School Safety and Security Toolkit: A Guide For Parents, Schools, and Communities

SCHOOL
SAFETY AND
SECURITY
TOOLKIT
A Guide for
Parents, Schools,
and Communities
National Crime Prevention Council

MISSION
STATEMENT
To enable people to create safer and

more caring communities by addressing
the causes of crime and violence and reducing
the opportunities for crime to occur.
The National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) is a private, nonprofit, tax-exempt [501(c)(3)] organiza-
tion whose primary mission is to enable people to create safer and more caring communities by addressing
the causes of crime and violence and reducing the opportunities for crime to occur. NCPC publishes
books, kits of camera-ready program materials, posters, and informational and policy reports on a variety of
crime prevention and community-building subjects. NCPC offers training, technical assistance, and a
national focus for crime prevention: it acts as secretariat for the Crime Prevention Coalition of America,
more than 4,000 national, federal, state, and local organizations committed to preventing crime. It hosts a
number of websites that offer prevention tips to individuals, describe prevention practices for community
building, and help anchor prevention policy into laws and budgets. It operates demonstration programs in
schools, neighborhoods, and entire jurisdictions and takes a major leadership role in youth crime preven-
tion and youth service; it also administers the Center for Faith and Service. NCPC manages the McGruff
Take A Bite Out Of Crime public service advertising campaign. NCPC is funded through a variety of
government agencies, corporate and private foundations, and donations from private individuals.
This publication was made possible through funding from

The Allstate Foundation.
Copyright 2003 National Crime Prevention Council

All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America
October 2003

1000 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Thirteenth Floor
Washington, DC 20036-5325
202-466-6272
www.ncpc.org
ISBN 1-929888-29-5
SCHOOL
SAFETY AND
SECURITY
TOOLKIT
A Guide for
Parents, Schools,
and Communities

Dear Concerned Parent, School Administrator, or Member of the Community:
We are pleased to present you with this new resource, School Safety and Security Toolkit: A Guide for
Parents, Schools, and Communities. We hope that it will enable you to work together to make our
schools safe places in which our children can learn and grow and become the responsible citizens of
tomorrow.
Although reports of school shootings dominate the media, we must remember that other less dra-
matic and less deadly outbreaks of violence take place in schools across the country every day. These
events may seem insignificant compared to the horror of the well-publicized shootings, but they are
symptoms of problems that should be addressed. Bullying, intimidation, and harassment can serve as
the foundation for more lethal events in the future, and educators now consider them to be predictors
of more serious crimes in schools and elsewhere.
The Be Safe and Sound campaign is an initiative of the National Crime Prevention Council conducted in
collaboration with National PTA and NCPC partners, The Allstate Foundation, ASSA ABLOY Group,
Nextel Communications, and Security Industry Association. It seeks to mobilize parents, policymakers,
school officials, and students to take action to prevent violence in our schools by enhancing school safety
and security in communities across the nation. The goal of Be Safe and Sound is to engage and educate
these audiences and to provide them with objective and expert-based school safety and security principles.
This toolkit is an easy-to-use guide that will assist parents and administrators in implementing the Be
Safe and Sound model in their schools. It includes a step-by-step procedure for assessing school safety
and security, forming an action team, identifying the problems, holding a forum with stakeholders to
brainstorm solutions, developing an action plan and building support for it, and evaluating the
results. The appendices provide all the materials you will need to implement this process, from surveys
to identify the problems to a sample press release and media advisory to publicize your efforts.
We encourage you to fill out the Be Safe and Sound registration form in the front of this toolkit. This
will enable us to provide you with updates and ideas from other Be Safe and Sound sites. If you
would be willing to evaluate Be Safe and Sound, please check off the appropriate box on the form.
Your feedback will help us improve the program and provide the tools you need. A Be Safe and
Sound newsletter is also available.
Our children are our most important resource, and ensuring that they are safe and secure in the
schools across our country is our most important task.
Cordially,
Steven W. Edwards
Vice President, Community, Children, and Youth
Register Your Initiative!
Registering your Be Safe and Sound initiative helps us get in touch with you with updates and ideas from
other Be Safe and Sound sites, as well as learn what else you need to make your initiative successful. The
form should be completed by the individual who is using the toolkit. When registering, you may also
volunteer as an evaluator, request more information about becoming a designated Safe and Sound school,
or sign up to receive newsletters.
Help Us Evaluate Be Safe and Sound

Evaluators will provide feedback about the toolkit and their experiences launching a local school safety and
security campaign. This feedback will assist NCPC and its partners in improving the Be Safe and Sound
program and tools. Evaluators will receive a coupon providing a 25 percent discount off one NCPC
publication selected from those highlighted in this toolkit (see Resources). Check the corresponding
box on the registration form to volunteer as an evaluator. An evaluation form will be mailed to you.
Become a Designated Safe and Sound School

Each year, NCPC and its partners will designate a number of schools Safe and Sound. The designation will
indicate that the school is committed to comprehensive school safety and security planning and has met
the minimum recommended criteria of the Be Safe and Sound campaign. To receive more information
about criteria used and the selection process, check the appropriate box on the registration form.
Get the News With Be Safe and Sound Newsletters

Sign up to receive a Be Safe and Sound newsletter on a monthly or quarterly basis. Newsletters include
best practices and effective strategies, resources for professionals and parents, recent research findings, and
Be Safe and Sound updates. Monthly newsletters are available by email only. Quarterly newsletters are
available by fax or mail. Please check the corresponding box on the registration form.
v
Be Safe and Sound Registration Form
Contact name
Contact address
Day phone (optional)
Id like to evaluate Be Safe and Sound. Please send a form to the contact address above.
Id like to learn how our school can become a designated Safe and Sound school.
Please send more information to the contact address indicated above.
Id like to receive the newsletter! I prefer to receive the newsletter by (check one)
Email (monthly) to this address:
Fax (quarterly) to this number:
Mail (quarterly) to the contact address indicated above.
Registration only. Please dont send me any information.
Please tell us more about the school where this Be Safe and Sound initiative will be conducted:
Name of school
School address
Number of students attending the school:
School setting (check one): Rural city or town Urban Suburban
Grade levels attending the school (circle all that apply):
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
My connection to the school is as (check the most relevant)
Concerned parent School counselor School resource officer
School principal Other (please indicate):
Thank you for registering your Be Safe and Sound initiative! Please fold this form so the NCPC address shows,
seal, and drop it in the mail. Postage is prepaid.
FOLD
FOLD
Contents
Introduction
School Safety and Security: A Concern for Parents 1
Roles for Parents and Caregivers 2
About the Be Safe and Sound Campaign 2
The Campaign in Action 2
How To Get Involved

What This Kit Will Help You Accomplish 5
Whats the Time Frame? 6
Getting Started
The School Principal: Your Number One Ally 7
Understanding What Students Face 8
Defining a Safe and Secure School 8
STEP
1 Form an Action Team

Effective Recruiting 13
Contents
Roles and Goals 13
Getting Together 14
2 Identify Safety and Security Problems

Existing Data 15
Safety and Security Surveys 16
Safety and Security Assessment 16
Interpreting the Data 17
Planning Checklist 17
3 Hold a School Safety and Security Forum

Who Should Participate? 19
How Big Should the Forum Be? 19
Who Should Facilitate? 19
Where Should the Forum Be Held? 20
Inviting Stakeholders 20
Facilitating the Forum 20
Forum Agenda 21
4 Develop an Action Plan

Developing the Plan 23
5 Publicize Your Initiative

Getting Your Story Told 25
ix
6 Advocate Your Cause
Elected Officials 28
Businesses 28
7 Evaluate Success and Revise the Plan

Measuring Up 30
Following Up 31
Endnotes 32
APPENDICES
A Indicator Data From Schools 33
B Administering Safety and Security Surveys 34
C Safety and Security Surveys 36

Contents
D Basic School Safety and Security Assessment 42
E Forum Facilitation Guide 47
F Action Planning Chart 52
G Sample Safety and Security Action Plan 53
H Working With the Media 54
I Planning a Press Event 57
J Sample Media Advisory 60
K Sample Press Release 61
L Be Safe and Sound Campaign Fact Sheet 62
M Sample Advocacy Letters 63
Resources 65
Glossary 71
Acknowledgments 73
x
Introduction
School Safety and Security: A Concern for Parents
Your childs school hasnt had a crisis that warrants national news coverage, but
youve become increasingly aware of disturbing incidents that arent as harmless
as they once seemed. Perhaps youve seen graffiti on the bleachers or a broken
classroom window. Maybe youve heard that a teachers car was stolen from the
parking lot of a nearby school or that evidence of drug dealing was found at the
playground. Even if you havent noticed anything unusual, its never too early to
start thinking about school safety and security. Preventive action can keep minor
problems from turning into serious ones.
Schools are among the safest places for our chil- In 2001, 36 percent of students saw hate-
dren to be, with more victimizations occurring related graffiti at school, and 12 percent
away from school than at school. And yet, in reported that someone had used hate-related
2001, students ages 12 through 18 were victims of words against them.6
about two million crimes at school, including Students are not the only ones affected by
about 161,000 serious violent crimes. That same school crime. From 1997 to 2001, teachers
year, about 29 percent of students in grades 9 were the victims of some 1.29 million nonfatal
through 12 reported that someone had offered, crimes at school, including more than a million
sold, or given them an illegal drug on school thefts and 473,000 violent crimes such as rape,
Introduction
property.1 While overall school crime rates have robbery, and assault.7
declined in the past few years, violence, gangs, and Secondary schools are not the only schools at
drugs are still present. Its even more likely that risk. In a 2003 survey of school resource offi-
students will experience bullying, teasing, or per- cers, 70 percent of the respondents reported an
sonal property damage and theft during and on increase in aggressive behavior in elementary
the way to and from school. These seemingly school children in their districts over the past
minor incidents can often escalate into crisis five years.8
situations. Some notable statistics:
Crime statistics dont tell the whole story. Its
Most school crime is theft, not serious violent important to note that the perception of crime can
crime. In 2001 there were 42 thefts for every be as debilitating as crime itself. In 2001, 6 per-
1,000 students (ages 12 to 18) at school. Thefts cent of students reported fears that they were
accounted for about 62 percent of all crime going to be attacked or harmed at school; almost
against students at school that year.2 5 percent said that they avoided one or more spe-
Middle school students (ages 12 to 14) are cific areas at school for their own safety.9 Even
more likely than older students to be victims of when actual crime rates arent as bad as they seem,
crime at school.3 the fear of becoming a victim is real.
During the 19992000 school year, 4.1 percent In a 199697 study by the U.S. Department of
of public schools took serious disciplinary Education, 84 percent of public schools were con-
action against at least one student for bringing sidered to have a low degree of security.10 Fortu-
a firearm or explosive device to school, and nately, this is changing. Educators have come to
1.6 percent for using such a weapon at school.4 realize that the foundation of all learning is safety
An estimated 6,451 schools reported at least and security. Attendance and academic perfor-
one violent attack or fight with a weapon to law mance are closely linked to how safe students per-
enforcement personnel during the 199798 ceive the school environment to be. Its hard for
school year.5 young people to concentrate on learning when
1
they feel vulnerable, and a climate of fear forces PTA and NCPC partners, The Allstate Foundation,
teachers to shift their focus from teaching to polic- ASSA ABLOY Group, Nextel Communications,
ing. Safety and security concerns are fast becoming and Security Industry Association.
an important part of any dialog about improving Be Safe and Sound encourages parents to part-
schoolwide academic performance. ner with school principals to organize school safety
and security committees or action teams. These
action teams, which comprise parents, school prin-
Roles for Parents and Caregivers cipals, teachers, students, local law enforcement,
Parent and caregiver involvement is crucial when and other key players, will
it comes to creating safer schools. People just like assess local school safety and security needs.
you have worked with school principals and staff identify and engage community leaders and
to stop vandalism in its tracks, curb theft, intro- other concerned citizens who can help set safety
duce conflict resolution programs, redesign build- and security priorities.
ing spaces to discourage illicit activity, and secure create action plans mapping out goals and
funding for security upgrades. You probably have objectives for addressing specific safety and
more access to information and resources than you security problems.
realizethrough your day-to-day interactions promote and advocate for school safety and
with your child and his or her friends, other security in the community.
parents, teachers, school principals, coaches, and enact positive change in and around the school
other community members.
Introduction
environment.
Today, nearly every middle and high school evaluate the effectiveness of school safety and
student (and even some elementary students) can security improvements.
report one or more incidents of crime or bullying.
A survey on youth concerns about bullying, con- See Appendix L to learn more about the Be Safe
ducted by Wirthlin Worldwide for NCPC in 2002, and Sound campaign.
revealed that six out of ten students witness bully-
ing or taunting on a daily basis. And although
recent studies show that as many as 75 percent of The Campaign in Action
children have been victims of bullying, only 20 per-
cent of parents surveyed in 2000 saw bullying as a NCPC started the Be Safe and Sound campaign
serious or very serious problem for their children.11 with pilot programs in Kentucky and
Bullying is a big issue for students, and it should Pennsylvania. In both locations, parents are work-
become a bigger issue for parents. Acting right away ing in partnership with the school principal and
on small problems can prevent big ones later. This other community leaders to make their childrens
kit will give you the steps and tools you need to schools safer.
work with school principals to make your childs
school safer and more secure on a number of levels. Woodford County High School
Versailles, KY
Supported by the Kentucky Center
About the Be Safe for School Safety
and Sound Campaign (www.kysafeschools.org)
The Be Safe and Sound campaign is a public educa- Woodford County High School is a rural school
tion and awareness campaign to involve parents in with 1,113 students in grades nine through twelve.
the issue of school safety and security. Be Safe and In April 2003, comprehensive safety and security
Sound was launched in 2002 and is an initiative of assessments were completed at the school, includ-
NCPC conducted in collaboration with National ing an environmental assessment conducted by
2
two police officers from Florence, KY. Using the The schools safety and security action team con-
resulting findings as a point of discussion, parents ducted several kinds of safety and security research
and the school principal held a brainstorming in January and February 2003. These included
forum with participation from school staff, local surveys of students, faculty, and parents to find
law enforcement officials, other parents, school out how each group perceived the schools current
custodians, and students. Recommendations from level of safety and security. The school principal
the forum were then used to form a safety and then worked with parents and other community
security action plan. The primary goal of the leaders to evaluate the survey data and form a
action plan is to create systems changes around safety and security action plan. The action plan
school policies and programs. The school is now identifies several major priorities: (1) to secure the
making security improvements such as a digital building against potential intruders; (2) to provide
camera system, new door locks, and student and a safe corridor to and from school; and (3) to
staff ID badges. In August 2003, to facilitate an launch a schoolwide anti-bullying campaign.
improved social climate at the school, faculty and The school is now adopting several strategies to
administrators received professional development improve safety and security, including a new door-
in building positive relationships with students. bell and video camera surveillance equipment, a
school safety and security resource center, and
Edwin M. Stanton Elementary School
materials to help teachers recognize signs of sexual
Philadelphia, PA
abuse in students. One parent and four teachers
Supported by the Pennsylvania Center
Introduction
attended a state-level training workshop in June
for Safe Schools
2003 on classroom discipline. The school also
(www.safeschools.info/)
plans to bring in outside experts to conduct work-
The Stanton School is an urban school with shops on bullying prevention for school personnel,
335 students in kindergarten through fifth grade. parents, and other interested parties.
3
How To Get Involved
Improving the safety and security of your childs school may seem like a big task,
but its not complicated when you follow a few basic steps.
What This Kit Will Help You through research, it will convene a larger
Accomplish group of community members in a forum.
Forum participants will decide which prob-
Here is an outline of what youll find in this lems need the most attention and will
toolkit. brainstorm strategies for addressing those
problems.
Getting Started
Your first priority will be to establish a partnership

with the school principal so you can work collabo-
4 Develop an Action Plan
Recommendations from the forum will
form the basis for a safety and security
ratively to improve school safety and security. action plan. The plan will spell out specific
Youll also need to understand the kinds of safety safety and security improvements at the
and security threats todays students face at school school and how the action team will imple-
and what makes a school safe (or unsafe). ment them.
STEP
1 5 Publicize Your Initiative
How To Get Involved

Form an Action Team Your action team will get the word out
Finding partners who are equally con- about its Be Safe and Sound initiative and
cerned about school safety and security will begin follow-through on action plan items.
be important. Youll work with the school Media coverage of your initiative will build
principal to form a Be Safe and Sound community support for safety and security
action team that will include teachers, improvements at the school.
students, parents, and other community
members.
6 Advocate Your Cause
Relationships and ongoing communication
2 Identify Safety and Security

Problems
with business leaders and elected officials
will take your school safety and security
The action team will use various research efforts to the next level.
tools to get a clear picture of safety and
security risks at your childs school.
NCPC has provided several research 7 Evaluate Success
and Revise the Plan
tools in this kit. Once safety and security improvements
have been made at the school, the action
3 Hold a School Safety and

