More Coordinated Efforts Needed to Improve School Safety, Witnesses Tell Panel
WASHINGTON, D.C. – More needs to be done to prevent violence and harassment in schools, witnesses told Congress at a joint hearing held by the House Healthy Families and Communities and Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education Subcommittees. Witnesses today discussed various methods to improve school safety, including better data and reporting, student run programs, and training for faculty and staff.
“Schools must be safe places for all students, regardless of sexual orientation, so that they can learn without fear of being bullied or attacked,” said U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), chairwoman of the Healthy Families and Communities Subcommittee. “I am grateful for the witnesses who came today to testify about school safety, and I was especially pleased that Ms. Sirdeaner Walker could join us. She told the heartbreaking story of her 11 year old son Carl who committed suicide after being the victim of anti-gay harassment. I pledge to work with my fellow members of Congress to decrease incidents of bullying, harassment, and violence in our schools. We need to do more to prevent school violence and we must start by finding better means of collecting and analyzing data so we can learn more about the problem and find ways to fix it once and for all.”
“As a father, a grandfather and a former teacher I believe that nothing is more important than the safety and wellbeing of our school children,” said U.S. Rep. Dale Kildee (D-MI), chairman of the Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education Subcommittee. “Our schools must be places where children feel secure and where their future potential can be nurtured. Violence or harassment of any kind has no place in our educational institutions and I look forward to working with my colleagues to address this serious problem.”
“We can no longer look at bullying as just kids being kids,” said U.S. Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-CA), sponsor of the Safe School Improvement Act (H.R. 2262) and the Bullying and Gang Reduction for Improved Education Act (H.R. 1589). “When we empower schools to teach both children and adults to prevent and address bullying, we not only make schools safer, we make learning happen, and we even save lives. I hope the testimony given at today's hearing showed the desperate need to make sure that schools address bullying and harassment as part of their overall safe school strategies."
Witnesses testified about the tragic consequences of bullying and unsafe school environments. In April 2009, Carl Walker-Hoover committed suicide after being ruthlessly bullied, called “gay”, and threatened by other kids that. His mother, Sirdeaner Walker, called the school when she discovered this and was told the situation was normal and would work itself out.
“I know now that bullying is not a gay issue, or a straight issue. It’s a safety issue,” said Walker. “It’s about what kind of learning environments we want for our children and how far we’re willing to go to protect and teach them.”
Witnesses explained that a safe learning environment is a key factor in helping students achieve academically. Research shows that students who do not feel safe are less likely to have academic success and graduate.
“Does a feeling of safety help a student concentrate on schoolwork? Some may say no, but as a student, I feel that safety is one of the most important things,” said Cassady Tetsworth, a rising high school senior and vice chair of the National Youth Advisory Board for Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE). “When a student feels safe, when tolerance overcomes bullying and harassment, and when there is respect in student-to-student, teacher-to-student, and adult-to-adult interactions, students don’t have to worry about anything but their classes.”
Other student witnesses echoed the importance of peer-to-peer programs that encourage student safety. Josie and Jackie Andrews, students who advocate for safer schools, highlighted their efforts to create curriculum and a screenplay that teach kids not to be bystanders when bullying occurs.
Witnesses also explained that schools should be held accountable for their safety efforts, just as they currently are for students’ learning. Better data and more accurate reporting on safety should be a part of any comprehensive approach to keep kids safe while at school.
“It is essential for school safety to become a priority in every school, and the best evidence-based practices need to be implemented to ensure the safety of all students,” said Dr. Scott Poland, Coordinator of the Office of Suicide and Violence Prevention and Nova Southeastern University. “This will only happen when every school board, superintendent, and state and national entity requires the same accountability for school safety that we currently require for academic performance.”
“Federal school safety policy, programs, and funding, just like that at the state and local education level, must therefore be based upon an approach and framework which is comprehensive and balanced,” said Kenneth Trump, president and CEO of National School Safety and Security Services, Inc.. “Too often, school safety advocates call for ‘more prevention’ OR ‘better security.’ The real answer should be ‘more prevention’ AND ‘better security.’ Effective approaches to school safety include prevention, security, and preparedness measures, not a curriculum-only or security-only approach.”
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