School Safety Summit Focuses on Welfare of Children
by Jim Brown
October 11, 2006
(AgapePress) - - Leading experts on school safety have met to discuss how federal, state, and local governments can work together with schools and families to ensure crime and violence are prevented in the country's public schools.President Bush, First Lady Laura Bush, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, and Education Secretary Margaret Spellings hosted a conference on school safety on Tuesday in Chevy Chase, Maryland. The hastily convened summit was in response to the recent rash of school shootings -- and subsequent lock-downs or closures -- in Colorado, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Missouri.
Secretary Spellings called the latest string of school-related deaths a "teachable moment."
"That means this is a time for us to take stock, to reflect, to make sure that not only do we have the world's most effective [and] best plan, but that every single person who needs to know is aware of what the plan is," the education secretary said. "In education, it's a constantly changing cast of characters, with new families and new parents and new personnel."
According to Spellings, authorities can always be smarter and more effective in preventing school violence. Dr. Delbert Elliott, director of the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence at the University of Colorado, believes intelligence gathering is key to preventing such incidents.
"After Columbine, one of the recommendations that was put forth by the Columbine Commission was that we have a statewide hotline so that individuals who had some knowledge of an event could report that in a confidential manner," Dr. Elliott shared. "So I think that is really our first line of defense. We know that most kids who are planning a violent event tell somebody [about their plans]."
Elliott said despite the latest string of school shootings, many serious violent crimes at schools have been averted since the Columbine rampage in April 1999.
Children Watching Adults
First Lady Laura Bush, who made an appearance at the school safety summit, said America has shown great resilience in communities that have been rocked by tragedies stemming from school violence. Last year she launched an initiative called "Helping America's Youth," which addresses school safety issues. Mrs. Bush said the best way to ease children's fears about their safety is to reduce the threat of violence in their classrooms.
"Parents, grandparents, teachers, school counselors, coaches, and pastors must listen to children's concerns," the First Lady shared with those in attendance. "Reassure young people that they are loved, and let them know that grownups are working to protect them."
Acts of school violence, she continued, are not isolated incidents. She believes that reports of one school shooting can disturb children and teachers in classrooms around the country. Community and parental action can have a positive influence, she said.
"When young people see grownups going about their lives with confidence, they'll draw strength from the adults' example," Mrs. Bush stated. "Activities like preparedness drills help ease children's fears of a possible attack by giving them the knowledge they need to protect themselves if one should occur."
And relating to recent events that have left deep scars on Americans, the First Lady noted that in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and Hurricane Katrina, children who have endured trauma heal best when "chaos is replaced with the normalcy and comfort of their familiar routine."
According to Mrs. Bush, children cannot learn if they are worried about their safety, which is why adults must do everything they can to reassure children through their own actions.
Jim Brown, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