Security Forum
team will conduct follow-up research to
determine whether the changes are making
Once the action team has identified a list of a difference. This research will help the
school safety and security problems team make adjustments to the action plan.
5
Whats the Time Frame?
Be Safe and Sound is a campaign model that can be used on an ongoing basis to
make school safety and security improvements. Getting an initiative started at
your childs school will take about a year. A typical timeline might look like this:
Months 12 Pull together your action team (Step 1) and strategically plan
your initiative.
Months 36 Collect data, conduct surveys, and complete a school security

assessment. Analyze the results and identify problems (Step 2).
Plan and hold the safety and security forum (Step 3).
Months 79 Create an action plan (Step 4). Present the plan to community
members, the school board, and other interested parties.
Publicize your efforts (Step 5).
Months 1012 Begin implementing the school safety and security improvements
spelled out in the action plan. Build support for your cause
among businesses and elected officials (Step 6).
How To Get Involved
Ongoing Evaluate your progress and make adjustments to the action plan
(Step 7). Continually publicize positive outcomes.
6
Getting Started
Before you begin any formal type of safety and security investigation, youll need
to build a partnership with your childs school administrators. Youll also need to
gain a better understanding of the safety and security issues students face at school
and what makes a school safe and secure.
The School Principal: security. For example, you might ask the following
Your Number One Ally questions:
Start by making an appointment with the school Is the school addressing ways to prevent as well
principal or vice principal. Establishing a partner- as to respond to safety and security threats? Who
ship will be important to your cause. Principals have has been designated to coordinate these efforts?
a great deal of expertise in school safety and security Does the school have procedures for responding
issues, not to mention access to important informa- quickly to unsafe situations? If so, what are
tion and inside knowledge of the school. In short, they?
principals have the power to make things happen.
Is a communications plan in place that enables
Chances are, the principal will applaud the fact
school staff and administrators to contact one
that you are taking a positive, proactive approach
another quickly in an emergency situation?
to school safety and security. If that does not seem
Are parents aware of whom to contact and
to be the case at your childs school, do not go
how to contact them in the event of an emer-
over the principals head to the superintendents
Getting Started
gency at the school?
office or school board unless repeated attempts to
Are counselors and psychologists available to
make contacts inside the school are unsuccessful.
work with students who are troubled or
Taking such action immediately will only put the
disruptive?
principal on the defensive and make it harder to
Are safety and security addressed throughout
form a strong partnership.
the school campus, including play or athletic
At your first meeting with the principal,
areas, classrooms, parking lots, hallways, stairs,
Ask about existing safety and security programs and bathrooms?
at the school. You may find that the school has Do students have opportunities to problem
a crisis committee set up to handle emergencies solve through peer mediation or other conflict
or catastrophic events. (A crisis committee is resolution programs?12
not the same as a safety and security committee. Does the school have procedures in place that
A crisis committee is generally dedicated to encourage safe reporting of potential acts of
emergency response; a safety and security com- violence?
mittee focuses on preventing crimes before they Do teachers receive training in school violence
happen.) prevention, classroom management, or safety
If the school already has a safety and security and security issues?
committee in place, ask how you can get
involved. Keep in mind that teachers, coaches, guidance
If the school doesnt have such a committee, counselors, school resource officers, custodial
discuss how you can work with the principal to workers, and bus drivers are vital to any school
organize one and implement the steps in this safety and security initiative. Your approach
toolkit. toward school faculty and staff should be coopera-
tive and collaborative. School personnel should be
During your meeting, try to learn more about considered important resources for information on
the schools overall approach to school safety and school safety and security issues.
7
Theft accounts for the overwhelming majority
of school crime. Although theft rarely poses a
Key Messages for
direct threat to personal safety, it can make people
School Principals,
feel vulnerable at school. As a result, it can distract
Teachers, and Staff
students and teachers from focusing on learning.
I am interested in working collab- Guns and other weapons fortunately rarely
oratively with you to make our make it into schools. Even when they do, they are
school safer and more secure, seldom used. However, the possibility of the pres-
using the Be Safe and Sound ence of weapons (or the fear that they might be
campaign model. present) can make it hard for students and faculty
I know other parents who are to concentrate on academics.
concerned about safety and Gang activity and social cliques can increase
security and are interested in tension and violence inside schools. This problem
volunteering their time and is not limited to schools in urban areas. Schools
expertise. need to make it clear that gang and clique behav-
I value and need your leadership ior will not be tolerated, and they must apply con-
and perspective. sistent disciplinary measures.
I am concerned about school
safety and security, and I want to
Defining a Safe
make a difference.
Getting Started
and Secure School

The Be Safe and Sound campaign encourages par-
ents and school principals to evaluate the schools
social climate as well as its physical environment.
Understanding What While security devices such as locks and alarms
Students Face are important, tighter security alone wont make a
school safer. Thats why Be Safe and Sound places
Understanding school safety and security also
equal emphasis on preventive safety measures that
means learning what its like to be a student at the
focus on behavior and environmental design.
school. Here are some of the problems middle
Safety, for the purposes of this campaign, does
school and high school students may face. not refer to health precautions such as skid-proof
Bullying, intimidation, and isolation are par- rubber mats or fire codes. Rather, safety refers to
ticularly common in middle schools. In the worst prevention measures that affect a schools social
cases, these traumas can cause low self-esteem, climate, such as conflict resolution programs, zero
poor academic performance, and depression. Some tolerance policies, bullying prevention programs,
students who are bullied react by avoiding school visitor policies, and community service programs.
entirely. Others respond with violence toward Security refers to the reinforcement of the school
their tormentors, other students, or themselves. facility with physical hardware, such as cameras,
Sexual harassment is unwelcome sexual be- locks, and lighting, and with clear and consistent
havior. This includes sexual comments, physical operating procedures and a communications plan.
contact, gestures, and the spreading of rumors. Research shows that school safety works best
Victims often develop low self-esteem, suffer acad- when there are schoolwide policies and practices
emically, or avoid school altogether. Research that systemically address both the needs of stu-
shows that girls, youth of color, and gay youth are dents, school personnel, and the community and
the most frequent targets. Sexual harassment is a the physical plant itself. Schools that have imple-
form of discrimination and is illegal. mented comprehensive violence prevention and
8
response plans experience improved student per- Opportunities for students to learn life skills
formance, fewer student suspensions, a school cli- and develop socially
mate more conducive to learning, and better staff Values and practices that make everyone feel
morale; they are safer places.13 included15
Three primary issues affect school safety and A culture that encourages respect and an appre-
security: ciation of diversity
A principal and school board that respond
1. School climatestrategies for improving the promptly to concerns and welcome input from
social environment parents.
2. School layout and organizationthe principles
of crime prevention through environmental Your childs school may have some characteris-
design tics from each list, putting it somewhere between
3. Physical securitythe need for locks, alarms, these two extremes. Thats why youll be working
safety lighting, and more. in partnership with the school principal and an
action team to evaluate the schools unique
strengths and weaknesses. As your team works to
School Climate identify problems and develop solutions, consider
Every school is different when it comes to safety, the following fundamental qualities of a safe and
but research identifies several factors that affect responsible school, as identified by the U.S.
Department of Education:
Getting Started
whether a school is safe or unsafe. Schools that
demonstrate the following characteristics tend to
The school has strong leadership, caring faculty,
be unsafe:
family and community involvement (including
law enforcement officials and representatives of
Poor design and use of school space
community-based organizations), and student
Overcrowding
participation in the design of programs and
Lack of caring, firm, and consistent disciplinary
policies.
procedures
The physical environment of the school is safe,
Insensitivity to multicultural factors and diver-
and schoolwide policies are in place to promote
sity issues
and support responsible behaviors.
Student alienation
Prevention and intervention programs are sus-
Rejection of at-risk students by teachers and tained, coordinated, and comprehensive.
peers Interventions are based on careful assessment of
Anger and resentment at school routines and student needs.
demands for conformity.14 Evidence-based approaches are used.
Staff are provided with training and support to
Safe schools, on the other hand, have these help them implement programs and
characteristics: approaches.
Interventions are monitored, and evaluations
A positive school climate and atmosphere are conducted to ensure that the programs are
Clear and high expectations for student perfor- meeting measurable goals and objectives.16
mance and behavior
Strong student attachment to the school and All schoolsincluding elementary schools
the educational process should include crime prevention in their curricula.
High levels of both student participation and Students should learn how to settle disputes with-
parent involvement out violence, control their anger, embrace diver-
9
sity, and solve problems. Students can also benefit boundaries or ownership and pride in the
from programs that build social skills, increase school as well as to make it easier to identify
self-esteem, teach assertiveness, assist with stress unauthorized individuals.
management, and prepare them to deal with keeping up good maintenancea clean,
change. well-cared-for school fosters school pride and
orderliness.
School Layout and Organization
NCPC offers training and technical assistance in
Crime prevention through environmental design school-based CPTED that might be of interest to
(CPTED) facilitates and enhances school safety your school. See Resources for more information.
and security by ensuring that the physical layout
and organization of the school encourage positive
student behavior. The principles of CPTED cen- Physical Security
ter on three areas: controlling access, improving
natural surveillance, and increasing definition of Prevention programs and CPTED improvements
school boundaries. These principles can easily and are not enough to ensure a safe environment.
effectively be applied to schools. For example, safe Security measures reduce the risk of crime and
and secure schools can school violence by enabling the administration to
control and monitor access to any area of the
control unauthorized access to buildings and facility. Other practical guidelines reduce situations
Getting Started
grounds by or environments that may encourage criminal

having a single access point of entrance for behavior or vandalism.
visitors. In facilities where there is a history of crime,
screening visitors and requiring them to wear physical security enhancements help to target
ID tags. harden, sending the message that it will be harder
monitoring entry to the school from a single to commit a crime or act of violence at the school.
point. Target hardening includes installing video cam-
reducing the number of secondary entries eras, metal detectors, or alarm systems or hiring
around the perimeter and to buildings. security personnel. Security technologies can
improve natural surveillance of the school increase detection and delay or slow a perpetrators
buildings and grounds by progress, but they are not sufficient in themselves
ensuring clear lines of sight by removing un- to reduce crime and violence. Consequences must
necessary obstacles and trimming vegetation. also be established and enforced if the technologies
limiting hiding places by raising signs off the are to be effective. Employing security guards or
ground, lowering bushes, etc. stationing law enforcement personnel at the school
improving lighting, limiting shadows, or is also an option.
installing convex mirrors in dark or secluded To ensure the security of students, faculty,
areas. and staff, safe and secure schools follow these
enhance school boundaries for better control by guidelines:
clearly defining the edges of school property
with tree plantings or fences to reinforce the Visitors policy requires visitors to sign in or
fact that the school is not a public-access show proper identification.
space. Unmonitored doors are locked from the outside
individualizing areas of the school (e.g., arts at all times to prevent unauthorized persons or
department, science department) to promote items from entering the building unnoticed.
10
Students entering and exiting the school prop- Identification badges, office keys, and codes are
erty are monitored. protected, and a process for reporting lost or
All doors have high security locks or electronic missing badges and keys is in place.
access control units. This applies especially to A formal document destruction policy defines
closets that have private information or haz- when documents should be destroyed and how.
ardous materials, outside doors, and basements. Off-site destruction services should not be used
Operating procedures include a clear commu- for the most sensitive documents.
nications plan to ensure that administrators
and staff can contact one another instantly in For nontechnical, non-vendor specific informa-
emergency situations. tion on security technologies, consult The Appro-
Deadlocks are not accessible from the inside of priate and Effective Use of Security Technologies in
the restroom. U.S. Schools: A Guide for Schools and Law Enforce-
All doors are solid. Sheet steel covers both sides ment Agencies, a research report from the National
of back and basement doors. Institute of Justice. It provides information on the
Door frames and hinges are in good condition following:
and strong enough to prevent them from being
Available security products
pried open. Strengths, weaknesses, and expected effective-
All windows are secure. ness of these products in schools
Upon change of staff or administration, locks Costs of productsinstallation, operation,
Getting Started
are changed or cylinders are rekeyed. maintenance, manpower, and training expenses
Motion-sensitive as well as constant lights are Requirements to specify in order to get a suit-
used outdoors. able product
Dark places around the building are illumi- Related legal issues.
nated by adding lighting, cutting back shrubs
so light can penetrate, etc. The report covers video surveillance (cameras,
Stairwells and out-of-the-way corridors are well video recording equipment), metal detectors
lighted to prevent violence. (walk-through, hand-held scanners, x-ray baggage
The receptionist is equipped with a panic but- scanners), entry control technologies, and duress
ton for emergencies, a camera with a monitor at alarm devices. For more information, download or
another location, and a high security lock on view the report online at www.ncjrs.org/school/
the front door that can be controlled. home.html.17
11
Step 1: Form an Action Team
Your school may already have a safety and security committee or an action team.
If not, now is the time to work with the school principal to organize one. A
school safety and security action team is a group dedicated to assessing safety and
security threats, developing strategies for action, advocating for change, facilitat-
ing improvements, and evaluating outcomes.
Effective Recruiting
Work with the school principal or assistant princi- Involving Students
S T E P
pal to identify and recruit action team members. At the high school level especially, it is
Potential recruits for your safety and security important to include students in your
action team include efforts to assess and improve school
safety and security. Empowerment is an
School administrators and teachers important step toward overcoming vic-
Guidance counselors and social workers timhood, and youth want to be involved

Coaches, custodial staff, and bus drivers
PTA/PTO officers and other concerned parents
Board of education representatives
in making their schools better. NCPCs
Are We Safe? Focus on Teens survey
confirms that teens believe that they
1
can be effective in stopping violence. A
Business and community leaders
third of the survey respondents said
School resource officers and security personnel
Form an Action Team

that they could act directly to stop or
Students. avoid violence by not fighting, by stop-
ping others from becoming violent, by
Once you and the school principal have identi- speaking out against violence, etc. A
fied potential action team members, decide who third of the respondents also said that
will contact each individual on the list. Once demonstrating respect for others is a
formed, the action team should meet on a regular means of preventing violence. And one
basis. Try to secure a committed group of about in four cited being a positive role model
ten people for the team. Make sure that time com- for other teens as a way to curb vio-
mitments are clear to all action team members. lence. Young people want to be part of
the solution.18
NCPC offers a range of programs
Roles and Goals and curricula that can be implemented
in schools to involve students in im-
Before your first action team meeting, sit down proving safety and security. Two such
with the principal to review the Be Safe and programs are Teens, Crime, and the
Sound steps in this toolkit and think about the Community (TCC) and the Youth Safety
following questions: Corps. For more information about
these and other helpful programs, see
Who will be in charge of the safety and security Resources in this toolkit.
action team? As a parent, you can co-chair the
action team with the school principal. Keep in
mind that the principal will probably be in the
best position to run meetings. involved? Who should do what? (Some sections
What are the overall goals for the action team? of this toolkit include a planning checklist to
What is the timeline for achieving each goal? help you get started.)
How will each stage in your Be Safe and Sound Who will serve as the contact point and official
initiative be implemented? What are the tasks spokesperson to the media? (Again, the school
13
principal may be the best person to
handle this.)
Tips for Your First Action
Now that you and the school principal Team Meeting
have answered these questions, you are Be sure your meeting time doesnt conflict
ready to plan the first action team meeting. with other important events.
Plan to keep the meeting fairly briefless than
90 minutes is probably enough time.
Getting Together Have an agenda prepared for the groups
S T E P
The goal of the first meeting will be to get approval.

the action team started on collecting Share the work so that people work together
research and data about school safety and from the start. Put one person in charge of
security. The agenda for your first meet- organizing refreshments. Another can be in
charge of setting up the room. Someone else
ing should look something like this:
can take notes and write up minutes.
1. Welcome
1 2. Introduce attendees/participants (and
explain what brings each person to
Allow people to share their concerns, but
dont get caught up in a gripe session.
Remember, you are there as a group to orga-
the table) nize your safety and security campaign, not
3. Provide an overview of the Be Safe just to chat. Everyone should have a chance to
Form an Action Team
and Sound steps in this toolkit contribute, but be sure the group makes some
4. Clarify mission/purpose of Be Safe clear decisions.
and Sound action team List the next steps and who will take them.
5. Discuss potential threats to school Assign deadlines for these tasks. Try to get
safety and security everyone committed to helping. Build some
6. Discuss research methods to pursue checkpoints into your timeline so that expec-
7. Identify available assets and resources tations and deadlines can be adjusted as
8. Assign tasks and deadlines needed.
9. Set time, date, and location for next Agree on a date, time, and place for the meet-
meeting ing and the subjects that will be covered.
10. Adjourn
14
Step 2: Identify Safety and Security Problems
Formal research will help the action team confirm or dispute suspected safety and
security problems, as well as point toward other issues you may not be aware of.
This process of identifying areas for improvement is called needs assessment. In
conducting a thorough school safety and security needs assessment, there are
three kinds of information your action team should obtain:
Existing data: statistics that are readily avail- accidents or injuries involving students and
able through the school, police department, or staff.
other community groups attendance and graduation rates.
S T E P
Survey data: opinions about school safety and levels of student participation in extracurricular
security collected from students, faculty, and activities.
parents
Assessment data: observations about safety Statistics tracking incidents that occur beyond
and security threats resulting from a school grounds may also be relevant to school
thorough assessment of the schools physical safety. For example, a high number of juvenile
environment. drug arrests in the community would suggest drug
use as a potential problem at school.
2
Note that all research must be done in accor- What do you do with all these data? In review-
dance with state laws and the policies of your local ing incident-related data (such as the number of
board of education. For example, you may not be assaults, drug arrests, or cases of vandalism at
Identify Safety and Security Problems

