Bet you didn’t know October plays host to another important event besides Halloween. Did you know October, specifically October 18-24, is America’s Safe Schools Week or School Safety Week? I talk with school safety advocates all the time now and I didn’t even know it was School Safety Week until a few days ago.

School safety is important yet I can’t recall ever hearing about School Safety Week until recently, or since becoming involved in “April Showers.” News of this program should be everywhere, covered at nausea on local and national news outlets yet I’ve been able to find no mention of it anywhere other than on school safety centric sites. Okay, I take that back. I just did another Google news search, keywords School Safety Week, and found a story out of Canada that is using the weeklong event to bring awareness to allergens in schools. That’s right, allergens.

School Safety Week, we’ll protect your child from boogers so you don’t have too.

Come on, school safety is important, as important as health care, unemployment, John and Kate Plus 8 and all that stuff, yet no one outside of the immediate vicinity of the topic seems to care. There are more Google news hits for School Bus Safety Week, which happens to be next week as well, than there are for School Safety Week. This is important and we cannot go another year simply doing what we’ve always done; hoping we never have to deal with it.

I know school safety is a touchy subject and I’ve gotten in my share of hot water over the issue in recent months but I speak out and take a rather firm stance on the issue because I honestly do care. I have two younger siblings, one is a freshman in college now and the other just entered high school. I see and hear about what is happening in our schools both from an educational standpoint as well as a safety standpoint and it’s sickening. I know we tend to go crazy and pass a bunch of laws and make policy when the poo hits the fan but we can’t be reactionary forever.

Columbine opened the eyes of a country and the world to the topic and its need for discussion and action. However it, like the television coverage, seemed to fade into memory as the weeks and months passed. Then Virginia Tech happened and we began to discuss it once more, but just like with Columbine the discussion dissipated. I’m not suggesting that there isn’t anyone out there continuing to raise the issue because there are, but outside of his or her immediate influence, the topic in the public’s eye seems to drift in and out of consciousness.

I hope together we can change that.

I don’t pretend to have the answers, nor do I think I’m wholly qualified to speak definitively on the matter, but I’m willing to engage in the conversation and offer suggestions that might just help someone form a solution. What I do know is this; not having the conversation will only result in the further loss of life. We know the cost of doing nothing, we’ve either experienced it personally or we’ve seen it in countless news clips or in films like “April Showers.”

It’s time to stop reacting and time to start doing.

The National School Safety Center has a website that details the purpose behind School Safety Week. However, below the summary there are suggestions as to what parents, teachers and students can do everyday to help improve their daily school experience. These suggestions are very simple, very doable and cost nothing.

One of the things that we’ve found since the release of “April Showers” is that when students and educators view the film, either together or separately, the experience is strong enough that both parties want to discuss not only what they saw in the film but the parallels they see in their own school. Many of these discussions are not simply lead by the teachers, students of all ages have been observed having these types of conversations all on their own. From these discussions, educators and students have a clearer picture of what they want to do and what they can do to improve the quality of life at their school thus making it a safer place.

School safety while very important sounds boring and institutional. When I say school safety many people think, campus police, zero tolerance, hall passes, cameras, ID cards and more, and they’d be right. But school safety is more than that; it has to begin and end with the students. Instead of finding ways to police and control students in the name of their safety we need to include them and make them an active participant in their own safety.

When Columbine happened the idea of a school shooting was something we figured happened in rural or economically challenged parts of the country, not in Littleton, Colorado. We were simply ill equipped and while I firmly believe everyone that came to our aide that day did the best job they knew how to do, the first mistake was our attitude that it couldn’t happen to us. Now we, like many others around the country, know better but that doesn’t mean we have to live in fear or wait for violence to simply happen to us. We can chose to be proactive.

A rather miraculous thing happened following Columbine. Amidst all the confusion and misinformation students began seeking each other out; students who otherwise wouldn’t have normally talked let alone been in the same room together were all of a sudden relying on one another for support and answers. This type of bond can be formed before tragedy strikes; it must be formed, for students who care for and respect one another are less apt to commit violence against one another.

So how do we do it?

It’s in our nature as people to break off into social groups. We see it in society just as we see it in the animal kingdom. However, unlike animals, humans are more conscious and aware of their actions thus they can alter and change them. I lead a discussion in a class where I was a guest speaker last spring. The discussion was supposed to be about “April Showers” and the making of the film, however it turned into a discussion about something much, much more. We started talking about fears, insecurities and communication and how they divide us when they should unite us. Fear of the unknown is a scary thing and it’s easier to fear or hate a person who may act, react or appear different from what you’re used to than it is to get to know them. However, during the course of this discussion we found that of all the students in the room shared similar fears and anxieties about the future and realized that despite their physical or visual differences they had an awful lot inside that was the same. By the end of the discussion, students who were mocking one another in the beginning were agreeing and supporting one another as they learned they weren’t alone. They also figured out they have a great deal of power and influence to make their situation and lives better if they stick together.

