Emergency Preparation/ Safety

By Eric Kirchmann

Preparation is more than planned drills often postponed for convenience or weather conditions. Safety is paramount every day through out our schools. Students must feel safe and be safe in every sense.

Banks have been robbed during school hours in the vicinity of all our schools. Can we rely on luck that students are not involved in such potentially dangerous situations?

School safety is not just a matter of using crosswalks it is a matter of being safe at school. Safe from harassment, from bullying, from intimidation, hazing, etc. Schools need to be safe places for ALL students. This must be addressed on all levels. Cyber sites like Formspring need to be exposed for what they are, as they are far from "harmless blogs" Students should not dismiss sexism, racism, or bullying as "just kiddin' around". Once again saying "it won't happen here" is not the answer. We must work to make sure it won't ever happen here. We need our students to feel that their schools are a safe place to be, at all times. We need to work together to make this so; not simply hope it is so. It should start in the classroom and spread into the community. It is our responsibility to ensure that all are safe in every way.