PTA and ED Team Up to Improve School Safety

“This job of keeping our children safe, and teaching them well, is something we can only do together, with the help of friends and neighbors, the help of a community, and the help of a nation.”

— President Barack Obama, December 16, 2012

In the wake of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary school, President Obama has called for a collaborative effort to keep our children safe at home, at school, and in the community. The National PTA and U.S. Department of Education have joined together to support schools and communities as we work towards this goal.

To kick off this joint effort, National PTA President Betsy Landers recently joined Secretary Arne Duncan for a town hall meeting to discuss school safety at Loch Raven High School in Baltimore, Md. The event included an open conversation with students, parents, teachers, and community members about school safety in the community. Over 350 community members attended the town hall to voice concerns and share ideas on how we can work together to create a safer learning environment. Watch the video archive of the event here.

Conversations as important as this one must continue long after everyone leaves the town hall. Here are a few good resources that may be helpful to you as we work to improve school and community safety:

U.S. Department of Education –

• Reducing School and Community Violence: Now is the Time
• Resources for Schools to Prepare for and Recover from Crisis
• Helping Youth and Children Recover From Traumatic Events

The National PTA –

     Safety Tool Kit

• A comprehensive, step-by-step program leader’s planning guide; (en Español)
• A take-home safety tip sheet – (en Español)
• Six activity lesson plans (children in K-5 and their families):

1. “Look-a-likes” – poison prevention (en Español)
2. “Cycling skills clinic”  – bike safety (en Español)
3. “Get low and go” – fire, burns and scalds prevention (en Español
4. “Fire escape map” – fire, burns and scalds prevention (en Español)
5. “Safety sleuths” – playground safety (en Español)
6. “The ultimate playground” – playground safety contest (en Español)

Kelsey Donohue is a senior at Marist College (N.Y.), and an intern in ED’s Office of Communications and Outreach

SOURCE :  http://www.ed.gov/blog/2013/04/pta-and-ed-team-up-to-improve-school-safety