Safety Within Schools

Safety Within Schools

Safety needs are among the essential human needs based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Therefore, people feel more comfortable in an environment where they are safe from physical, psychological, and emotional harm. Similarly, security is one of the most critical things in a learning environment because it impacts learning outcomes and school attendance. For example, students may drop out of school if they feel unsafe within the school, and a student’s performance may decrease when they do not feel safe within the learning environment. Over the past decades, insecurity incidents in schools have spurred a heated debate on whether schools are taking the proper measures to ensure that students are safe within the school premises. For example, incidents of mass shootings in schools, bullying, and violence in schools have raised concerns about security within schools and the effectiveness of the security measures applied to enhance security. Although the level of insecurity within schools varies in different regions, it is evident that insecurity within schools is a global concern that should be addressed to create a conducive learning environment for learners.

Security Within Schools

The concept of security within schools is broad due to the different definitions of a safe school. One of the definitions suggests that a safe school is a place where there is no violence and is characterized by an environment where there is no fear of the disciplinary measures used and the general school environment (Mubita 78). Based on this definition, a safe school offers an environment that supports learning and teaching and allows learners, teachers, other staff, and visitors to interact freely without threats or fear. The second definition suggests that a safe school includes access to appropriate resources and training and a conducive school culture to respond to hazards and threats within the learning environment (Mubita 78). The third definition perceives a safe school as one that is free from possible harm and danger and where learners and teachers can work, learn, and teach without ridicule or fear, harassment, intimidation, violence, or humiliation (Mubita 79). Some researchers also view the safety of a school based on the school communities and how learners and teachers interact. For instance, Mubita argues that school safety includes keeping the school environment and community safe (79). The author adds that safety includes various issues and crises in a school environment and community that may impact the wellness of everyone within the school setting. Safety within schools also includes protecting learners, staff, and teachers from natural and manmade disasters that could risk their lives, such as fire and mass shootings. School safety may also be viewed based on an issue’s distraction to learning. A safe school is characterized by limited learning disruptions, clear communication of expected behaviour, and fair and consistent application of consequences for violating policies and procedures (Mubita 79). Therefore, creating a safe school may involve properly coordinating all activities within the school environment to identify any issues that may impact the safety of learners, staff, and teachers.

One of the causes of security issues within schools is the ignorant attitude of the school management toward security issues. Although various institutions have taken measures to enhance security within schools, some schools have yet to improve safety because of the need to save resources and ignorance toward some major security threats within the school environment. Manga argues that some school administrators do not have realistic security measures that indicate the security tasks that should be performed, the people who should be held responsible, how the tasks should be performed, when they should be done, and why they should be done (7677). Some school administrators also fail to evaluate the security loopholes to offer an effective solution, and the staff needs to fill the loophole before it is too late. Many school administrators hardly consider using the school’s revenue to enhance security, thus increasing insecurity. Some schools also lack full-time guards to monitor students, staff, and teachers’ activities within the school and check everyone who accesses the school premises to ensure that they are authorized to access the school premises and do not carry any weapons. According to Manga, some schools hire old and physically weak guards to limit the money used to pay the guards, thus increasing the school’s vulnerability to internal and external security threats. Some security guards in most learning institutions are also untrained, thus limiting their ability to handle a security threat effectively. The second cause of insecurity is the students. Overcrowding students from diverse backgrounds in a school increases security threats because of the conflict among students (Manga 7677). The conflict mainly arises from limited resources and different ideas and opinions and may sometimes lead to violence. In some instances, when a student’s misconduct is not addressed promptly, it may lead to crime, contributing to insecurity within the school.