I have not been back to that school, though I’ve gotten reports that there has been a shift among the overall attitudes of the students for the better. However, this type of dialog and effort is not a one shot deal, it must be practiced and repeated daily. I urged one teacher to begin her class each and every day with ten minutes of “you” time, where by the students are given a chance to speak about issues or topics that are important to them versus simply sitting down like robots ready to regurgitate back lesson plans. Now I know ten minutes may be hard to come by because teachers, like students, are graded on what they can accomplish in a 40-50 minute class period and how well the information “stuck” come test time, but do students really need another test?

Speaking of tests, why do we care more about math and English scores than we do about compassion, self-esteem and respect? Why do we tout athletic achievement yet laugh at student government or educational oriented clubs? In high school I participated in the Forensics (speech and debate) team. I didn’t really join of my own volition, that was my English teacher’s doing, but once there I began to really enjoy myself. During my three years in Forensics I won a number of awards, trophies, first place finishes even state yet was called names like “queer” and “fag.” As a team we were representing our school, just as the football or soccer team did, and winning, yet our combined achievements went largely unnoticed by those outside of our immediate circles. 

Why do we value certain achievements over another?

I understand sports and teams, such as Forensics, are bonding experiences and the friendships birthed out of such programs are sometimes life long and life altering yet that only happens if you’re fortunate enough to participate in said programs. I have heard of few programs over the years that include everyone in a school, be it elementary, middle or high, save one; the classroom itself. Every student, every day, is in a classroom. They are among their peers, even those they wouldn’t normally associate with. The classroom is where school safety must be discussed and where it begins.

Taking it a step further, I’m not certain your average student actually cares about his or her’s school. They may like school or going to their particular school however, do they care about it and for it. The physical building is like a home and like a home you have to care for it and make it your own, yet how many students view their school as theirs? If something threatens my home I protect and care for my home and everyone inside, yet would I do the same for my school? Case in point, while at Columbine I witnessed several students vandalize the building yet did nothing to make them stop or see the error of their ways. Hell, I did it. Because I didn’t care. It was just a building to me, a building I hated going to because I didn’t see the point. I would do, and did, just about anything to get out of high school. Yet here I am defending it. Why?

Because what I didn’t understand about high school is this; it’s not about test scores, grades, achievements or any of the buzzwords or topics they spew at you. High School is not the end all be all. It will not define you, nor will cement your place in society. Doing well in high school does not automatically translate to doing well in life. But it is still very important, for it is a safe place to experiment and discover, (even if just in the initial phases) who you are and what you wish to represent as an individual and as a member of the human race. It is about making mistakes and learning from them. It’s about finding your voice and developing it. Schoolwork, getting an education, even graduating is important but there is so much more to it than that.

School safety is every bit an administrative issue as it is a student one. Administrators are charged with providing and keeping a safe learning environment through the programs and policies they enact on behalf of their students and the community. However, it is also the students’ responsibility to be partners in this effort and to take it upon themselves to help create and reinforce an environment that make it so such policies never have to be enacted, because everyone has taken an active role in caring for each other and the school.

I’ve said this before in some of my lectures and I’m going to share it with all of you, “April Showers” and Columbine may be a part of my reality but it doesn’t have to be part of yours or anyone’s in the future. I wish films like “April Showers” didn’t exist because it would mean the sheer idea of violence happening in our schools was so unimaginable to us that a film covering the topic would be viewed purely as science fiction. Together we can create this reality for ourselves. We can say enough and take it upon ourselves to change, but it starts with us. Every student, every teacher and every administrator plays a part and it’s going to take all of us, reaching out, being open, being honest and accepting of all views to get it done. 

That is why I want everyone who reads this, young and old, to take a moment and make a commitment to themselves and to those around them. It’s very simple, make a commitment to be more open, honest, accepting and tolerant of everyone, even yourself, in the future. Engage your classmates, parents and teachers to do the same. Share ideas, encourage discussion and debate and reach out to one another, even those you don’t think you like, and bridge the gaps and heal the divides. Tell a teacher or administrator you want to discuss school safety if they’re not bringing it up on his or her own. Work with your fellow students to come up with programs that you feel would help the school be more unified thus better and share them with administrators. Teachers, tell your students about the policies and programs being discussed and implemented on their behalf and talk about them, for you never know, what new ideas it may bring to the table. But most importantly, commit to being part of a solution; don’t let this opportunity pass another day. Change is always small at first, and often beings with a single person. Positive change is infectious, you catch it and you spread it and before you know it, everyone has it. But you can’t stop. You always have to nurture and work at it that’s why it takes a commitment. 

I thank you all very much for your time and continued support. Until next time, take care and stay tuned…

Keywords: A Special Message About School Safety, Columbine High School, Columbine, School Safety, April Showers, Canada, School Safety Week, High School, Forensics

1. danmcclure Says:
   October 15th, 2009 at 6:32 pm

   Very well said and of course you are right. There really is no place for complacency and negativity. If there is to be a change for the better we all as a society, family, etc. must get together and begin a dialogue for change. Through an open forum for conversation we can work towards solutions to preserve this wonderful world we share.

   Peace

   Dan

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