able to conduct student surveys without first get- school), youll want to look for patterns. Do inci-
ting signed permission slips from parents and dents all seem to happen in one part of the build-
approval from the school district. Also, informa- ing? At a specific time of day? On the same day of
tion about specific school disciplinary actions may the week? During basketball season? Just before
be considered confidential. For this reason, its a the end of the school year? Are the perpetrators
good idea to let the school principal oversee data students or nonstudents?
collection and analysis. He or she will be most The principal will have a good feel for the
familiar with relevant policies, laws, and privacy school environment and therefore will be a great
requirements. resource in identifying patterns. If the school
hasnt already done so, it may be helpful to log
incidents into a database that can be sorted by
Existing Data
School systems collect statistics that may be useful Kind of activity
in identifying safety and security problems. The Date and time of activity
school principal can help you obtain information Place of activity
about Injuries, if any
Property damage
violations of state and federal laws on school Disciplinary action taken, if any.
property. These include homicide, robbery,
rape, drugs, assault, theft, auto theft, arson, and Categorizing data this way will allow your
vandalism. action team to compare incidents by date, time,
disruptive incidents on school property (which place, or the nature of the problem. This will
may or may not be in violation of the law). make it easier to identify specific patterns that
These include fights, students acting out, and deserve attention.
other incidents that break the safe flow of a Other types of data tracked by schools can also
school day or event. be helpful. Cumulative numbers such as school
15
attendance and graduation rates will be particu- Surveys for school staff, parents, and students,
larly useful later on when youre ready to evaluate along with instructions for their use, can be found
the success of new school safety and security mea- in Appendices B and C. You may want to check
sures. These data, which are often referred to as with your school districts computer experts to
indicators, are used to compare current condi- find out if the surveys can be posted online for
tions to those in the past. Indicators are either pos- electronic completion and tabulation.
itive or negative. Positive indicators are those in
which an increase in the numbers shows progress
or a positive result (for example, graduation rates). Safety and Security
S T E P
Negative indicators are those in which downward Assessment

movement is good (for example, the number of
expulsions). A safety and security assessment of the school
For more information about how to use indica- environment can be an invaluable tool.
tor data, see Step 7: Evaluate Success and Revise Conducted on-site, a thorough assessment will
the Plan. For a list of safety- and security-related take note of architectural spaces that may be con-
2 indicator data that may be available from your

school or community, see Appendix A.
ducive to crime, as well as any gaps in security
equipment and procedures. The assessment should
be conducted by a crime prevention expert who
Safety and Security Surveys understands state laws and regulations related to
school safety and security. To find a qualified
Safety and security surveys administered to stu- assessor, contact your state school safety center,
dents, school staff, and parents are another helpful department of education, or local police depart-
tool for evaluating safety and security threats (both ment. You can also contact a local chapter of ASIS
real and perceived). Survey research reveals infor- International, the international organization for
mation about the school climatethe social and security professionals, to see if free assistance is
emotional atmosphere inside the school. Surveys
available (visit www.asisonline.org).
might ask respondents to indicate specific areas of
A thorough security assessment will not only
the school where they feel unsafe or give their
evaluate hardware and procedures but will also
opinions about which types of threats (for exam-
incorporate school climate and the principles of
ple, theft, bullying, or drugs) are the most serious
crime prevention through environmental design
at the school. Surveys can be particularly helpful
(CPTED). The assessment should pose questions
because they monitor feelings, not just hard facts.
Keep in mind that it may not be possible to such as the following:
survey every student in the school. In this case, the
school principal can help identify a sample group Are walkways and other pedestrian paths clear
of students representing all grade levels and the and well lighted?
diversity of the student body. Are chemicals and other hazardous or poten-
Surveys should be administered not only at the tially dangerous materials kept in locked stor-
beginning of the Be Safe and Sound initiative but age?
also after safety and security improvements have Are parking areas patrolled during school
been made at the school. As part of the evaluation hours?
process, use surveys to determine whether or not Are parents involved in developing disciplinary
the changes are making a difference. (See Step 7 procedures?
for more information about using surveys to gauge Do faculty and staff know procedures for
the success of the initiative.) reporting crimes and agree to do so?
16
For more information about school climate 2. The three kinds of data disagree; two data sets
and CPTED principles, see Getting Started and indicate a pattern that the third data set doesnt
Resources. fit. If this happens, the action team should
What if your action team is unable to secure an question whether data are consistent or some-
outside expert to perform the security assessment? how distorted. For example, the school may
Appendix D includes a basic school safety and have had one isolated incident that created a lot
security assessment that can be conducted by par- of feareven if the incident was minorthat
ents, school staff, older high school students, and may be affecting survey responses indicating
school safety and law enforcement personnel who how people feel inside the school. Chances are,
S T E P
have not had specialized training in such work. the two data sets that are in agreement point
Detailed instructions on how to perform the toward the areas you really need to focus on.
assessment are provided.
But just to be sure, you might want to share
your data with an expert or two. The school
Interpreting the Data should have access to experienced research ana-
Now you have statistical data pointing to certain lysts to help with this. Also, your police or
patterns and survey data pointing to certain pat-
terns. Combine these findings with the results of
sheriffs department should be able to connect
you to experts specializing in crime analysis. If 2
your safety and security assessment, and one of not, contact a local college or university to see
three things may happen: if a staff member there may be able to provide
assistance.

1. The three kinds of data all point toward the 3. The three kinds of data all conflict with each
same problems. In this case, the action teams other. If all three data sources disagree (or sim-
focus will be clear. ply fail to support each other), the action team
PLANNING CHECKLIST
Before your action team begins its research, it will be helpful to consider these questions:
How and where will you obtain existing (indicator) data? Who will be in charge of this?
Will indicator data come already formatted in a database? If not, who will create a data-
base?
Who will analyze the data?
Who will organize the survey process? How and when will surveys be administered?
Who will tally the survey results?
Who will secure an outside assessor for the security assessment? From where?
If an outside assessor cannot be secured, who will conduct the basic security assess-
ment included in this toolkit?
Who will compare different sets of data and identify patterns pointing to specific prob-
lems? Are there local experts who can help?
Who will be in charge of preparing a report of the research findings for use at the school
safety and security forum?
17
should look at the priorities of the school and physical injuries. It can also infect the whole
what the school is doing (or not doing) to cre- school.
ate an environment that is open, comfortable,
and conducive to learning. If, for example, sur- Once the action team has reviewed all the data
veys show that fear is rampant throughout the and identified the schools safety and security
school, yet that finding is not supported by problems, the team should prepare a report to
other data, the fear is a real problem nonethe- present to parents, school staff, and community
less. Research has demonstrated that fear of members in preparation for the school safety and
crime and actual crime rates are not always security forum. The report should clearly lay out
S T E P
closely related. One incident occurring over a the issues facing the school, providing data and
five-year period can cause lingering anxiety, and research as support.
that anxiety can be just as debilitating as real
2
18
Step 3: Hold a School Safety and Security Forum
Once your research and analysis are complete, the action team should invite addi-
tional education and community representatives to participate in a school safety
and security forum. The forum will be devoted to prioritizing the most critical
safety and security problems and then figuring out what to do about them.
Inviting other stakeholders (i.e., people with a vested interest in school safety and
security) to participate in this process will help the action team view its research
more objectively. Outside participants will also bring additional expertise and
ideas to the table during brainstorming sessions.
S T E P
Who Should Participate? Juvenile and family court judges or other juve-
nile justice personnel
At the very least, your forum should include the Leaders of neighborhood crime watch units and
following people: crime prevention groups
Staff from your state-level school safety center
School principal or assistant principal (see Resources) or department of education
PTA/PTO officer
Faculty and support staff (this may include
teachers, coaches, guidance counselors, school
Security specialists (contact ASIS to request pro
bono assistance; see Resources)
3
Members of the media.
psychologists, nurses, social workers, custodi-
ans, and bus drivers)
Hold a School Safety and Security Forum

School resource officers How Big Should the Forum Be?
Students
A board of education representative. The forum should be big enough to include repre-
sentatives from all the school and community
You may also want to invite other community groups youve identified as important. If this group
members such as businesspeople, law enforcement is quite large, you should divide the forum into
officers, and public health professionals. Think smaller groups of no more than ten for the brain-
about people in the school and the community storming sessions. The small groups can work con-
who have a valuable perspective on school safety currently and report back to the larger group.
and security, as well as the ability to influence Determine in advance how forum participants will
public action, opinion, and policy decisions. For be assigned to groups, making sure that the exper-
example, you may want to invite tise of participants is spread out among the groups.
For example, you wont want to have several police
Public health and mental health professionals officers working in the same small group.
Local emergency service and healthcare
providers
Who Should Facilitate?
Local business owners and Chamber of
Commerce members To keep the forum discussion running smoothly,
Adult trainers specializing in group processes or your action team will need to secure facilitators
conflict resolution or youth trained in peer who are experienced in leading strategy-building
mediation or problem-solving sessions. Each small brain-
Elected officials such as city council members storming group should have its own facilitator.
and the mayor The facilitator may be a school administrator, a
Local clergy businessperson, or someone from a local nonprofit
Police officers and other law enforcement organization. The key here is objectivity. Avoid
personnel having action team members act as facilitators;
19
they may find it difficult to leave their own views Discuss how each stakeholder will be approached
and biases out of the discussion. and what will be said. Set a deadline for determin-
ing each groups interest in participating.
The forum should either be a half-day event or
Where Should the Forum a series of half-day events, depending on how
Be Held? much research you are asking participants to
review. Make sure potential attendees understand
The school is probably the best location. Forum
the time commitment when you issue invitations.
participants can meet in the school auditorium or
After forum participants are confirmed, send
gymnasium for the opening and closing sessions.
S T E P
each one an overview of the major safety and secu-

The brainstorming groups can meet in separate rity risks the forum will be asked to consider.
classrooms, which will cut down on noise. The Provide relevant findings from any surveys or secu-
action team should provide some means for brain- rity assessments youve conducted. Do this at least
storming groups to record their ideas, such as flip one to two weeks before the date of the forum to
charts and markers. give participants time to review the material.
3 Inviting Stakeholders Facilitating the Forum

Once youve established a list of potential forum Your forum facilitators will use a simple, effective
participants, designate an action team member to problem-solving model to guide forum partici-
get in touch with each group or organization. pants in prioritizing safety and security concerns at
PLANNING CHECKLIST
In preparing for the school safety and security forum, your Be Safe and Sound action team
should ask these questions:
Who should be invited to participate in the forum? How will candidates be invited? Who
will issue invitations and follow up?
When is the deadline for participant confirmation? Do you have backup candidates in
mind in case your first choices are unavailable?
Where will the forum be held? Who will be in charge of securing a location?
Who will be in charge of disseminating the report of research findings to forum partici-
pants in advance of the event?
Who will organize refreshments?
Who will organize supplies, including flip charts and markers, paper and pens?
Who will open and adjourn the forum?
Who will facilitate brainstorming at the forum? Who is in charge of lining up facilitators
and ensuring that they are familiar with the problem-solving process that will be used?
Who will organize the participants into brainstorming groups of no more than ten?
Who will be in charge of sending thank-you letters and a follow-up report to participants
after the summit is over?
20
the school and discussing potential solutions. Forum participants will also brainstorm poten-
Because youve sent out a preliminary research tial resources to identified solutions. For a compre-
report, participants should arrive at the forum hensive overview of the forum problem-solving
with an understanding of the problems your process, see the Facilitation Guide (Appendix E).
action team wants to address. However, it will be When the brainstorming portion of the meet-
a good idea to go over that data one more time ing concludes and forum participants reconvene,
before the brainstorming process begins. action team members should thank participants
Once brainstorming is underway, forum partic- for their insights and explain that the action team
ipants will be asked to prioritize safety and security will be using their ideas to formulate a school
S T E P
problems, identify and prioritize potential barriers, safety and security action plan. The action plan
and then discuss how to overcome those barriers will recommend specific school safety and security
to develop workable solutions to the most critical improvements, with instructions on how the
problems. improvements can be accomplished. If you want
Heres how the facilitation process works: to recruit additional action team members, this is
a good time to ask if any of the forum participants
1. The Be Safe and Sound action team presents a
list of safety and security problems identified
through survey research, existing data, and the
are interested in a hands-on role.
3
school security assessment. Forum Agenda
2. Forum participants prioritize these problems
The agenda for a successful school safety and secu-

and create a top five list.
3. Forum participants brainstorm barriers that rity forum might look something like this:
might prevent each problem from being effec- 1. Welcome
tively addressed. Barriers represent a diagnosis 2. Introduce action team, forum participants,
of whats at the heart of the problemwhat and facilitators
prevents progress toward a safer, more secure 3. Provide brief overview of the Be Safe and
school. The barriers are then prioritized. Sound campaign
4. Forum participants brainstorm and prioritize 4. Clarify goals and ground rules for the forum
solution statements that overcome the priori- 5. Present research pointing to safety and secu-
tized barriers. Solution statements should be as rity problems
specific as possible, indicating 6. Break into brainstorming groups
What activity the solution calls for 7. Prioritize problems (30 minutes)
What needs to be accomplished 8. Brainstorm and prioritize barriers (90 minutes)
Who should do it 9. Brainstorm and prioritize solutions
Why it should be done (if this is not obvious). (90 minutes)
10. Brainstorm potential resources (30 minutes)
See the chart below for an example. 11. Reconvene as a forum
Problem Barrier Strong Solution Weak Solution

Statement Statement Statement Statement
East stairwell has been Teachers and administra- Action team will investigate Monitor this stairwell.
the site of numerous tors cannot monitor this options for opening up this
drug deals and bullying stairwell from the hallway. stairwell to monitoring
incidents. (e.g., windows, mirrors).
21
12. Report back: Each group shares its top prob- 14. Adjourn
lems and prioritized solutions
13. Overview of next steps: Action team explains The action team should send a thank-you note
how brainstorming ideas will be used to create to each participant after the forum is over. This
an action plan and what follow-up will be will be followed later with a formal report about
provided the forum results and the action plan.
S T E P
3
22
Step 4: Develop an Action Plan
Your Be Safe and Sound action team should reconvene after the school safety and
security forum. The solutions identified by the forum will serve as the basis for
the action plan. But before you start working on the action plan, take a moment
to celebrate the teams accomplishments thus far!
Developing the Plan overall goal, or mission, that all objectives and activ-
ities will support. Objectives describe the purposes
The action plan should identify safety and security
of the activities in the plan. Each activity represents
S T E P
improvements you intend to pursue and how
a solution your action team has decided to pursue.
youll pursue them. If the forum had many brain-
To set the plan in motion, establish action steps for
storming groups, the action team may find itself
each activity, identifying specific people, tasks, dead-
with a large amount of information to consider.
lines, and anticipated outcomes. As a courtesy, send
Start by looking at the problems prioritized by
copies of the completed action plan to forum partic-
each group. Problems that ranked high in impor-
ipants. See Appendix F for an action planning chart
tance, or which multiple groups selected, should
be considered priority problems. Next, look at the
prioritized barriers and
and Appendix G for an example of an action plan. 4
solution statements that
were developed and Heres what a slice of your action plan might look like:
Develop an Action Plan

narrow the list to a
manageable size. You Goal
may find that groups
By June 2005, Jones High School will have in place behavioral
came up with similar
strategies and equipment that will make the learning environment
solutions that can be
safer and more secure.
combined.
If the forum has rec- Objective
ommended solutions
that are not feasible, the To provide a safe and secure environment during daytime and
action team will need to evening hours of building use
make a few judgment
calls. Websites listed in
Activity
Resources will serve as After consulting with other schools that currently use ID systems,
starting points for addi- the school will require all students and staff to wear identification
tional research your badges.
team needs.
Once the action team Action Steps
has identified the high Mary and Bob will conduct site visits to two schools that have
priority problems and implemented ID badge systems to determine how the systems are
narrowed down poten- working, whether there are problems, how much it cost to imple-
tial solutions, its time to ment the systems, and which vendors were used. They will investi-
build the action plan. gate the option of ID badges that double as door lock swipe cards.
See sidebar for an exam- They will report their findings at the next action team meeting on
ple of each piece of the June 5, 2004. Further action steps and deadlines will be assigned
plan. First, the action at that time.
plan should state the
23
A Note About Funding
If youre planning to implement safety and security strategies that
require a lot of cash, work with the school principal to identify finan-
cial resources within the local school system. These might include
building funds or board of education dollars. If internal funding is not
available, you may need to research alternative funding sources in
your community and state. Locally based foundations and corpora-
tions (or local offices of national corporations) frequently have special
S T E P
funds set aside for local groups. Local and state government (and
possibly federal agencies) may also make funds available through
departments of community action, drug prevention, public safety,
neighborhood revitalization, and economic development.
Check the library for information on funding sources in your com-
munity. The library may also have special resources such as The
4 Foundation Directory, which lists thousands of grants nationwide.