Although the causes of insecurity within schools vary, the measures that can be taken to enhance security within schools are applicable worldwide. According to Ashcroft (20), the most effective approaches to improve safety within schools focus on viewing the school within its community setting by allowing local residents and pupils to access the schools after school hours, inviting community members to take part in the school activities and creating connections with professional groups and local businesses, focusing on the school environment rather than the individual student and physical security, using a partnership model to solve problems and employing various strategies rather than a single program. One of the measures that can be taken to promote safety within schools is using a zero-tolerance policy prohibiting violent behavior and any conduct that may threaten the security of learners, teachers, and staff, such as carrying a weapon within the school premises. Ashcroft argues that some institutions have already embraced the use of the zero-tolerance approach, but they are ineffective because of the wrong assumption that zero-tolerance should include uniform and tough punishments for any incident (21). Therefore, schools need to understand the limits of the zero-tolerance approach and what it should entail. For example, the zero tolerance approach may include suspending and expulsing students who threaten the safety of learners, teachers, and staff and firing staff and teachers who pose security threats to ensure that there are various punishment options for different types of wrongdoings within the school environment.

The second approach that can enhance the security of students, teachers, and staff within the school environment is early intervention in the children’s lives to reduce the risks of delinquency, behavioural problems, school truancy, and bullying. This approach requires collaboration between the school and the parents. The parents can monitor the student’s behaviour at home and use the disciplinary measures recommended by the teachers to eliminate the behavior records. Teachers can monitor the student’s behaviour in school and apply appropriate punishments to promote good behaviour. Ashcroft argues that the most effective prevention plans to address insecurity within schools combine various programs, including addressing the whole school population, soliciting support from teachers, and designing special projects targeting at-risk individuals and groups (22). The programs may include protocols and codes of conduct that define the norms followed within the school environment and deal with daily situations and events in the school. The programs may also include safety plans used to address serious events, a curriculum and projects for teachers to enhance mediation and conflict resolution skills, and support for students with specific problems. Schools can also use targeted student support to improve security within schools. Targeted student support includes group work and individual counselling, programs for suspended and expelled students, and mentoring (Ashcroft 22). The support can be provided within the school setting through health and social workers, students, or the local community. Teachers may also be offered training on how to deal with violent students within the school and limit disruptions in the class.

The third approach that can enhance surety within schools is implementing anti-bullying programs. Bullying is a leading cause of insecurity within the school environment because it results in students’ self-harm and violence. Therefore, schools need to create a strict policy prohibiting bullying within the school and actively collaborate with parents, teachers, and students to identify bullying incidents and behavior so that it can be prevented on time before a student gets hurt. It is also important to create awareness among students of bullying behavior so that appropriate measures such as suspension and expulsion can be taken to prevent bullying incidents in schools. Schools also need to offer counseling and psychological care to victims of bullying within the school to prevent self-harm and thoughts of harming other students since such thoughts have been linked to security threats such as mass shootings in schools. For example, a student may carry a firearm to school to shoot students who have been bullying them, thus putting the security of everyone within the school at risk. Anti-bullying programs should also include long-term counseling for students who bully others to eliminate bullying behavior.

Conclusion

Security within schools is a significant concept within the global education system, especially because of the impact of insecurity on learning outcomes and students’ willingness to go to school. Although it is a broad concept, it can be narrowed down to creating a safe environment for learners where their physical, emotional, and psychological needs are met. The leading causes of school insecurity are school management’s ignorance about security and student behavior, such as conflict, violence, and bullying. Therefore, schools need to focus on how student conduct within the school can be regulated and set aside enough resources to enhance security by employing qualified guards. Some of the approaches that can be used to improve security within schools include implementing anti-bullying programs, early intervention in a child’s life, and using a zero-tolerance approach. The approaches may be used based on the levels and types of insecurity within the schools and the availability of resources. Schools can also benchmark to identify the most effective ways to implement different approaches used to enhance security within schools.

Works Cited

Ashcroft, John. Promoting Safety in Schools. https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/bja/186937.pdf.

Manga, Sani. “Assessment of Causes and Forms of Insecurity in Educational Institutions in Kebbi State: Implications for School Administration.” International Journal of Current Research, vol. 11, no. 10, 2019, https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.24941/ijcr.36722.10.2019.

Mubita, Kaiko. “Understanding School Safety and Security: Conceptualization and Definitions.” Journal of Lexicography and Terminology, vol. 5, ser. 1, 2021, pp. 78–79. 1, https://doi.org/https://journals.unza.zm/index.php/jlt.

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