This month, SecurAmerica will address school safety and security with a focus on school violence given some of the recent incidents that have occurred. Our school violence supplement poses some questions parents should ask school administrators about their child’s school security and safety plans to prevent, prepare for and mitigate school violence.

1. When parents talk about school safety these days, they’re usually referring to the surge in violence at schools.
But research shows that school-age children are actually nine times more likely to sustain an unintentional
injury -- whether on the playground or in school --than to be the victim of violence while at school.
Walking to School
n Walk the route with your child beforehand. Always instruct your child to use the sidewalk. Tell him or
her to stay away from parks, vacant lots, fields and other places where there aren’t many people around.
Show them safe places to go along the route if they need help.
Plan a walking route to school or
the bus stop. Choose the most direct
way with the fewest street crossings
and, if possible, with intersections
that have crossing guards.
We recognize that the potential for school violence is an overriding concern for parents. Given
some recent events, we have included in this issue a detailed checklist for you to use in evaluating
the safety of your child’s school. Look for that at the end of the issue!

2. Bus Safety
n Teach children to arrive at the bus stop early, stay out of the street,
wait for the bus to come to a complete stop before approaching the
street, watch for cars and avoid the driver’s blind spot.
n Remind your children to stay seated in the bus at all times and
keep their heads and arms inside the bus while riding. If the bus is
equipped with seat belts make sure they buckle up.
n When exiting the bus, children should wait until the bus comes to
a complete stop, exit from the front using the handrail to avoid
falls.
n If your child has to cross the street, have him or her wait for a
signal from the bus driver before crossing and then cross the street
at least 10 feet (or 10 giant steps) in front of the bus; look both
ways before crossing
n Tell your child NEVER to bend down in front of the bus to tie
shoes or pick up objects, as the driver may not see him
before starting to move.
Vehicle Safety
n Make sure young children are in safety seats at all times, and that
the seats have been properly installed.
n All children under 13 years should ride in the rear seat of
vehicles.
n Teach them to be aware of people
behind them or vehicles that may
slow down as they are walking.
n Teach your child never to talk to
strangers or accept rides or gifts
from strangers. Remember, a
stranger is anyone you or your
children don’t know well or
don’t trust.
n Be Sure your child walks to and
from school with a sibling,
friend, or neighbor – never alone.
n Kids should cross the street with
an adult until they are at least 10
years old.
n Educate your children to cross the
street at corners, using traffic
signals and crosswalks.
n Never run out into the streets or
cross in between parked cars.

3. n When driving kids, deliver and
pick them up as close to the
school as possible. Don’t leave
until they are in the schoolyard
or building.
n Secure your home when
walking a child to and from a
bus stop – criminals may use this
as an opportunity to burglarize
your home.
n If your child carries a back pack,
make sure it isn’t overloaded
with books and other items.
Heavy back packs can cause
back injuries and can be a
distraction for your child.
n Remind your children to never
give the impression they are
home alone if strangers
telephone or come to the door.
Never open the door for a
stranger or indicate a parent is
not home.
n Be aware of putting your
child’s name on anything that
is readily visible. This might
allow an abductor to get on a
“first name” basis with your
child and develop a sense of
trust.
n Meet with school officials to go
over the school’s safety and
security program and
procedures to make sure your
child remains safe and secure.
n Remember that many crashes
occur while novice teen drivers
are going to and from school.
You may want to limit the
number of teen passengers
to prevent driver distraction.
Do not allow your teen to drive
while eating, drinking, texting
or talking on a cell phone.
Biking/Scootering to School
n Bike with your child to school
ahead of time; just like walking,
identify a safe route for them;
point out the route’s hazards and
how to arrive at school safely.
n Make sure your child does not
wear any loose-fitting clothes
that could get caught on a
moving bike’s chain or wheels.
n Children and teens should wear
reflective or bright colored cloth
ing or a vest and NEVER try to
bike to and from school after
dark.
General SafetyTips
n Be sure that your child knows
his or her home phone number
and address, your work number,
the number of another trusted
adult and how to call 911 for
emergencies.
If your child rides a bike
or scooter to school,
make sure they wear a
helmet that meets
US helmet safety
standards. Research
indicates that a helmet
can reduce the risk of
head injury by up to 85
percent.