(You can subscribe online at http://fconline.fdncenter.org/.) The
Chamber of Commerce, the economic development office, and your
state or federal legislators may also have some excellent suggestions
about where and how to secure financial backing. See Step 6:
Develop an Action Plan
Advocate Your Cause to learn more about approaching businesses

for funding.
PLANNING CHECKLIST
As you develop the action plan, ask these questions:
What process will the team use to process forum feedback and
determine which recommended solutions to implement?
Do action team members have contacts or professional expertise
that will help move specific plan strategies forward?
Have other schools in your area addressed similar safety and
security problems with similar programs? Do they have insights
to share?
Who will be in charge of preparing the action plan and distribut-
ing the document to action team members as well as forum
participants?
Who will serve as the lead coordinator on action plan
implementation?
24
Step 5: Publicize Your Initiative
Youve got a safety and security action plan, and youre moving ahead. Great!
Now heres a way to create support for your efforts: work with the school princi-
pal to publicize your Be Safe and Sound initiative and action plan. There are sev-
eral reasons for publicizing your action teams efforts:
Passion is contagious. Media coverage may get Press Releases

the attention of other community experts and vol-
The press or news release is an all-purpose tool. It
unteers who can help you address your safety and
can report survey results, statistics, or other
security objectives more effectively and efficiently.
S T E P
research findings. It can announce the launch of
Partners. Broadcast and newspaper coverage
your initiative or action plan. Or it can tell the
may make it easier to attract potential partners or
story of community members working together to
funders (including businesses, corporations, foun-
improve school safety and security. Whenever you
dations, and other grant-making organizations),
have a story, its a good idea to develop a press
not to mention elected officials who can lobby for
release. It helps frame what you have to say and
your cause or connect you to available government
dollars. This may be critical if your school supports
your efforts but lacks sufficient financial resources
gives the media a quick idea of what the story is
about. See Appendix H to learn more about writ-
ing a press release and Appendix K for a sample
5
to implement all the safety and security improve-
release.
ments that are spelled out in the action plan.
Publicize Your Initiative

Recognition. Your Be Safe and Sound action
team has been working hard and deserves some Press Events
applause! Savor the opportunity to reflect on how If you have hard news to report (i.e., breaking
far youve come and to revitalize the team for the news that affects your community), a noteworthy
work still ahead. angle, and other attractions for the media (e.g.,
Momentum. Your safety and security improve- local celebrities, community leaders, or experts;
ment efforts should be viewed as ongoing, not as a good materials; even refreshments), you could
finite project. Increased community awareness will hold a press event. Your action team may choose
make it easier to generate support for new safety to hold a press event to announce its safety and
and security improvements as your plan is revised security research results or action plan. Always
in the future. It may also attract additional action issue an advisory to notify media of an upcoming
team members. press event. See Appendix I for more details about
Accountability. Once your plan is made pub- planning press events, Appendix H to learn more
lic, there will be more incentive for those who about writing a media advisory, and Appendix J
have made commitmentsincluding school for a sample advisory.
officials, parents, students, business partners, and
legislatorsto follow through.
News Availabilities
Getting Your Story Told A news availability, a less structured version of a

press event, gives media representatives the oppor-
How your action team chooses to get its message tunity for one-on-one interviews with key
out is an important decision. Should you issue a spokespersons for your cause. For example, you
press release? Hold a press conference? Write an might schedule a news availability in which a local
op-ed article? Call a reporter and offer an exclu- expert provides background and perspective on
sive? What you decide to do will depend on both new school violence statistics, making sure to
your community and your story. mention your action teams local efforts. Or
25
maybe you want to invite a select group of media the editor can commend a newspaper or a reporter
representatives to talk with the school principal for a fine story, offer additional perspective or infor-
and key action team members about the school mation about an issue the paper covered, or disagree
improvements recommended in your action plan. with opinions expressed in a news article, a story, or
an op-ed. The key is to keep it short and to the
point. Dont forget to reference the article youre
Letters to the Editor
responding to by its headline and date. An action
Usually, letters to the editor are written in response team member might write a letter to the editor, for
to something thats already in the news. Letters to example, in response to an article discussing a new
S T E P
PLANNING CHECKLIST
A successful media campaign requires care- If your action team chooses to hold a press
5 ful planning and organization. As with all

your other action team efforts, the team
should work with the school principal to
event, you will need to consider the following
questions:
determine direction and to match team Who will serve as the event host and
members with specific tasks. speak on behalf of the action team?
(Again, the principal is probably the best

What are the key messages your action choice.)
team wants to communicate to the
Who will be in the audience? Will you
media?
have a guaranteed audience? If not,
What forms of media outreach will be how will you get people there?
most effective in getting those mes-
Are there other people who should be
sages out?
invited to attend or speak? Who will
What are your local media outlets? What select and secure speakers?
state media outlets would be interested
Where will the event be held? Who will
in your story?
secure the location?
Who will build the media list and obtain
Who will coordinate technical needs
contact information?
such as lighting, audio-visual equip-
Who will write and deliver advisories and ment, a podium, and signage?
press releases to media outlets?
Who will head up efforts to generate
Who will act as contact point for media media interest and attract reporters and
inquiries? (The principal is probably the camera crews to the event?
most appropriate choice.)
Who will put together the press kits?
Are there local experts who could act as
Who will field press inquiries before and
resources to the media or participate in
after the event?
a news availability? Who will contact
them?
Who will watch the news for opportuni-
ties to write letters to the editor? Who
will write the letters?
Will someone write an op-ed?
26
state government report on youth violence. The let- an exclusive is that it gives the reporter more time
ter could highlight your action teams findings and to investigate and develop the story without
efforts to prevent crimes against local youth. worrying that the competition will come out with
it first. Sometimes an exclusive may be no more
than a heads-up to a friendly reporter or editor
Op-ed Articles
about a possible feature or story. Or it may involve
When a letter to the editor wont suffice, think a more strategic and extensively researched pitch.
about writing an op-ed article. In an op-ed article, A word of caution: By favoring one media organi-
you can develop your arguments at greater length zation over others in your community, you may
S T E P
than in a letter and comment on issues not neces- alienate some important contacts. But perhaps
sarily covered in the paper. Call the paper to find your action team will decide to maximize coverage
out its op-ed policy. Generally, articles should be by engaging a reporter in a long-term exclusive on
7001,000 words in length. Keep it straightfor- the schools safety and security efforts and the
ward and compelling with examples, stories, and results.
facts to back up your argument. For tips on determining your message, building
Exclusives
a media list, and writing media communications,
refer to Appendix H. Appendix I provides guide-
lines for planning a press event. Appendices J and
5
An exclusive is a story pitch made to only one K respectively contain a sample media advisory
media organization or one reporter. The appeal of and a sample press release.
27
Step 6: Advocate Your Cause
As youve learned through the partnerships youve established with forum partici-
pants, safe and secure schools are important to the community as a whole, not
just to parents, faculty, and students. Law enforcement, social service agencies,
businesses, nonprofits, and elected officials can be valuable partners for safety and
security on a number of levels. For example, while school officials may agree that
safety and security changes are necessary, the school may have limited access to
the resources needed for improvements. This is where other community members
become crucial to your cause.
S T E P
Advocacy means educating policymakers and addressing. Explain the action teams current or
elected officials (such as school board members anticipated impact on the problem and how the
and state legislators) and business leaders about recipient can help increase that impact. (See
your schools needs. Your Be Safe and Sound Appendix M for a sample advocacy letter.)
action team can do this in a variety of ways Talk with elected officials (by appointment)
through site visits, letters, personal meetings, and about your program and your need for their
6 hearings. Elected officials and businesses have
different interests, and your approach should be
support.
Make sure elected officials or their key staff are
tailored for each group. included on VIP guest lists for special events
and community meetings organized by the Be
Safe and Sound action team.
Advocate Your Cause
Elected Officials Ask an elected official to speak (briefly) at one

Working with the school principal, the action of your events.
team should identify elected officials who are Remind your contacts that while students may
working in support of your cause. These might be the perpetrators of some crimes, they are
include members of the local school board, the more often the victimsand they are also an
state board of education, and the county council, enormous pool of untapped energy, talent, and
as well as federal, state, and local politicians. As enthusiasm.
part of its ongoing commitment to improving Dont limit communication to times when you
school safety and security, the action team will have a problem or need money. Send thank-
need to convince and remind these leaders that its you letters when legislators have done some-
efforts thing in support of your goals or the issue of
school safety and security in general.
deal with a program of concern to a large seg- Mobilize other parents, school groups, and
ment of the community (i.e., constituents). safety-oriented community groups to commu-
can get even better results with backing or nicate to the same legislators so that your group
endorsements from the elected official. is not a lone voice.
will create a safer, more secure learning envi- Ask candidates to make school safety and secu-
ronment for current and future voters. rity issues part of their platform.
will contribute to a valuable public image for Keep a log of calls and correspondence with
the elected official. elected officials and their staff.
Here are some tips on successful advocacy Businesses

efforts targeting elected officials:
Work with the school principal to identify busi-
Write to each contact and explain the specific nesses that are sympathetic to your cause or could
safety and security issues your action team is benefit from a partnership. These might include
28
companies or retailers that are located near the direct your efforts. You may want to ask who is
school, sell safety and security products or services, in charge of community relations or corporate
employ a large number of students, count students giving. (See Appendix M for a sample letter.)
among their customers, or have expressed a com- Develop a presentation to give business leaders
mitment to youth issues. Remember that busi- (by appointment) about your program and
nesses are motivated by different factors than your need for their support.
politicians. Your Be Safe and Sound action team Trade advertising space in the school newsletter
should remind business decision makers that its for product, service, and monetary donations.
efforts Make sure your business contacts are included
S T E P
on guest lists for special events and community
deal with a program of concern to a large meetings organized by the Be Safe and Sound
segment of the community (i.e., customers, action team.
suppliers, and partners). Ask a business leader to host or emcee one of
can achieve even better results with financial your events.
support, in-kind donations, pro bono services, Remind your contacts that while students may
or a visible partnership with the business.
will make the community in which the business
operates safer.
be the perpetrators of some crimes, they are
more often the victimsand they are also an
enormous pool of untapped energy, talent, and
6
will create a valuable public image for the enthusiasm.
business. Dont limit communication to times when you
Advocate Your Cause

Here are some tips on successful advocacy have a problem or need money. Send thank-
efforts targeting businesses: you letters when the business has done some-
thing in support of your goals or the issue of
Write to each business contact and explain the school safety and security in general.
specific safety and security issues. Explain the Ask the company to make school safety and
action teams current or anticipated impact on security a priority item in its corporate respon-
the problem and how the business can help sibility plan.
increase that impact. If you are dealing with a Keep a log of calls and correspondence with
large corporation, call to find out where to each business or company.
29
Step 7: Evaluate Success and Revise the Plan
Its been about a year since Be Safe and Sound was introduced at the school. Your
action team has already used a variety of research tools to document school safety
and security risks. Once youve worked with the school to implement safety and
security improvements (and have given those changes some time to take effect),
youll want to repeat your research.
This time the action team will be using its findings to determine whether it has
met the goals and objectives stated in the action plan. Follow-up research will also
determine whether changes at the school are actually making a difference.
S T E P
Remember to follow board of education policies Measuring Up

and state laws governing the collection of informa-
In evaluating program success, you will consider
tion from and about students.
three types of measurements: process measures,
In particular, try repeating the same surveys and
outcome measures, and impact measures.
collecting the same indicator data as last time. (For
7 sample indicators and surveys, see Appendices A, B,
and C.) Then compare the results to your original
Process evaluation answers questions such as
the following:
findings. Have the numbers and attitudes changed? How well is your Be Safe and Sound action
Pull out your original school safety and security team functioning as a group?
Are there changes that would make meetings,
Evaluate Success and Revise the Plan
assessment, and retrace the steps taken by the

original assessor. How many problem areas in events, and deadlines more effective?
the school can you check off as addressed and If you experimented with different ways of get-
corrected? ting things done, what effect did the variations
PLANNING CHECKLIST
Before the action team begins its follow-up research, you will need to answer the following
questions:
Who will be in charge of collecting new indicator data?

Can the new indicator data be added to the same database we used last time
(for comparison purposes)?
Who will analyze and compare the data?
Who will organize the second survey process? How and when will surveys be adminis-
tered? Who will tally the survey results?
Who will conduct the follow-up security assessment? Will we use an outside assessor
again? Can the follow-up be conducted by the school principal, an action team member,
or students?
Who will compare different sets of data to track progress and identify new problems?
Who will be in charge of reporting results to the school, students, and community? When
and how? Who will share findings with the media and other important stakeholders? Are
the results significant enough to warrant a community or press event?
30
have? For example, was it easier to coordinate
meeting times, dates, and locations by email or
Seven Keys to Successful
by phone? Did more people show up for meet-
Evaluation
ings when you sent out follow-up reminders?
Have you discovered that the action team lacks Make sure it gets done.
a certain type of expertise and could use an Build it into your process from the
additional recruit or two? start.
Examine both how you worked
Outcome evaluation answers questions such as (process) and what happened as a
result (outcomes and impacts).
S T E P
the following:
Measure consistently and accurately.
Did the action team accomplish the tasks Assess changes in feelings and per-
spelled out in the action plan? ceptions as well as facts and statis-
Did your media outreach garner any publicity? tics.
Measure only what you can use.
Did your advocacy efforts lead to new funding
Use what you measure.
opportunities or partnerships with businesses?
Impact evaluation answers questions such as

7
the following:
team is meeting (or has met) its goals and objec-
Did safety and security changes in the school tives to create a safer, more secure school. If your
Evaluate Success and Revise the Plan

environment have an effect on crime? For evaluation research provides evidence of positive
example, did the number of assaults in school change, be sure to share the news with the media
decrease after a peer mediation program was and other important stakeholders, including past
introduced? Did the incidence of vandalism go partners, forum participants, funders, parents,
down after new lights were installed in the elected officials, business contacts, and the
school parking lot? community.
Did changes to the school environment affect Also important will be information about atti-
how safe students, parents, and faculty feel tudes, events, and unanticipated results. For
inside the school? Do they feel safer now than example, youre likely to discover new kinds of
they did a year ago? feedback when you repeat your surveys. A fresh
Can the safety and security upgrades be corre- look at indicator data may show positive move-
lated to positive changes in the school or comment in some areas but also previously undetected
munity, such as increased school attendance problem areas. Dont be discouraged by these
rates or fewer disciplinary actions? findings, but use them as a starting point when
In short, were the goals stated in the action plan you plan your next school safety and security
achieved? forum a year or two after the first one. The ideas
generated in the second forum will help you build
on past successes, make important adjustments to
Following Up
your safety and security action plan, and continue
The best reward for your evaluation efforts will be your efforts to make your childs school a safer,
confirmation that your Be Safe and Sound action more secure place.
31
Endnotes
1. Jill F. DeVoe et al., Indicators of School Crime and 12. Adapted from Education Development Center,
Safety: 2003 (Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Inc., School Safety Checklist, available at
Statistics and National Center for Education http://familyeducation.com/article/0,1120,
Statistics, 2003), v, vii, x; available at 24-10017,00.html.
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2004/2004004.pdf. 13. Ira Pollock and Carlos Sundermann, Creating
2. Ibid., v, 71. Safe Schools: A Comprehensive Approach in
3. Ibid., 6. Juvenile Justice, June 2001, 13.
4. Ibid., 79. 14. Adapted from Trends and Issues: School Safety,
5. Gary D. Gottfredson et al., National Study of 2001 (Eugene, OR: ERIC Clearinghouse on
Delinquency Prevention in Schools (Ellicott City, Educational Management, 2001); available at
MD: Gottfredson Associates, 2000), 2-1; available http://eric.uoregon.edu/trends_issues/safety/
at www.gottfredson.com/national.htm. index.html#06.
6. DeVoe et al., Indicators, 2003, 40. 15. Ibid.
7. Ibid., 28. 16. K. Dwyer and D. Osher, Safeguarding Our
8. Kenneth S. Trump, National School-Based Law Children: An Action Guide (Washington, DC: U.S.
Enforcement Survey, 2003 (Anthony, FL: National Departments of Education and Justice, American
Association of School Resource Officers, 2003), 4; Institutes for Research, 2000), 2; available at
available at www.schoolsecurity.org/resources/ http://cecp.air.org/guide/actionguide.htm.
2003NASROSurvey.pdf. 17. Mary W. Green, The Appropriate and Effective Use
9. DeVoe et al., Indicators, 2003, 36, 38. of Security Technologies in U.S. Schools: A Guide for
10. Sheila Heaviside et al., Violence and Discipline Schools and Law Enforcement Agencies
Problems in U.S. Public Schools: 199697 (Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice,
(Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, 1997).
Endnotes
National Center for Education Statistics: 1998), 18. Are We Safe? Focus on Teens (Washington, DC:
vii; available at http://nces.ed.gov/pubs98/ National Crime Prevention Council, 2002), 12.
98030.pdf.
11. Are We Safe? (Washington, DC: National Crime
Prevention Council, 2001), 32.
32
Indicator Data From Schools
Data that are routinely collected by schools, law enforcement, and community
organizations are often called indicators. Indicator data are used to compare cur-
rent conditions to those in the past. Indicator data are either positive or negative.
Positive indicators are those in which an increase in the indicator numbers shows
progress or a positive result. With negative indicators, downward movement is
good.
A P P E N D I X
Below is a checklist of useful indicator data typically collected by schools.
Negatives Positives
Number of disciplinary referrals High school graduation rates
Number of suspensions Attendance rates
Number of expulsions Percentage of students participating in after-
Number of thefts on school grounds school programs
Number of arrests on school grounds

Number of drug/alcohol-related incidents
Percentage of parents attending open houses
Percentage of students continuing to post- A
secondary education
Number of incidents of vandalism/graffiti
Percentage of students achieving honor roll
Number of incidents of bullying
Indicator Data From Schools

status
Truancy rates Percentage of students involved in school
Dropout rates safety programs
33
Administering Safety and Security Surveys
To gain a clear picture of the school environment, youll need a variety of per-
spectives. Thats why its important to survey not only students but also parents
and school staff, including administrators, teachers, custodians, bus drivers, and
receptionists. Youll need to use different surveys for different audiences.
Students Administrators, Faculty,

