| Contact: Diane M. Hurns dhurns@asse.org 847-768-3413 SURVEY FINDS SCHOOLS UNPREPARED FOR COPING WITH SCHOOL VIOLENCE
DES PLAINES, ILLINOIS (March 7, 2000)
- A recent survey of West Virginia schools on violence funded by the national
American Society of Safety Engineers' (ASSE) Foundation found that those
schools participating in the study lack effective policies, plans and procedures
to respond to acts of school violence and terrorism. The findings of the
"Terrorism/Violence in the Schools, How to Cope" survey are published in
this month's issue of the ASSE journal Professional Safety, also
accessible on ASSE's web site at http://www.asse.org/brpofe.htm
under publications.
The survey, done by researchers at West Virginia University, was comprised
of 25 questions designed to assess whether schools in that state have
procedures in place to deal with acts of terrorism and violence and to
assess how these school districts developed and approved activities designed
to prevent or reduce violence committed on school property. The survey
was conducted in three counties – Monongalia, Preston and Wood. Responses
were then analyzed to determine whether faculty, staff and administrators
possessed the knowledge and skills to successfully implement preparedness
and response plans to address violent incidences that may occur in their
schools.
Dr. Daniel E. Della-Giustina, CHCM, professor of safety and environmental
management at West Virginia University, led the project. A follow-up study
involving schools in all 55 counties in West Virginia is also planned.
After finding that these districts were unprepared, the researchers
recommended, among other things, that each school system develop customized
guidelines that can be incorporated into a comprehensive plan "that best
serves its distinctive needs." The researchers also recommend that the
schools develop a student-run organization such as Students Opposed to
School Violence (SOS-V) with an objective to develop knowledge about violence
and terrorism in schools and various preventive methods; create a standardized
complaint form to encourage students to submit sensitive information anonymously
regarding potential threats to school safety; work with local authorities
and submit current scale diagrams of their facilities to local first-responder
authorities such as the police and fire departments; conduct school drills
to prepare all for such a crisis; hold bi-annual assemblies to discuss
conflict resolution and how to identify violent behavior; and to improve
school security by installing magnetic metal detectors and setting up
other ways to keep a "closed campus."
"In light of the increasing amount of deadly shootings that have been
occurring in our schools the past few years we thought this to be an extremely
timely and helpful research project for us to fund," Larry Oldendorf,
CSP, ASSE's Research Committee Chair and Vice Chair of the Foundation,
said. "Children killing children is, needless to say, an important safety
issue that tears away at all of us."
The ASSE Foundation, an arm of the ASSE, awards grants not in excess
of $5,000 each on a quarterly basis to projects aimed at advancing accident
and illness prevention. The ASSE Foundation also has several scholarship
programs and a fellowship program. To apply for a research grant, a scholarship
or for more information on these programs contact ASSE's customer service
department at 847-699-2929 or visit the Foundation's web site at http://www.asse.org/foundat.htm.
Founded in 1911, the ASSE is the world's oldest and largest professional
national safety organization. It's 33,000 members manage, supervise and
consult on safety, health and environmental issues in industry, insurance,
government and education nationally and globally.
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