4. We wanted to give our SecurAlert parents the recent
statistics about school violence, which we obtained from
the Centers of Disease Control and Bureau of Labor Statistics
All of us have been stunned over the last couple of years about some of the horrific violence that has tragically
entered our schools and colleges. Just this past month, outside of Atlanta, another potential tragedy was averted
due to the quick thinking of a school administrator when the gunman – armed with an AK47 – was convinced to
surrender. If he went forward with his plan, the outcome could have been unimaginable.
Despite these events, the chance of an active shooter or homicide in a school environment is fortunately very
rare. Of all youth homicides, less than 2% occurred at school and this has been a stable statistic for the past
decade (Source: Centers for Disease Control, 2012).
Latest studies based on a representative sample of youth in grades 9-12 found the following:
n 12% of students reported being in a physical fight on school property in the 12 months before the survey.
n 5.9% of students reported that they did not go to school on one or more days in the 30 days before the
survey because they felt unsafe at school or on their way to or from school.
n 5.4% of students reported carrying a weapon (gun, knife or club) on school property on one or more days in
the 30 days before the survey.
n 7.4% of students reported being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property one or more times
in the 12 months before the survey.
n 20% of students reported being bullied on school property and 16% reported being bullied electronically
during the 12 months before the survey.
In 2013, the Bureau of Labor
Statistics reported that after a two
year decline, 2012 saw an uptick in
school violence, particularly relating
to bullying behavior.

5. IsYour Child’s School Safe? –
Your Right to Know!
With the Sandy Hook shootings still in
our minds and several well-publicized
bullying episodes (some of which
have been recently captured on school
bus surveillance cameras), many
parents and kids may have an elevated
level of concern and worry this year.
Here are some important questions
to ask your school so you fully
understand the school’s safety and
emergency response plan. We also
have included some questions you can
ask your kids to determine their frame
of mind and their readiness to react to
an emergency situation.
Ask the School
Here are some questions you should
ask your school’s principal to
determine the school’s plan on helping
prevent and properly protect against,
respond to, and mitigate school-related
violence and crime:
n Can you provide me with crime
statistics over the past year?
What is the school’s
response plan for an
active shooter and other
emergencies?
• In the school
• On school grounds
• In the surrounding neighborhood
n Ask the school about their policy
on bullying and the possible
repercussions that can occur from
bullying and its reporting
n What is the school’s lockdown
policy?
n How are threats or actual violence
communicated to school staff and
students?
n What type of alarm and notifi-
cation systems are in place to alert
students and parents?
n How are students accounted for
in a lockdown or evacuation
situation?
n What are students told what to do
in a lockdown situation that is
caused by an active shooter?
n Does the school have a policy that
requires staff to notify the admin-
istration of pending divorce,
restraining orders, stalking or
related situations that could
cause a violent attack on school
grounds?
n What is the school’s security plan?
• Who is responsible for it?
• How often is it updated?
• Are police or security officers
stationed at the school at certain
times?
• Does the school employ plain
clothes security to audit the
environment and the proper
execution of school security
procedures?
We hope your children
have a very productive
and safe school year!
For more information:
ww.school.family
education.com
www.safekids.org
www.usa.gov
ask.com

6. • How is access monitored or controlled to limit the ability
of an unauthorized person from coming into the school,
classrooms or lunch room?
• Does the school have metal detectors and bullet resistant
doors?
• Type of alarms in place (duress, perimeter doors, fire drill,
shelter-in-place, etc.); important note: schools should
have a separate alarm sound for fire and one for an active
shooter/lockdown
• Number of CCTV cameras; who monitors them; are they
all in working order; are they properly placed?
• Can classroom doors be secured from the inside?
• Do you regularly conduct drills with local police, EMT
and SWAT teams?
• Do these officials have a floor plan of the school?
• Are busses monitored for improper actions and what is the
bus driver’s responsibility in the event of a fight, bullying
event or other situation?
n Are teachers trained in first aid and CPR?
n Do school officials and safety experts along with public
safety representatives meet regularly to discuss safety
procedures
n Do you have regular drills for the following:
• Fire
• Shelter-in-Place (tornadoes, etc.)
• Active Shooter
• Bomb Threats
• Other emergencies
Ask your Child
n Ask your child if he or she feels safe at school.
n Ask them if the school has talked to them about what to do
when something bad happens.
n Find out what your child knows about lockdown drills. Ask
your child if they know what these drills are and ask her if
they know what to do in the event of an emergency like a
dangerous intruder. If your child hasn’t taken part in
a drill yet, talk to them about what they might experience
during a lock down drill so that they know what to expect.
n Reassure your child that these
drills, like fire drills, are just to
practice how to stay safe in the
extremely unlikely event that some
one dangerous enters the school. If
participating in school lockdown
drills triggers any anxiety in your
child about scary news events like
the Sandy Hook shootings, talk to
your child to find out what they
are thinking, what they think they
know, and what they’re afraid of
or worried about. Young
children often have lots of
misconceptions about things they
see and hear, so you may need
to clear up any confusion your
child may have about school
shootings or lockdown drills.
You are encouraged to work with other
parents and your local PTA to make
sure you are fully briefed on how the
school is addressing the potential issue
of violence. If you are not satisfied
that your child’s school has a
comprehensive safety plan, contact
the school district or state department
of education.
Also, do your own research. Not all
school districts or safety experts agree
about the best types of safety drills to
prepare kids for emergencies. Read
about school security and safety ex-
perts, compare different methods, and
talk to your child’s school about any
questions you might have.