A P P E N D I X
and Staff
The goal is to get surveys from as many students as
possible in each grade. Ideally, the surveys should Its probably easiest to administer this survey in a
be given to students in a class they all must take staff meetingagain, taking no more than 15
perhaps English or math. It may not be possible to minutes. A process similar to that used with stu-
survey every student in the school. If this is the dents usually works best. It is important to explain
case, ask the school principal to help you identify a that students and parents are also being surveyed
sample group that includes each grade level and and that all surveys will be handled anonymously
represents the diversity of the student body. The and reported only by groups.
B sample survey for high school and middle school

students included in this toolkit (see Appendix C)
If the person administering the survey is asked
about the source of the questions, he or she should
is designed to take no more than 15 minutes to explain that NCPCs chief researcher developed
complete. them from several major national surveys, adapt-
ing the questions to the statistical circumstances
Students should be told that the survey is com-

pletely anonymous. They are not even to put their found at the local school level.
first names on their papers. The person adminis-
tering the survey (probably a teacher) should Parents
explain that students are being given a chance to
Reaching parents can be difficult. One way to do
be heard. The survey is intended to let parents and
this is through a back-to-school night, where every
school staff know about situations that make stu-
parent is handed a survey and asked to complete it
dents feel concerned for their safety, as well as
to help improve school safety.
what the school might do to fix these problems.
A sign should state that surveys will be handled
There are no right or wrong answersjust the
anonymously and that students and school staff
answer each student thinks is best.
are being asked similar questions with equal
The person handing out the survey should ask
anonymity. Provide a box in which people can
students to look at it before they begin filling it
drop their completed surveys.
out to be sure they understand the questions. Another tactic is to send parent surveys home
Questions should be answered before the survey with students, along with a postage-paid envelope
process starts. Students may ask how certain ques- for parents to mail their anonymous, completed
tions are meant to be interpreted. In most cases, surveys back to the school. This option requires
the meaning of the question is whatever it the cooperation of the school staff in assigning
means to the person responding. someone to collect the surveys on the action
Once student surveys are completed, the person teams behalf. It also requires one and possibly
administering the survey should circulate a large, two sets of postage.
sealable envelope or drop box to collect the sur-
veys. The envelope should be marked only with
Evaluating Survey Results
the name of the teacher, the room, the class period
(if applicable), the date, and the number of stu- Before administering the survey, you may want to
dents present. check with your school districts computer tech-
34
nologist to see if surveys can be posted online for mediate answers would be three and two points.
electronic completion and tabulation. In this case, you would add up the values and
If thats not an option, a spreadsheet can be set divide by the total number of answers to get an
up by anyone familiar with spreadsheet software average score. But you would also need to indicate
(e.g., Microsoft Excel) to allow for question-by- the percentages of respondents who answered each
question tallying of answers. Its also possible to way. If many people answer very unsafe and
A P P E N D I X
hand-tally the answers on a grid, set up as in the very safe, for example, the average might come
table below. out at 2.5. But you might achieve the same aver-
With this method, yes/no questions can be tal- age if an equal number of people answered safe
lied and the percentage of each answer calculated. and somewhat unsafe.
For multiple-choice questions (in which answers Prepare a report that assigns values to the
may include very safe, safe, somewhat responses to each question. It will be helpful to
unsafe, very unsafe), values must be assigned. show student, teacher/staff, and parent responses
For example, very safe would equal four points, to similar questions in a table. This will highlight
very unsafe would be one point, and the inter- areas of agreement and difference.
B
Respondent Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 (etc)
#1 Yes Yes No No 3 1

#2 Yes No No Yes 2 3
#3 No No No Yes 3 2
35
SAFETY AND SECURITY SURVEYS
Survey of Students
Name of School
Date
A P P E N D I X
In general, how safe do you feel at this school?

Very safe Generally safe Somewhat safe Not very safe Unsafe
Please indicate all areas where you feel less than generally safe.
Empty classroom Bathrooms Stairwells Teachers/staff lounge Campus grounds/athletic fields
Hallways Cafeteria Parking lot Office area Gym/locker rooms
Please indicate the time(s) of day when you feel less than generally safe in any of these areas.
Before school opens During class change periods Evenings after school events
C During lunch period(s)
During class sessions
Working late in building
Evenings during school events
After school is dismissed
Please indicate how much of a problem you think each of the following has been during the most recent
Survey of Students
school year.
Somewhat Somewhat of Hardly or not
Severe Serious serious a problem a problem
Theft of personal property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Theft of school property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Vandalism to school property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Bullying/intimidation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fighting without weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fighting with weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Drug use (including alcohol) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Drug/alcohol sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Disrespect among students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Disrespect from students to adults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Students troubled walking/biking to/from school . . . . . . . .
Students troubled at bus stop/on bus to/from school . . . . .
Student misbehavior at afterschool or school-related
activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Student misbehavior in schools immediate neighborhood . . .
Uncontrolled/unmonitored access by visitors . . . . . . . . . .
What, from your perspective, is the single biggest crime/school security problem in this school?
36
Does your school have a student code of conduct or similar rules of behavior?
Yes Uncertain No
IF YES, is it well publicized to students and parents throughout the school year?
Yes Uncertain No
A P P E N D I X
If there is one, does the conduct code or set of rules (or a companion document) describe sanctions for
violations and processes for imposing sanctions?
Yes Uncertain No
Do you think that these rules are enforced fairly and that punishments are handed out fairly?
Yes Uncertain No
Does the school have a way to recognize and reinforce positive behaviors among students?
Yes Uncertain No
C
Who would you go to if you knew about a threat of violence at school?
Principal/Assistant Principal Counselor Teacher School Secretary Some other school staff person
Survey of Students
If you were to report a problem or concern your personal safety or that of another student to an adult at
school, how sure are you that he or she would know what action to take and how to take it?
Very confident Somewhat confident Not very confident Not at all confident
Does your school offer any of the following? Please check all that apply.
Peer mediation training for students Referrals for family counseling/parent training
Anger management training for students Parent involvement in school safety
Classroom management training for teachers Parent education on school safety policies, student behavior
Prompt counseling for disturbed/upset students rules
Afterschool programs for students Dont know
Do your teachers know how to maintain a good learning situation in the classroom?
All of them do pretty well Only some of them do pretty well
Most of them do pretty well Only a few do pretty well
What one thing would you do to improve safety and security at this school?
What grade are you currently in?

Are you a . . . Male Female
37
Survey of Administrators, Staff, and Faculty
Name of School
Date
In general, how safe do you feel at this school?

A P P E N D I X
Please indicate all areas where you feel less than generally safe.
Please indicate the time(s) of day when you feel less than generally safe in any of these areas.
During lunch period(s) Working late in building After school is dismissed
During class sessions Evenings during school events
C Please indicate how much of a problem you think each of the following has been during the most recent
school year.

activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
38
Yes Uncertain No
Yes Uncertain No
A P P E N D I X
Yes Uncertain No
Yes Uncertain No
Who would you go to if you knew about a threat of violence at school?

Principal/Assistant Principal Counselor Teacher School Secretary Some other school staff person C
If a student were to report a problem or concern to you involving his or her or another students personal
safety, would you know what action to take and how to take it?
Yes Uncertain No

Do you feel you have appropriate, current training in maintaining a safe, orderly learning environment for the
school?
Yes Uncertain No
Does your school have a crisis management plan? Do you understand your part in the plan?
Yes Uncertain No Yes Uncertain No
Length of time at this school:

Less than one year One to two years Two to three years Three to five years Five to 10 years More than 10 years
Please indicate your status: Teacher Administrator Other staff
39
Survey of Parents
Note: If you have more than one child at the school, please fill out only one survey.
Name of School
Date
In general, how safe do you feel your child is at this school?

A P P E N D I X
Please indicate all areas where you believe your child feels less than generally safe.
Please indicate the time(s) of day when you believe that your child feels less than generally safe in any of
these areas.
C During lunch period(s)
During class sessions
Working late in building
Evenings during school events
After school is dismissed
Please indicate how much of a problem you think each of the following has been for your child during the
Survey of Parents
most recent school year.


activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
40
Yes Uncertain No
Yes Uncertain No
A P P E N D I X
Yes Uncertain No
Yes Uncertain No
If a student were to report a problem or concern to an adult in the school involving his or her or another
students personal safety, would that adult know what action to take and how to take it?
Yes Uncertain No C
Survey of Parents
Do you feel that teachers and other staff have appropriate, current training in maintaining a safe, orderly
learning environment for the school?
Yes Uncertain No
Does your school have a crisis management plan? Do you understand your part in the plan?
Yes Uncertain No Yes Uncertain No
How long have you had at least one student in this school?
Please indicate current grade levels of children at this school:

Pre-K First Third Fifth Seventh Ninth Eleventh
Kindergarten Second Fourth Sixth Eighth Tenth Twelfth
How long have you lived in this neighborhood?

41
Basic School Safety and Security Assessment
This assessment is designed as an initial scan of the school or as part of a follow-
up to a professional safety assessment by a trained law enforcement, school secu-
rity, or similar specialist. The assessment involves two key concepts: physical
climate and social climate. Although these concepts will be examined chiefly on
the school campus, the immediate neighborhood will also be considered because
the surrounding environment might create safety concerns.
A P P E N D I X
Who Can Perform data) reveal about when and where there have
This Assessment? been problems? What do neighborhood crime
data show about incidents involving students?
This assessment is designed for parents, school 2. Make a checklist of issues based on these data.
staff, older high school students, and school safety Make sure there is space on the checklist to
and law enforcement personnel who have not had note whether specific problems have been fixed,
specialized training in such work. It may be help- partially fixed, or not fixed, as well as follow-up
ful to work in teams; two or three sets of eyes and required and who will do it. Use the assessment
D ears are more likely to notice problems that need
attention. Have one person complete the assess-
form so that the person recording that informa-
tion can quickly note where and when prob-
ment checklist (see below), while others jot down lems are spotted during the assessment. If
specific situation notes. One other helpful hint: if possible, invite a local law enforcement officer
youre planning to conduct parent, teacher/staff,
(the school resource officer or an officer familiar

and student surveys too (see Appendices B and C), with your neighborhood) to go with you on the
do those first; the survey results will help your assessment. The officer may not be trained in
assessment team zero in on problems more school safety assessments, but he or she will
quickly. most likely have had crime prevention training
as well as experience in the field.
How Do You Perform 3. Get a map or a set of maps of the school, one
an Assessment? for each level or floor of the building. Make
sure that one of the maps includes all the out-
Full-blown school safety and security assess- side areas, well marked.
mentswhich every school should, ideally, con- 4. Recognize that this work will take some time.
duct at least once every three yearsrequire an You may wish to schedule it over two days if
experienced professional who can look at the your school is big.
school objectively and in the context of similar 5. Consider inviting some students to join you;
schools in other settings. If this is not an option, students who are interested in law enforcement
you can do a lot with a less formal assessment. The or building trades careers, for example, would
process will increase your knowledge of the build- learn from the experience.
ing and the way the school is operated.
Note that the first section of the assessment,
1. Collect information. If the school has had a All Areas, should be repeated in each area of the
safety assessment before, what were the results? building and grounds that you assess (play/athletic
What do the student, teacher/staff, and parent areas, classrooms, driving/parking areas, etc.). You
surveys tell you about places and times people may want to make additional copies of this section
feel unsafe? What do school records (indicator before the assessment.
42
Name of School
Date(s) Conducted Completed by
All Areas
A P P E N D I X
For each area of the building and grounds listed on the following pages (play/athletic areas, classrooms,
driving/parking areas, etc.), note the following as applicable:
Yes Uncertain No
Doors: Metal or metal-clad wood, locked from outside, not propped open, glass
guarded against breakage, and no external hardware except on entry doors
Windows: Locked from outside, guarded against breakage and entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ladders, fire escapes, etc.: Upper floors secured against entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Boundary lines: School property is clearly defined as viewed from this area . . . . . . . . . .
Lines of sight: From this area, people can see and be seen easily by others . . . . . . . . . . D
Lines of sight: This area can be seen by persons inside the building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Lighting (check at night if possible): Sufficient light to make activity in this area

visible to passersby on foot, in cars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Signage: There is a sign in this area telling visitors where to report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Signage: There is a sign easily visible in the main area of entry that gives school
name and street address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Trash: The area is free (or nearly free) of trash, debris, and graffiti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Trash: There is a trash bin (or bins) available . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Pathways: Walkways or other pedestrian paths are clear and well lighted . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Bike storage: Any bike racks in area are secured to the ground, in good repair,
and visible from building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Shrubbery and trees: All trees and shrubs are trimmed to refuse hiding places
for persons (and access to upper floors in case of trees) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Equipment: All maintenance and other equipment and all utility fixtures are either
fenced off securely or under lock and key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
General: Area is attractive, well kept, and in good repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Play or Athletic Areas

Line of sight: Play areas are visible from the building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Boundaries: Play areas are clearly defined and fenced in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Access: Emergency vehicles can reach the area easily . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(continued)
43
Play or Athletic Areas (continued)
Yes Uncertain No
Structures: Equipment sheds, field houses, etc., have sturdy doors and locks . . . . . . . . . .
Structures: Equipment sheds, field houses, etc., are visible from building and
A P P E N D I X
from roadways, etc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Equipment: Freestanding or loose equipment is properly locked up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Condition: There is no trash, debris, or graffiti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Classrooms
Lighting: Rooms are well lighted with interior lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Access: Doors are lockable, with deadbolt locks if warranted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
D Access: Vision panels in doors or classroom walls are clean and unobstructed . . . . . . . . . .
Access: Classroom doors that open to outside are locked unless in use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Access: Students are not permitted in classrooms without proper supervision . . . . . . . . . .
Communication: There is a two-way communication system between the . . . . . . . . . . . .

main office and the classroom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Temporary classrooms (trailers): All are visible from building, connected . . . . . . . . . . . .
by communication system and alarm system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Materials: Any chemicals and other hazardous or potentially dangerous materials . . . . . .
are kept in locked storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Driving and Parking Areas

Traffic control: Stop signs, other devices adequately control inflow, outflow of traffic . . . .
Surveillance: Parking areas can be seen from within the building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surveillance: Parking areas are visible from adjacent street(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surveillance: Parking areas are patrolled during school hours; student arrivals
and departures are monitored . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Lighting (check at night): Adequate lighting in all areas of all lots to make vandals,
car thieves visible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Condition: All areas are clear of trash, debris, and graffiti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hallways, Stairways, Bathrooms, Other Common Areas

Lighting: Hallways and stairways are well lighted any time building is in use . . . . . . . . . . .
Lighting: After-hours lighting provides sufficient light for navigation and surveillance . . . . .
44
Hallways, Stairways, Bathrooms, Other Common Areas (continued)
Yes Uncertain No
Lighting: Bathroom lights are controlled by key switch rather than toggle switch . . . . . . . .
Lines of sight: Hallways can be monitored by several teachers/staff from
A P P E N D I X
their classrooms/offices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Lines of sight: Stairways are equipped, where appropriate, with convex mirrors
for surveillance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Condition: All areas are clear of trash, debris, and graffiti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Traffic control: Signs and floor markings, in good condition, are provided as needed . . . . .
Access: Hallways are kept clear and not used for storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Access: Bathrooms are kept clear and not used for storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Policies and Practices

D
Key control: Keys are kept under strict inventory and secured appropriately . . . . . . . . . . . .
Key control: Master keys are limited and numbered; holders must sign for them . . . . . . . .

Building management: Policies spell out responsibility for opening and closing
security checks and for checks of the building at least once during the day . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Student behavior: Code of conduct is established, clearly posted in several
locations, reviewed at least twice yearly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Student behavior: Code of conduct spells out procedure for violations, penalties . . . . . . . .
Student behavior: Students are reasonably orderly and quiet as they walk through
hallways for class changes, recess, lunch, etc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Faculty/staff: Administrators/teachers monitor hallways with friendly hello attitude . . . .
Faculty/staff: Faculty are trained (and refresher-trained) in good classroom
management techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Faculty/staff: Faculty/staff are kept up-to-date on resources for help for students . . . . . . .
Faculty/staff: All know procedures for reporting crimes and agree to do so . . . . . . . . . . . .
Faculty/staff: When on campus, whether inside or outside building, they reasonably
enforce rules and code of conduct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Parents: Parents are involved in developing discipline process, code of conduct . . . . . . . . .
Parents: Parents are provided annually with current code of conduct and disciplinary
process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Security: If ID badges are used, all faculty, staff, and students are required to
wear them . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(continued)
45
Policies and Practices (continued)
Yes Uncertain No
Crisis management: The school has a crisis management plan in place and faculty,
staff, students, and parents understand their roles in that plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
A P P E N D I X
Law enforcement coordination: The school and key staff meet regularly with
local law enforcement regarding school issues and potential concerns/crises . . . . . . . . . . .
Policy development, volunteering: Parents are encouraged to get involved
appropriately in school safety/security issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Policy development, volunteering: Students are encouraged to get involved
appropriately in school safety and security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Comments
D Be sure to comment on areas marked no above.

46
Forum Facilitation Guide
This appendix describes the facilitation process to use during your Be Safe and
Sound school safety and security forum. The process is simple and straightfor-
ward and requires only knowledge of the key issues of concern to your school. To
ensure success, facilitators will need to maintain discipline during the process and
keep solutions provided by participants specific to the section in which they are
working.
A P P E N D I X
What Is a Facilitator? People will want to place blame. Remind them
that this is a strategic planning process and not
Facilitators are not expected to be content experts! the time to blame or attack others.
You may hear, We have done this before. You
Content experts
are not responsible for the process and should
Present information
not try to justify it. The process works if given a
Provide the correct answers
chance.
Promote one-way communication
Facilitators
Participants may ask, What will happen next?
Let them know that this will be explained at the
end of the forum.
E
Guide discussion
Provide the right questions The assumption of this planning process is that
Promote two-way communication program needs should be considered before

anything is eliminated; this means, for example,
that no suggestion should be rejected because of
Ground Rules budget limitations. This is visionary thinking.
Before the forum begins, review with the facilita- Encourage participants to think outside the
tors the following ground rules: box.
Follow the process. Common Mistakes

Do not allow speeches.
Do not allow debate. Not adhering to the process
Allow opportunity for clarification. Injecting personal opinion
Be sure that everyone has an opportunity to Arguing or debating with participants
contribute. Requiring participants to convince the
Do not interject opinion on content areas. facilitator
Record ideas. Too much dialog (from facilitator and
No idea is a bad idea. participants)
Do not argue. Losing control
Move beyond blame statements. Vague solutions rather than specific
actions.
Cautions
Materials
When people are identifying problem state-
ments, they will be tempted to provide solution The action team should provide flip charts and
statements. Keep them focused on problems. markers or similar materials for recording ideas.
Maintain the discipline of the exercise. You will also need tape for posting sheets of chart
47
paper on the wall. During the brainstorming ses- 2. Begin the brainstorming to discuss identified
sions, it is important that ideas be recorded clearly problems and their impact on the school and
and where every participant can see and refer to community.
them. Markers will also be used to indicate votes 3. Give each participant in the group an opportu-
on the flip chart when participants are prioritizing nity to respond
statements. 4. Record comments as stated by participants.
A P P E N D I X
Encourage imaginative thinking.

