the attitude that all children can achieve academically and behave appropriately, while at the same time appreciating individual differences. Expectations shall be communicated clearly, with the understanding that meeting such expectations is a responsibility of the student, the school, and the home. - Involve families in meaningful ways -
Students whose families are involved in their growth in and outside of our schools are more likely to experience school success. Our schools must make parents feel welcome, address barriers to their participation, and keep families positively engaged in their children's education. Effective schools also support families in expressing concerns about their children-and they support families in getting the help they need to address behaviors that cause concern. - Develop links to the community -
Everyone must be committed to improving the SVSD schools. Schools that have close ties to families, support services, community police and the community at large can benefit from many valuable resources. - Emphasize positive relationships among students and staff -
Research shows that a positive relationship with an adult who is available to provide support when needed is one of the most critical factors in preventing student violence. Students often look to adults in the school community for guidance, support, and direction. - Discuss safety issues openly -
Children come to school with many different perceptions and misconceptions about death, violence, and the use of weapons. Our schools can reduce the risk of violence by teaching children about the dangers of firearms, as well as appropriate strategies for dealing with feelings, expressing anger in appropriate ways, and resolving conflicts. Every school in the Snoqualmie Valley School District shall teach children that they are responsible for their actions and that the choices they make have consequences for which they will be held accountable. - Treat students with equal respect -
A major source of conflict in many schools is the perceived or real problem of bias and unfair treatment of students because of ethnicity, gender, race, social class, religion, disability, nationality, sexual orientation, physical appearance, or some other factor, both by staff and by peers. Our schools shall communicate to students and the greater community that all children are valued and respected. - Create ways for students to share their concerns -
It has been found that peers often are the most likely group to know in advance about potential school violence. Our schools shall create ways for students to safely report such troubling behaviors that may lead to dangerous situations. It is important for our schools to support and foster positive relationships between students and adults so students will feel safe providing information about a potentially dangerous situation. - Help children feel safe expressing their feelings -
It is very important that children feel safe when expressing their needs, fears, and anxieties to school staff. - All schools shall have in place a system for referring children who are suspected of being abused or neglected -
The referral system must be appropriate and reflect federal and state guidelines. - Promote good citizenship and character -
In addition to their academic mission, our schools shall help students become good citizens. First, schools stand for the civic values set forth in our Constitution and Bill of Rights (patriotism; freedom of religion, speech, and press; equal protection/nondiscrimination; and due process/fairness). Schools also reinforce and promote the shared values of their local communities, such as honesty, kindness, responsibility, and respect for others. Our Schools acknowledge that parents are the primary moral educators of their children and work in partnership with them. - Identify problems and assess progress toward solutions -
Our schools shall openly and objectively examine circumstances that are potentially dangerous for students and staff and situations where members of the school community feel threatened or intimidated. Safe schools continually assess progress by identifying problems and collecting information regarding progress toward solutions. Moreover, effective schools share this information with students, families, and the community at large
Characteristics of a Safe School