5. Ask participants to identify the five problems
The Problem-solving Process they consider most important by making a visi-
The school safety and security forum utilizes a spe- ble mark next to their choices. Clarify that each
cific problem-solving sequence for strategic plan- participant will vote five times (see above note
ning. The model centers on four components for on the voting process).
discussion: problems, barriers, solutions, and 6. Tally the votes, and record on a single sheet of
resources. The key components of the process are paper the top five problem statements as deter-
as follows: mined by the group.
E 1. Prioritize Problems
Use of Time
We recommend 30 minutes for this section
Action team members will present problems that 25 minutes for participants to discuss problems
have been identified by the school safety and secu- and 5 minutes for voting. The action team should
rity assessments and other research. advise you of the amount of time allotted to prior-
itizing problems.
Objective: To list problems and have participants
prioritize the top five problems
2. Identify Barriers
Facilitator Notes Barriers are issues or activities that prevent us from
Introduce yourself to participants. effectively addressing the problems. Barriers repre-
Have participants introduce themselves, sent a diagnosis of whats at the heart of a prob-
giving their name, title, and organization lem, i.e., what prevents progress toward a safer,
(if applicable). more secure school.
Explain the objective for this portion of the
process. Objective: To brainstorm and prioritize three bar-
Explain the ground rules for the facilitation riers related to each of the five identified problems
process.
Facilitator Notes
Continue the process until time or ideas are
exhausted. Explain that the process will move quickly and
Give each participant the option to pass. that participants will be asked to brainstorm
Voting process: Participants should use a col- barriers to each of the five priority problems.
ored marker to make a clear, visible mark on Continue the process until time or ideas are
the flip chart next to each of the five problem exhausted.
statements they consider most important. Each Give each participant the option to pass.
mark constitutes a vote, and each participant Remind participants that barrier statements
will vote five times. should be directly related to the problem at
hand.
Process Voting process: Participants should use a col-
1. Record all the problems identified by the action ored marker to make a clear, visible mark on
team on a piece of chart paper. the flip chart next to the three barrier state-
48
ments they consider most important for each tified. (The idea is that once barriers are removed,
of the five problems. Each mark constitutes a resources and programs will easily follow.)
vote and each participant will vote 15 times Solution statements should be as specific as
(three barrier statements for each of the five possible. Solution statements should clearly
problems). identify the following:
A P P E N D I X
Process What is the activity that is being called for?
1. Quickly review the top five problem state- What is the outcome hoped for from the
ments. activity?
2. Write one problem statement at the top of a What needs to be accomplished?
piece of chart paper. Who should do it?
3. Begin brainstorming to identify barriers to Why (if it is not obvious)?
eliminating the problem.
4. Give each participant in the group an opportu- Remember that the people developing the
nity to respond action plan after the forum may not have been
5. Record each barrier statement that is offered.
6. Combine similar ideas and clarify any barriers
present in your group, so the solutions should be
easy for them to understand and should be written
E
that are not clear. in objective form (specifying an action or objective
7. Repeat the exercise for each of the five prob- that can be accomplished within a certain time
lems, using a new sheet of chart paper for each frame). See the example on page 50.

problem.
8. Ask participants to identify the three barriers Objective: To brainstorm and prioritize solutions
they consider most important for each problem that address one or all of the three prioritized
by making a visible mark on the flip chart next barriers
to their choices. Explain that each participant
will vote a total of 15 times (see above note on Facilitator Notes
the voting process for this section). Use the same brainstorming process that was
9. Once youve tallied votes and finalized solu- used to identify barriers.
tions for one problem/barrier set, move to the Make sure solutions coming out of the brain-
next problem/barrier set and repeat the process. storming process resolve one or all of the top
Tally the votes, and record each problem and three barriers related to a given problem. Each
its top three barrier statements on a separate solution statement should refer to the change
sheet of chart paper. that is desired (i.e., response to problem/
barrier).
Use of Time Explain that the process will move quickly and
We recommend 90 minutes for brainstorming that participants will be asked to articulate a
and prioritizing barriers18 minutes per problem solution to each identified problem/barrier set.
(15 for brainstorming and 3 for voting). The Continue the exercise until time or ideas are
action team should advise you of the time allotted exhausted.
to this section on the agenda. Give each participant the option to pass.
Voting process: Participants should use a col-
ored marker to make a clear, visible mark on
3. Identify Solutions
the flip chart next to the three solution state-
To make this exercise work as a tool for develop- ments they consider most important for each of
ing a concrete action plan, solution statements the five problem/barrier sets. Each mark consti-
must address specific barriers that have been iden- tutes a vote and each participant will vote
49
Problem Barrier Strong Solution Weak Solution
Statement Statement Statement Statement
Example 1 East stairwell has been Teachers and administra- Action team will investigate Monitor this
the site of numerous tors cannot monitor this options for opening up this stairwell.
A P P E N D I X
drug deals and bullying stairwell from the hallway. stairwell to monitoring (e.g.,
incidents. windows, mirrors).
Example 2 Safety programs and No staff member is identi- Principal will appoint a staff Publicize
services exist at the fied to coordinate informa- member (e.g., school coun- services.
school but are not well tion and promote these selor, social worker, or
publicized. programs and services. school resource officer) to
develop and distribute a list
of relevant services.
E Example 3 Multiple thefts have

occurred inside the
school this year.
It is impossible to distin-
guish between current
students, former students,
To determine costs, logis-
tics, and feasibility of
introducing an ID badge
Get ID badges.
and other visitors to the program, the assistant

school building, so its principal will contact other
hard to know who is schools that require

stealing. students and visitors to
wear ID badges.
Example 4 Survey data show that Students wont report Social worker will research Teach students
both students and individuals who have anger management curric- how to
teachers perceive pushed or teased them ula that can be incorporated better solve
shoving and verbal because they are afraid of into family life classes and/ problems.
abuse as a major prob- being teased more or or afterschool programs
lem in school hallways. beaten up.
15 times (three solution statements for each of Process

the five problem/barrier sets). 1. Record one problem on a sheet of chart paper.
Ask each participant to be as specific as possi- Underneath it, record the top three barrier
ble, drawing on his or her experiences and those
statements related to that problem, as identi-
of the organization he or she represents. The
fied and prioritized by the group.
facilitator or recorder should write the sug-
2. Begin the brainstorming to identify solutions
gested solutions in complete sentences and
use language that outlines specific actions. to resolve each of the identified barriers (this
Information derived from the brainstorming can be done on a separate sheet of chart paper).
sessions will be used by the safety and security 3. Give each participant an opportunity to
action team to develop an action plan. As such, respond.
it will be important to draw on information 4. Record each solution.
that is specific, clearly written, easily under- 5. Repeat the exercise until time or ideas have
stood, and logical. been exhausted.
50
6. Combine similar ideas and clarify any solutions Process
that are not clear. 1. Record one problem on a sheet of chart paper.
7. Ask participants to identify the three solution Underneath it, record the top three solution
statements they consider most important for statements related to that problem, as identified
each problem/barrier set by making a visible and prioritized by the group.
mark next to their choices. Clarify that each 2. Begin the brainstorming to identify resources to
A P P E N D I X
participant will vote a total of 15 times (see support each of the identified solutions (this
above note on the voting process for this sec- can be done on a separate sheet of chart paper).
tion). 3. Give each participant an opportunity to
8. Once youve tallied votes and finalized solu- respond.
tions for one problem/barrier set, move to the 4. Record each resource.
next problem/barrier set and repeat the process. 5. Repeat the exercise until time or ideas have
been exhausted.
Use of Time
6. Combine similar ideas and clarify any solutions
We recommend 90 minutes for brainstorming and that are not clear.
prioritizing solutions. Each problem requires 18
minutes15 for brainstorming and 3 for voting. Use of Time
E
The action team should advise you of the time We recommend 30 minutes for brainstorming
allotted to this section on the agenda. resourcessix minutes for each problem. The
action team should advise you of the time allotted

4. Identify Resources to this section on the agenda.
After the forum is adjourned, take the time to
To implement the action plan, the safety and clearly record each problem statement, its barrier
security action team will need to gather resources and solution statements, and potential resources.
such as funding, in-kind donations, and pro bono Use a separate sheet of paper for each problem,
services. People and agencies, such as elected offi- and record only the prioritized statements (see
cials or state school safety centers, can also be example below). This small step will save a lot of
resources. time for the action team and greatly assist them in
developing objectives for the school safety and
Objective: To identify one or more resources that
security action plan.
support each of the top solution statements
Facilitator Notes
Problem 1:
Use the same brainstorming process that was
used to identify barriers and solutions. Barrier 1:
Explain that the process will move quickly and Barrier 2:
that participants will be asked to identify Barrier 3:
resources to support the top solution state-
ments. Solution 1:
Continue the exercise until time or ideas are Solution 2:
exhausted. Solution 3:
Give each participant the option to pass.
No voting process is used when brainstorming Potential Resources:
potential resources.
51
Action Planning Chart
Objective
Activity
A P P E N D I X
Action Steps To Who Will

Complete Activity Take Action Deadline(s) Outcome
1.
F
2.
Action Planning Chart
3.
4.
5.
52
Sample Safety and Security Action Plan
North County Middle School Action Plan
Goal: By June 2005, North County Middle School will have in place strategies
and equipment that will make the learning environment more safe and secure.
Objective 1 Activity 3
A P P E N D I X
To provide a safe and secure environment during Establish a school safety resource center for par-
daytime and evening hours of building use ents.
Activity 1
Objective 3
Work with school technology coordinator to
research and select state-of-the-art video surveil- To enhance positive student/teacher relationships
lance camera system for installation. affecting school climate and safety
Activity 2 Activity 1
Consult with state center for school safety about

companies that might be willing to donate a swipe
Invite outside experts to provide three staff work-
shops on building relationships with students,
G
door lock system. Contact those companies. using the Behave In/Behave Out and Building
Champions curriculum models.
Sample Safety and Security Action Plan

Objective 2 Activity 2
To provide training and support for parents and Select school staff to attend safe schools confer-
caregivers ence.
Activity 1 Activity 3
Send three parents from the community to attend Provide a forum in which teachers can share their
the state Behavior Instruction Academy. success stories concerning positive student/teacher
relationships.
Activity 2
Host three evening and afternoon workshops on
bullying prevention. Engage presenters from
Physicians for Change.
53
Working With the Media
Here are some tips to working with the media to publicize your initiative and
advocate your cause.
Determine Your Message Build a Media List

Determining your message may be your most To be an effective media advocate, you will need a
A P P E N D I X
important task in media advocacy. What exactly is media list outlining exactly where to send infor-
it you want to communicate? Identify three key mation that you want printed, broadcast, or dis-
statements you can use in all your dealings with played. In smaller communities, your media list
the media, no matter what the story is. These mes- might contain just a couple of radio or TV sta-
sage points will help you frame the issue and make tions and one or two newspapers; in larger com-
your case consistently. Theyll also help you select munities, it might be pages long, listing a range of
stories that best convey your action teams priori- TV, radio, and cable outlets; daily and weekly
ties and goals for your school safety and security publications; transit and outdoor-posting com-
campaign. panies; and special-interest media as well. Here are
H To be successful dealing with the media, you
need a storysomething compelling to say, some-
thing that merits wide dissemination in your com-
some pointers for developing and maintaining
your list:
munity. Put yourself in a reporters or an editors

Use media directories at your local library and
place. Think headlines: what is this story about in
on the Internet, such as Broadcasting Yearbook,

ten words or fewer? Think public interest: why
Editor and Publisher Yearbook, PBI Media
should people care? And think sources: where can
Services, Bacons, Hudsons, and The Gebbie
you and the media go for quotes, statistics, and
Press All-in-One Directory.
other information that will give the story a factual
Include all major daily and weekly news-
basis and relevancy?
papersmake sure to provide feature news to
Whatever is newsworthy about a story is called
minority and community newspapers as much
a hook, and, as a media advocate, its your job to
as possible.
create the hook. Remember that reporters are
looking for stories that are full of new informa- Develop an inventory of state and local
tion, new research, new programs, and new ideas. publicationsbusiness magazines and week-
Theyre also looking for compelling feature stories lies, trade journals, senior citizen bulletins
about interesting people, programs, and activities that might be interested in your news.
in your community. If your campaign cant offer Include college and university newspapers,
breaking news, focus on messages that empha- as well as newsletters and bulletins published
size the human interest angle. Whatever you can by churches, hospitals, community groups,
do to play up the local appeal of your story will and other prominent local organizations and
also improve its chances of being covered by the institutions.
media. Include television and radio stations and
Note: Decide who will be your action teams cable outlets with news and talk shows
point of contact (the person whom reporters or and other public and community affairs
other media representatives should contact) for a programming.
particular issue or story, and make sure he or she is Dont forget your local or state wire-service
comfortable with your messages. Always provide bureausespecially Associated Press (AP) and
the name and telephone number of the point of Reutersand be sure to include their daybook
contact so that media representatives can get editors, who compile daily calendar listings of
answers quickly. important events for the reporting community.
54
Call media outlets to confirm whom to send release as is or assign a reporter to attend an event,
things to and how. Verify that you have the conduct interviews, and write the story. News
proper contact names, phone and fax numbers, releases may be sent out prior to an event for
and email addresses. Try to find out which advance publicity or after an event to describe
reporters cover your beat or topic, such as the what took place. Informational releases can also be
school system or local crime. Community sent out whenever you have news or information
A P P E N D I X
newspapers may assign a specific reporter to to share (even if you arent planning an event). In
cover your school. addition to media outlets, be sure to send your
Include more than one contact per media news releases to corporations to include in their
organization, especially at major outlets. That newsletters, as well as public information officers
means city and section editors (for print) and of local government offices, social service agencies,
news directors, assignment editors, and pro- and nonprofit organizations.
ducers (for broadcast), as well as individual Write press releases in the inverted pyramid
reporters. style. This means that the most important facts
Update your media list regularlykeep an
eye out for reporters who are covering school
issues and add their names. Do your best to
(who-what-when-where-how-why) come first.
The less important facts come next, and the least
important facts come last. Note that importance is
H
keep up with all personnel and address changes. defined by what the media and the public will find
Dont limit your media contacts to your com-
important, not by what your group wants high-
munitys daily newspapers and major TV and

lighted. Study news articles to see what type of
radio stations. Include your schools newspaper
information is usually emphasized. By following
and PTA newsletter, your school systems pub-
the inverted pyramid style of writing, youll make
lications, local calendars of events (often found
sure that your audience or readers get the most
in newspapers but separate from the daily
important information first. Dont bury the most
news), and any other communication outlets in
important information at the end of a story or
your community. Dont forget about websites,
broadcast!
cable TV organizations, and supermarket
More tips for successful news releases:
bulletin boards.
Include organizations and individuals in
your communityfrom the local Rotary Club Address your release to a specific person. News
or Chamber of Commerce to your Senator and outlets get tons of news pitches every day;
Representativeswho might be interested in addressing yours to a specific person will
hearing about your work. increase its chances of being read.
Include a release date. This tells the editor that
the news is timely.
Writing Media Communications Include the name and phone number of a con-
Step 5 of this kit outlines various methods of com- tact person for reporters to call if they have
municating with the media, such as press releases questions.
or events. Following are guidelines for using two Create a catchy headline (no more than ten
of the most common methods: news releases and words) that explains your story. Being creative
advisories. and informative in your headline will help your
story stand out.
Include your city and state on the release, even
Press Releases
if the event you are planning is local.
Press releases (also called news releases) form the Limit your release to no more than one or two
basis of a news story. An editor may run the pages, if possible.
55
Develop a strong lead paragraph. The lead feels compelled to send someone to cover your
paragraph should offer a concise, engaging event but not so much information that you
summary of your news pitch. scoop yourself and tell your whole story before it
Put # # # at the bottom of the page to tell the actually occurs. Try to keep the key text of your
reader that your release is finished. advisory to one page.
Include a brief overview of the organization (or See Appendix J for a sample media advisory.
A P P E N D I X
organizations) responsible for the news/event.

More Media Relations Resources
See Appendix K for a sample press release.
This tipsheet was adapted from two NCPC publi-
cations, Partnering With the Media To Build Safer
Media Advisories
Communities and Working With the News
Media advisories alert the media of upcoming Media, part of the Youth Action Packet. See the
events, encouraging news organizations to send a resource section for more information.
reporter and a photographer or television camera You may also want to check out the following:
H to cover a specific event. An advisory should be

sent out by 6:00 a.m. the Monday morning prior
to your event (if your event is on Wednesday, the
Public Relations: A Practical Guide for PTA
Leaders on the National PTA website:
10th, your advisory should be at the news station www.pta.org/parentinvolvement/healthsafety/
by 6:00 a.m. on Monday the 8th). Editors deter- crisis/media/prg1.asp.
mine what stories will be covered early in the Working with the Media, from the Community
week. Works website: http://home.connection.com/
Advisories should be concise, offering bullet ~regan/Media.html.
points explaining the who, what, where, and Working with the Media, from the National
when of your event. The why of the event Youth Network Youth in Action Bulletin, num-
should be explained in one or two short para- ber 14, March 2000, Office of Juvenile Justice
graphs offering highlights and/or background and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department
information. In telling the why, youll want to of Justice, at www.ncjrs.org/html/ojjdp/youth
include enough details so the assignment editor bulletin/2000_02_1/contents.html.
56
Planning a Press Event
A press or community event to kick off your action plan will not only celebrate
your schools commitment to safety and security and build excitement but also
recognize the hard work your action team has done to date. The school is a nat-
ural choice as an event venue. Consider planning a Be Safe and Sound campaign
launch in coordination with a back-to-school fundraiser, parent night, PTA/PTO
meeting, sporting event, or pep rally. Having a built-in audience for your event
A P P E N D I X
will make it easier to attract elected officials and the media.
Determine Your Message Determine a Background or Backdrop
This is the most critical part of any event. Know Your location may take care of this. If not or if
what you want to say, and be able to explain why you are using signage, follow these tips:
you are doing the event. If you are launching a
campaign, what is the news and why? Look for the Put your message behind your speakeruse
newsworthy angle. Everything that follows will tie words or pictures. A wallpaper style banner on
back to this decision. Take the time to think this
through.
which the message/logo is small and repeated is
the most effective layout.
Less is more; keep the background simple.
I
Use a matte, not glossy background. A shiny
Select a Location
background will create camera glare and dis-

Is there a specific site that helps tell your story? If tract viewers. To create a matte effect on a
your event is intended to announce school safety glossy sign, spray it with hairspray.
and security improvements, the school is a logical
location. In planning your location, always think
Lighting
in terms of visuals. Which rooms or outdoor
venues will provide the best footage? If you create You can almost never have too much light for
compelling visuals, you increase your chance of cameras. If you can stage an event outdoors during
being covered. daylight hours, youll get great pictures. If not, try
to provide as much light as possible. Avoid loca-
tions in which there is back light (e.g., from win-
Select Speakers
dows behind the speaker)the backlighting will
Who will be telling your story and why? This make your speaker appear as a dark image with
decision is second only to the message. Your few features. Ideal light is achieved with white,
spokesperson can make or break your message. incandescent (not fluorescent) bulbs and hits the
The school principal may be an excellent choice speaker from above and from the front. If poor
for spokesperson. If you use a local celebrity, busi- lighting is unavoidable, be sure to provide advance
ness leader, or elected official, make sure his or her notice of this in your media advisory so camera
personal track record and behavior parallel your crews and photographers can plan accordingly.
message. If you want your speaker to do personal
interviews on your message outside of this event,
Press Riser and Cut-away
make sure the speaker is comfortable in that for-
mat and that he or she knows enough about your If you have a designated area for the press to film
message to speak unscripted on the topic. Provide from, it should be
talking points for your speaker; everyone who
speaks on your issue should convey the same con- Directly in front of the speaker (known as a
sistent message. head-on)
57
At the same height as the speaker (if the speaker Press Kits
stage is 36 inches, the press riser should be
All media that attend your event should receive a
36 inches)
press kit that provides all the information to write
No more than 75 feet from the speaker. Again,
a story on your event. The kit should include, as
if that distance (known as the throw) is longer
available, the following:
than 75 feet, be sure to inform the media on
A P P E N D I X
the advisory so they can plan accordingly.

A copy of any speech or statement given at the
event
A cut-away shot allows camera crews to film the
Copies of the media advisory and press release
event from a different angle, reinforcing your mes-
Compelling statistics about school safety and
sage with an alternative visual. For example, your
security
head-on shot may have a wallpaper background
An overview of the school safety and security
with the words Be Safe and Sound behind the
improvements that your action plan will be
speaker, while the cut-away shot offers a close-up
introducing
from the right, capturing poster-sized yearbook
I images of the student body. Cut-aways are a great
way to get creative and add interest to your
Biographical information about event speakers,
key action team members, and community
leaders who participated in the school safety
pictures. and security forum
A fact sheet about the Be Safe and Sound cam-
Audio-visual Equipment paign (see Appendix L).
Each event varies in audio-visual (A/V) needs. Media Outreach

Evaluate your event site and your expected cover- Fax, email, mail, or deliver a media advisory to
age to determine your needs. A good rule is that local media outlets. Be considerate of deadlines,
the larger the event, the more press youll have as well as preferred lead times for stories.
attending and the greater the need for A/V. Broadcast stations will need at least 24 hours
Possible A/V items include advance notice if you want camera crews to
cover your event. Daily newspaper reporters
Staging. Remember, if you have the speaker usually need at least two days advance notice. A
on a stage, the press should be seated at equal good rule of thumb is to send your advisory by
height, so order accordingly. 6:00 a.m. on the Monday prior to your event.
Lighting. See above. Follow up on your advisory with a phone call
Sound. Use equipment that can be adjusted for 24 hours before the event. Be prepared to give
the size of the room and the number of atten- event details and re-send the original advisory.
dees. A/V technicians will give you good advice. At the event: Provide press kits to the media and
House sound is usually your worst option. have your speaker ready for interviews. Have
Mult box. If you expect to have more than someone at your event who can take quality pho-
three cameras and/or radio stations attending, tos or video, in case the press doesnt show up.
or you have a long throw (distance between Send a press release immediately after your
your speaker and where your cameras will be), event. Include pictures or film with your
provide a mult box as a courtesy. Mult boxes release, and be sure to provide the names of
allow press to plug directly into the primary people in the photos.
microphone to eliminate excess noise. This will Follow up with a phone call to make sure the
ensure that TV viewers get the best possible information was received and to answer any
sound quality to hear your message. questions.
58
Key Terms Press kit. A kit of background information, statis-
tics, and quotes provided to reporters about a
Angle. A unique or compelling way of telling your specific program or event.
story to captivate the interest of a news editor Press release. A story that tells the who, what,
or reporter. when, where, how, and why of an event or
Lead time. The amount of time a news organiza- activity that has taken place and provides inter-
A P P E N D I X
tion needs to receive information in advance in esting quotes or illustrations that may form the
order to fit the news into a specific publication basis of a news story. See Appendix K for more
or broadcast. details and a sample release.
Media advisory. A notice of an upcoming event Talking points. Key campaign messages that
that highlights why media should be interested. should be communicated consistently in events,
See Appendix J for more details and a sample correspondence, media interviews and meet-
advisory. ings.
Mult box. A piece of A/V equipment that allows Throw. The distance between the speaker and the
press to plug directly into the primary micro- cameras.
phone.
I
59
Sample Media Advisory
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Ann Smith
Monday, August 30, 2004 xxx-xxx-xxxx
West Lake High School To Launch Be Safe and Sound Campaign

WHO: West Lake High School, in partnership with Acme Lighting Supply,
Software Solutions Inc., and the [state] Center for School Safety
A P P E N D I X
WHAT: Press event to introduce West Lake High Schools (WLHS) Be Safe and Sound
campaign, focusing on school safety and security improvements. Corporate partners
Acme Lighting Supply and Software Solutions, Inc. will pledge in-kind support to
WLHS in the implementation of a school safety and security action plan.
Additionally, the Jones Foundation will present the school with $5,000 for safety
and security upgrades. This event will coincide with the schools annual Open
House night, with an expected 150 parents in attendance.
J Invitees
The Honorable Diane Smart, xx State Senate
The Honorable Charles Lane, xx State Legislature
The Honorable Andrew Fletcher, [state] Department of Education
Ms. Kay Roberts, Director, [state] Center for School Safety
Sample Media Advisory
The Honorable Catherine Sanders, Mayor, City of xxx

Mr. John Jackson, Police Chief, City of xxx
Ms. Nancy Johnson, Superintendent, City of xxx School District
WHERE: West Lake High School Gymnasium

200 Main Street
City, State
School Contact Number: xxx-xxx-xxxx
WHEN: Friday, September 3, 2004, 6:00 p.m.
WHY: Over the last year, WLHS has conducted several surveys and audits in order to iden-
tify safety and security problems on its campus. Using the Be Safe and Sound cam-
paign model of the National Crime Prevention Council, the school has engaged
parents and community members in developing solutions to address these issues and
constructing a comprehensive action plan.
###
West Lake High School is the largest public high school in the county, comprising 1,200 students in
grades 912. Last year, the school ranked fifth in the state for academic performance.
Be Safe and Sound is a national campaign that seeks to educate people about safety and security issues,
advocate for safety and security improvements, and challenge those environments where people are poten-
tially at risk. Initially, Be Safe and Sound focuses on improving the safety and security of our nations
schools through parental activism. The campaign is an initiative of the National Crime Prevention Council
(NCPC) conducted in collaboration with National PTA and NCPC partners, The Allstate Foundation,
ASSA ABLOY Group, Nextel Communications, and the Security Industry Association.
60
Sample Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Ann Smith
Friday, September 3, 2004 xxx-xxx-xxxx
West Lake High School Launches Be Safe and Sound Campaign

Anywhere, USA. On September 3, more than 120 parents, 600 students, 30 Chamber of Commerce
representatives, and the xxx City Mayor and Police Chief attended a kickoff event at West Lake High
A P P E N D I X
School (WLHS) to introduce the schools new Be Safe and Sound campaign. The campaign, adopted from
a National Crime Prevention Council model, is dedicated to improving school safety and security with a
particular focus on efforts to reduce bullying, vandalism, and theft.
WLHS Principal John Doelast years state principal of the yearspoke to attendees about the schools
safety accomplishments thus far. Over the last year, the school conducted several surveys and audits in
order to identify safety and security problems on campus. The school has since engaged parents and
community members in developing solutions to address these issues and constructing a comprehensive
action plan.
Every child should be able to attend school feeling that he or she is in a safe and secure learning environ-
K
ment, said Doe. Our Be Safe and Sound action team of parents, teachers, students, and local business
partners is working to make this a reality.
Sample Press Release

Immediate school improvements this year will include the introduction of anti-bullying curricula in class-
rooms, an ID badge system for students and faculty, and new outdoor lighting in the west parking lot.
Outdoor lighting will be donated by Acme Lighting Supply Co. Software for the ID badge system is being
provided by Software Solutions, Inc. Other upgrades will be made possible with a grant from the Jones
Foundation.
West Lake High School is the largest public high school in the county, comprising 1,200 students in
grades 912. Last year, the school ranked fifth in the state for academic performance.
Be Safe and Sound is a national campaign that seeks to educate people about safety and security issues,
advocate for safety and security improvements, and challenge those environments where people are
potentially at risk. Initially, Be Safe and Sound focuses on improving the safety and security of our nations
schools through parental activism. The campaign is an initiative of the National Crime Prevention Council
(NCPC) conducted in collaboration with National PTA and NCPC partners, The Allstate Foundation,
ASSA ABLOY Group, Nextel Communications, and the Security Industry Association.
For further information, call Ann Smith at xxx-xxx-xxxx.
###
61
Be Safe and Sound Campaign Fact Sheet
The mission of the Be Safe and Sound campaign is to raise awareness of safety and security issues and
provide concrete measures individuals and organizations can take to ensure safe and secure environments.
Launched in 2002, Be Safe and Sound is an initiative of the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC)
conducted in collaboration with National PTA and NCPC partners, The Allstate Foundation, ASSA
ABLOY Group, Nextel Communications, and Security Industry Association. Because everyone has the
A P P E N D I X
right to be safe and secure, this campaign educates people about safety and security issues, advocates for
improvements, and challenges those environments where people are potentially at risk. Be Safe and Sound
promotes a comprehensive, proactive approach to safety and security.
Be Safe and Sound focuses on improving the safety and security of our nations schools by mobilizing
parents, school administrators, elected officials, and policymakers to take action. Be Safe and Sound
engages and educates these audiences about the need for safe and secure school environments and provides
them with objective and expert-based school safety and security principles, including a comprehensive
planning model.
L In support of Be Safe and Sound, NCPC has produced the Caregivers Guide to School Safety and Security
and School Safety and Security Toolkit: A Guide for Parents, Schools, and Communities. The Caregivers Guide
is a call to action that outlines four basic things parents can do to improve school safety and security. The
Toolkit is an easy-to-use guide that assists parents and administrators in implementing the Be Safe and
Be Safe and Sound Campaign Fact Sheet
Sound model in their schools.
Be Safe and Sound is a national initiative that was tested in two pilot states, Kentucky and Pennsylvania,
from September 2002 through June 2003. NCPC and its partners are working with school safety centers
and parent groups to launch Be Safe and Sound throughout the country.
For more information about Be Safe and Sound, contact NCPC at 202-466-6272, email [email protected],
or visit our website, www.ncpc.org/besafe/.
62
Sample Advocacy Letters
Letter to Elected Official
September 1, 2004
The Honorable Andrew Fletcher

Commissioner
A P P E N D I X
[state] Department of Education
100 Maple St.
City, State, Zip
Dear Commissioner:
Last year, students ages 12 through 18 were victims of about 35,000 crimes at schools in our state, includ-
ing about 2,200 serious violent crimes. While school crime rates in our state are below the national average,
students feelings of vulnerability do not always correlate with actual crime rates. Studies have shown that
the fear of being victimized can be as powerful as victimization itself. Students who feel unsafe at school
have a harder time focusing on learning, and their academic performance suffers as a result. M
Thats why were asking for your support of a new school safety and security initiative at West Lake High
School in [city]. Over the last year, WLHS has conducted several surveys and audits in order to identify

safety and security problems on its campus. Using the Be Safe and Sound campaign model of the National
Crime Prevention Council, the school has engaged parents, students, and community members in develop-
ing solutions to address these problems and constructing a comprehensive action plan. The plans initial
focus is on reducing rates of bullying, vandalism, and theft. Initial building improvements (new outdoor
lighting and security cameras) have already reduced the number of graffiti-related incidents, and we are
introducing anti-bullying curricula to family life classrooms with the start of this school year. It is our hope
that this program will continue to achieve notable results and ultimately serve as a pilot for other schools
throughout the state.
In todays communities, it is difficult, if not impossible, to improve academic performance without consid-
ering levels of safety and security inside a school. Therefore, we are hoping you will consider incorporating
this important issue into your 2004 reelection campaign. Please dont hesitate to contact me if you would
like further information about Be Safe and Sound and the specific successes weve achieved at West Lake
High School.
Sincerely,
John Doe
Principal
63
Letter to Potential Sponsor
September 1, 2004
Ms. Catherine Smith

Director of Community Relations
A P P E N D I X
Wild Ride Theme Park

City, State, Zip
Dear Ms. Brooks:
National news coverage in recent years has shown that bullying and taunting are not the innocuous rites
of passage we once believed them to be for kids. Chronic bullying can cause low self-esteem, poor acade-
mic performance, and depression. In the worst cases, children who are repeatedly bullied respond with
violence toward their tormentors, others, or themselves.
M Bullying is a problem that sometimes starts at school but can easily spread to other parts of the
communityparticularly to businesses such as yours that employ large numbers of students and that
enjoy teenagers as regular customers.
Thats why were asking for your support of a new school safety and security initiative at West Lake High
School in [city]. Over the last year, WLHS has conducted several surveys and audits in order to identify
safety and security problems on its campus. Using the Be Safe and Sound campaign model of the National
Crime Prevention Council, the school has engaged parents, students, and community members in develop-
ing solutions to address these problems and constructing a comprehensive action plan. One of our major
areas of focus is on reducing rates of bullying at school. This year we plan to introduce anger management
and conflict resolution curricula to family life classrooms, as well as a series of workshops to help teachers
and parents recognize signs of bullying. It is our hope that this program will continue to achieve notable
results and ultimately serve as a pilot for other schools throughout the state.
In light of your corporate commitment to youth in our community, I am writing to ask if your company
would be interested in becoming a sponsor of our Be Safe and Sound effort. As part of this commitment,
we would ask that you publicize the campaign in your internal employee newsletter and community out-
reach materials, and sponsor one of three bullying prevention workshops we have slated for this year.
I will give you a call later this week to follow up with more details.
Sincerely,
John Doe
Principal
64
Resources
National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC)
202-466-6272
www.ncpc.org
Except as noted, NCPC publications may be ordered online at www.mcgruffstore.org or

by phone at 800-NCPC-911. Visit www.ncpc.org/besafe for a comprehensive listing of
school safety and security resources.
Resources for Elementary Schools Keeping Kids Safe:

A Kit for Caring Communities
NCPCs publications for children address a wide range
of topics, including home and neighborhood safety, Comprehensive kit for teachers, law enforcement offi-
bullying, alcohol and drugs, conflict management, cers, youth organization leaders, and other community
media violence, diversity, and Internet safety. Below is a members contains a variety of materials for children
sampling of publications that deal with childrens pre-K through fifth grade. Background papers, interac-
behavior and school-related safety issues. tive activities, worksheets, and posters cover topics such
as bullies; guns and other weapons; alcohol, tobacco,
Helping Kids Handle Conflict and other drugs; conflict management; and much
Guide for those teaching children includes imaginative more. Includes a cassette tape and songbook.
activities to help children in grades K5 learn nonvio-
lent ways to settle arguments, deal with bullies, and
Resources
avoid fights. Frames activities around common causes
Resources for Middle and High Schools
of conflict such as bullying, gender and cultural differ-
Teens, Crime and the Community
ences, media violence, and weapons.
Teens, Crime, and the Community (TCC) is a national
Teaching Tales for Caring Kids youth program that supports the concept of education
Teaching Tales for Caring Kids tells traditional tales and action to create safer, more caring communities for
from around the world and relates their morals to con- youth by youth. Since its founding in 1985 by NCPC
temporary issues to help prevent crime, drug, and vio- and Street Law, Inc., TCC has brought more than half
lence problems among children (K5). Includes related a million youth from more than 40 states into the
lessons, reproducible classroom activities, letters to par- world of crime prevention. To learn more about Teens,
ents, and four brightly colored posters. Topics include Crime, and the Community, visit www.nationaltcc.org.
anger management, appreciating diversity, treating oth- The National Partners provide training in the imple-
ers with respect, and resisting negative peer pressure. mentation of the Community Works: Smart Teens
Make Safer Communities curriculum. This three-ring,
Get the Message! McGruffs Tool Kit user-friendly binder provides 31 sessions of hands-on
To Keep Children Safe activities to teach and train teens in topics including
Give children in grades K5 the knowledge and skills to
stay safe and prevent crime with this innovative new kit Conflict management
featuring McGruff the Crime Dog and his nephew Bullying and intimidation
Scruff. Topics include bullying, conflict management, Handguns and violence
appreciating diversity, and positive peers. The kit Gangs
includes background information for educators, daily Substance abuse and drug dealing
messages for students to be read over the schools PA Vandalism
system, classroom activities for teachers, reproducible Reporting a crime
brochures for parents (in English and Spanish), and a Designing a community action project
colorful poster.
65
The Community Works curriculum is available on start a YAR program. Manuals may be ordered online
the web at www.nationaltcc.org or by contacting Social or by contacting the Center for Youth as Resources at
Studies School Service by phone at 800-421-4246. 202-466-6272.
Youth Safety Corps Youth Action Packet

Youth Safety Corps (YSC) seeks to recruit, train, and Offers concrete information that teaches teens what it
mobilize a diverse student population to improve the takes to start and sustain a crime prevention project. A
learning environment of Americas schools by designing 32-page booklet explains how to design and plan pro-
and running projects to prevent youth crime, violence, grams. Eighteen pamphlets on such topics as peer men-
and drug abuse. Through the development of toring, cross-age teaching, mediation, teen courts, and
youth/adult partnerships, students learn specific skills, drug prevention give teens background and start-up
including leadership and team work, to bring about information. Each pamphlet answers the questions:
positive changes in their schools. With guidance from what is it; what does it do to prevent crime; what does
their adult partners, students facilitate the development it take to start; what does it take to keep going; what
of prevention designs that may include teen courts, are some challenges; what are some rewards; and how
school safety audits, mentoring and tutoring, and a can it be evaluated.
wide array of other service learning projects. For more
information about Youth Safety Corps, visit
www.nationaltcc.org. Crime Prevention Through
The Youth Safety Corps Project Implementation Environmental Design (CPTED)
Toolkit is designed to help start a Youth Safety Corps
See Getting Started in this kit to learn more about
Resources
in your school. The kit includes information on identi-

CPTED.
fying the safety problems in your school, developing a
project that addresses that problem, and getting the Safer Schools by Design Training
word out. The kit examines eight specific skill-building
A three-day, school-focused CPTED training, Safer
areas and 12 project examples.
Schools by Design offers participants an agenda packed
Youth as Resources with interactive sessions using advanced CPTED strate-
gies and solutions to promote safety, orderly behavior,
Youth as Resources (YAR) is a philosophy and a pro-
and a reduction of fear in the school environment.
gram that recognizes youth as valuable community
Technical sessions cover transportation, signage, land-
resources and engages them as partners with adults in
scaping, and lighting. Participants are guided through a
bringing about positive community change.
comprehensive school assessment process followed by a
Community-based YAR programs, governed by a board
real assessment of a school. Working in teams, partici-
of youth and adults, provide grants to young people to
pants will develop, prioritize, and present feasible rec-
design and carry out service projects. Young people in
neighborhood centers, youth organizations, community ommendations.
foundations, classrooms, and clubs identify social issues For more information, visit www.ncpc.org, and click
that concern them and design projects to address them. on Programs; select Training, Facilitation & Technical
Popular issues range from health and the environment Assistance.
to drugs, gangs, and crime. The youth are the key lead-
Designing Safer Communities:
ers and decision makers in implementing their idea. To
find a YAR program in your state, start a YAR program,
A Crime Prevention Through
or learn more, visit www.cyar.org. Environmental Design Handbook
Guide to the principles and application of CPTED.
Developing Communities in Partnership Presents a framework for developing policies and part-
With Youth nerships that address situational crime prevention.
A practical, user-friendly manual for program managers Reviews the experiences of several states and localities
of YAR and other community-based youth-adult part- that have successfully incorporated CPTED as part of a
nership programs. Contains information on how to strategic approach to public safety.
66
Other School Safety and How Are We Doing? A Guide to
Security Resources Local Program Evaluation
Handbook for designing local program evaluations
Caregivers Guide to School Safety and Security includes checklists, process outlines, methods choices,
A call to action that outlines four things parents and and key decision and timeline constructs for local pro-
caregivers can do to improve school safety and security: grams that want to develop their own evaluations of
listen to a childs concerns; become educated about program activities in crime prevention.
school safety and security; get involved in efforts to
Creating a Blueprint for Community Safety:
improve and strengthen school safety and security; and
A Guide for Local Action
advocate for and effect change. Also includes an
overview of school safety and security principles, a Strategic and effective crime prevention planning and
checklist to help parents gauge the safety and security of action help sustain prevention. This document provides
operational guidelines and suggests resources for those
their childrens schools, and an action-planning tool.
who lead major action planning initiatives at the local
Copies free for the cost of shipping or may be down-
level.
loaded from www.ncpc.org/besafe.
Partner With the Media
Safer Schools: Strategies for Educators and To Build Safer Communities
Law Enforcement Seeking To Prevent Violence
Helpful kit offers information and resources to enlist
Within Schools
the media as partners in crime prevention. Presents sug-
Speaks to school principals and local chiefs of police
Resources
gestions for an individual or group on reaching out to
about ways they can work together to make schools the media, tips on getting prevention-oriented public
safer for our children. Includes a letter to adults, key service announcements on air and in print, and an
background information, program and policy recom- overview of ways to achieve sustained media coverage
mendations, and a resource list. Single copies are free. for prevention activities. Includes stories of how crime
prevention and the media have worked together to
Stopping School Violence: A Dozen Things make crime prevention a priority.
Parents, Students, Teachers, Law Enforcement,
Principals, and the Rest of Us Can Do
A primer on how each of us can take action to make
Federal Agencies and
our schools safer. Includes the warning signs of trou-
Clearinghouses
bled kids and how to get help for them, a list of Note: Agency and organizational descriptions are
resources for additional help and information on stop- excerpted from the referenced websites.
ping school violence, and suggested readings. Single
copies are free. Department of Education, Office of Safe and
Drug-Free Schools
Toll-free: 800-USA-LEARN
Additional Resources
www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osdfs/
NCPCs Online Resource Center OSDFS supports efforts to create safe schools, respond
to crises, prevent drug and alcohol abuse, ensure the
Topics in Crime Prevention, NCPCs online resource health and well-being of students, and teach students
center, is a growing collection of 4,500 crime preven- good citizenship and character. The OSDFS websites
tion and community-building resources and strategies. Reports & Resources page includes online publications,
Over 700 of these resources deal with the issues of a directory of print publications, and links to other rele-
safety and security. To search the resource center, visit vant resources and publications. The Programs/
www.ncpc.org and click on Topics in Crime Initiatives page includes information about grant
Prevention. opportunities.
67
Department of Education, No Child Left Behind National Association of School Resource Officers
Toll-free: 888-814-NCLB (NASRO)
www.nclb.gov Toll-free: 888-31-NASRO
This website offers a comprehensive overview of the No www.nasro.org
Child Left Behind legislation, which was signed by
President Bush in 2002. Includes progress updates, a National Association of Secondary School Principals
Toolkit for Teachers, a Parents Guide, newsletters, and (NASSP)
Guidance on Teacher Quality and Report Cards. 703-860-0200
www.nassp.org
Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC)
www.eric.ed.gov National PTA
ERIC is a national information system funded by the Toll-free: 800-307-4PTA
Institute of Education Sciences of the U.S. Department www.pta.org
of Education to provide access to education literature
and resources. The worlds largest source of education National School Boards Association
information, ERIC can be intimidating for new users. 703-838-6722
Before beginning your search, click on Help and visit www.nsba.org
the New ERIC Users page to orient yourself to the
database. National School Safety Center
805-373-9977
National Criminal Justice Reference Services www.nssc1.org
Resources
(NCJRS)
www.ncjrs.org
NCJRS is a federally funded resource offering justice State School Safety Centers
and substance abuse information to support research, and Offices
policy, and program development worldwide. Includes
School safety centers have been established in 20 states.
resources from the Office for Victims of Crime, Office
Although some centers are more active than others,
of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and
they share a common mission: to provide school dis-
Department of Homeland security.
tricts and staff, parents, and students with training,
tools, and technical assistance to enhance the safety and
National Associations security of Americas schools. For an up-to-date list,
and Nonprofits visit www.ncpc.org/besafe.
ASIS International (formerly American Society for California Safe and Healthy Kids Program Office
Industrial Security) Department of Education
703-519-6200 916-319-0920
www.asisonline.org www.cde.ca.gov/healthykids/
Communities In Schools (CIS) Colorado Safe Communities-Safe Schools

Toll-free: 800-CIS-4KIDS Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence
www.cisnet.org 303-492-8465
www.colorado.edu/UCB/Research/cspv/safeschools/ind
National Association of Elementary School ex.html
Principals (NAESP)
Toll-free: 800-38-NAESP Connecticut Safe Schools
www.naesp.org and Communities Coalition
The Governors Prevention Partnership
860-523-8042
www.drugsdontwork.org/sscc_home.html
68
Florida Office of Safe Schools Oregon Institute on Violence
Department of Education and Destructive Behavior
850-245-0416 University of Oregon
www.firn.edu/doe/besss/safehome.htm 541-346-3591
www.uoregon.edu/~ivdb
Georgia School Safety Project
Georgia Emergency Management Agency Pennsylvania Center for Safe Schools
404-635-7000 717-763-1661
www2.state.ga.us/GEMA www.safeschools.info
Indiana School Safety Specialist Academy South Carolina Center for Safe Schools
Department of Education Department of Education
317-234-1362 Toll-free: 866-300-9326
ideanet.doe.state.in.us/isssa/ www.myscschools.com/offices/ssys/safe_schools/sccss/
Kentucky Center for School Safety Tennessee School Safety Center

Eastern Kentucky University Department of Education
Toll-free: 877-805-4277 615-741-8468
www.kysafeschools.org www.state.tn.us/education/sp/sptssc.htm
Mississippi Division of Safe and Orderly Schools Texas School Safety Center
Department of Education Texas State University-San Marcos
Resources
601-359-1028 512-245-3696
www.mde.k12.ms.us/lead/osos www.txssc.swt.edu/
Missouri Center for Safe Schools, Virginia Center for School Safety
University of MissouriKansas City Department of Criminal Justice Services
816-235-5656 804-371-6506
www.umkc.edu/safe-school www.virginiaschoolsafety.com/
Nebraska Safe and Drug-Free Schools Washington State School Safety Center
and Communities Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
Department of Education 360-725-6059
402-471-1925 www.k12.wa.us/safetycenter
www.nde.state.ne.us/SDFS/Home.html
New York State Center for School Safety Be Safe and Sound Partners
845-255-8989
National PTA
www.mhric.org/scss/ www.pta.org
North Carolina Center for the
The Allstate Foundation
Prevention of School Violence
www.allstate.com/community
Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention ASSA ABLOY
Toll-free: 800-299-6054 www.assaabloy.com
www.juvjus.state.nc.us/cpsv/
Nextel Communications
Ohio Resource Network for Safe www.nextel.com
and Drug-Free Schools and Communities
University of Cincinnati Security Industry Association
Toll-free: 800-788-7254 www.securitygateway.com
www.ebasedprevention.org
69
Glossary
Action plan. A detailed outline that spells out specific Intimidation. Using threats to frighten another person.
goals, objectives, and activities focusing on school safety
and security improvements. Needs assessment. Research conducted to identify
potential and existing school safety and security
Action team. A group of school staff, parents, students, problems.
and other community members dedicated to assessing
school safety and security threats, developing strategies Objective. A statement indicating a means to an end
for action, advocating for change, facilitating improve- (goal).
ments, and evaluating outcomes.
Safety. For purposes of this campaign, policies and
Baseline. Statistical information (e.g., school delin- procedures devoted to improving the school environ-
quency or graduation rates) that can be compared with ment by changing or influencing the behavior of
subsequent data to determine positive or negative students and staff.
change.
School administrator. Principal or assistant principal.
Bullying. Physical or verbal intimidation, threatening,
Security. For purposes of this campaign, hardware
or abuse of one student by another, including pushing,
(e.g., surveillance equipment, locks, and lighting)
shoving, teasing, and name-calling.
devoted to improving a schools physical environment.
Clique. A narrow social circle or group that excludes
Sexual harassment. Unwelcome sexual behavior,
others.
including comments, physical contact, gestures, and the
Forum. A community meeting dedicated to prioritizing spreading of rumors.
Glossary
school safety and security problems and brainstorming
Social climate. Social factors that contribute to a
solutions.
schools level of safety and securitye.g., how students
Gang. An exclusive adolescent social group engaged in relate to teachers and each other, how conflict is man-
unlawful activities. aged, etc.
Goal. A statement indicating an end toward which all Stakeholder. Any person with a personal or profes-
efforts will be directed. sional interest in school safety and security.
Indicator data. Statistical information quantifying a Theft. Stealing of personal or school property.
certain type of activity over a specific time period, such
Victim. A person suffering emotional or physical injury
as school graduation rates, attendance, arrests, traffic
or loss at the hands of another person or people.
accidents, or assaults.
71
Acknowledgments
NCPC would like to thank the Be Safe and Sound campaign Advisory Panel members for
their support of this initiative, their contributions to this toolkit, and their dedication to
the issue of school safety and security.
Jon Akers Wesley Mitchell

Director, Kentucky Center for School Safety Former Chief of Police, Los Angeles School Police
Department
Bill Bond
Principal for Safe Schools, National Association of Bill Modzeleski
Secondary School Principals Associate Deputy Undersecretary, Office of Safe and
Drug-Free Schools, U.S. Department of Education
Mary Dolan
Safe Schools Coordinator, Pennsylvania Center Thomas M. Seamon, CPP
for Safe Schools Deputy Commissioner, Philadelphia Police
Department (Ret.) and Co-chair, IACP Private
Dan Flannery, Ph.D. Sector Liaison Committee
Director, Institute for the Study and Prevention
of Violence Paul Timm, PSP
Vice President, RETA Security, Inc.
M.B. Flip Flippen, Ph.D.
President and Founder, the Flippen Group Rosemarie Young
Acknowledgments
President-elect, National Association of Elementary
Antonia Lopez School Principals
Director, Early Care and Education, National Council
of La Raza
NCPC would also like to thank Sharron Corle, former Be Safe and Sound campaign
director, and Jim Copple, former NCPC vice president, for the groundwork they laid for
the campaign and this kit, as well as Jan Moore, Region VII vice-president, Pennsylvania
PTA, for her feedback. And special thanks to Jenny Sullivan for organizing and writing
the material.
This publication would not have been possible without the support of NCPC staff,
especially Meghan Sharp, Jean ONeil, John Rosiak, Theresa Kelly, and the Publications
and Information Team.
73
1000 Connecticut Avenue, NW, 13th Floor
Washington, DC 20036-5325
202-466-6272
Fax 202-296-1356
www.ncpc.org

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SCHOOL

National Crime Prevention Council

To enable people to create safer and

This publication was made possible through funding from

Copyright 2003 National Crime Prevention Council

National Crime Prevention Council

National Crime Prevention Council

Help Us Evaluate Be Safe and Sound

Become a Designated Safe and Sound School

Get the News With Be Safe and Sound Newsletters

Day phone (optional)

Email (monthly) to this address:

Fax (quarterly) to this number:

Mail (quarterly) to the contact address indicated above.

Registration only. Please dont send me any information.

Number of students attending the school:

School setting (check one): Rural city or town Urban Suburban

Grade levels attending the school (circle all that apply):

My connection to the school is as (check the most relevant)

Concerned parent School counselor School resource officer

School principal Other (please indicate):

How To Get Involved

1 Form an Action Team

2 Identify Safety and Security Problems

3 Hold a School Safety and Security Forum

4 Develop an Action Plan

5 Publicize Your Initiative

7 Evaluate Success and Revise the Plan

A Indicator Data From Schools 33

B Administering Safety and Security Surveys 34

C Safety and Security Surveys 36

D Basic School Safety and Security Assessment 42

E Forum Facilitation Guide 47

F Action Planning Chart 52

G Sample Safety and Security Action Plan 53

H Working With the Media 54

I Planning a Press Event 57

J Sample Media Advisory 60

K Sample Press Release 61

L Be Safe and Sound Campaign Fact Sheet 62

M Sample Advocacy Letters 63

Your first priority will be to establish a partnership

1 5 Publicize Your Initiative

How To Get Involved

2 Identify Safety and Security

3 Hold a School Safety and

Months 36 Collect data, conduct surveys, and complete a school security

and Secure School

grounds by or environments that may encourage criminal

Form an Action Team

The goal of the first meeting will be to get approval.

Identify Safety and Security Problems

Negative indicators are those in which downward Assessment

2 indicator data that may be available from your

Identify Safety and Security Problems

Hold a School Safety and Security Forum

each one an overview of the major safety and secu-

3 Inviting Stakeholders Facilitating the Forum

Hold a School Safety and Security Forum