Student Safety Is First Priority For School Staff (March 2021)

 

In the last 25 years, much has been discussed about how bullying and unresolved emotional traumas affect children. It was concluded by many that schools could do a much better job in preventing and lessening social cruelty. They simply erroneously assume that "kids" lumped together will get along just fine. That simply is not nor will that ever be the case. They assume that lectures, cliches, and sound bytes will serve as proper prevention. That will never be the case either.

Disciplining with a firm hand may partially work but that too is ineffective since the problem was allowed to happen. There should be college age chaperones and hall monitors at the schools. They could serve as volunteers. They could monitor the classrooms but mainly monitor the cafeteria and other group places. They could wear casual clothes with proper badges.

Many times if a student is getting bullied, that student has nowhere to go. To that student, the formally dressed administrator is too intimidating. Teachers and guidance counselors are also often perceived as too busy and therefore inaccessible to the kid. These chaperones could serve the purpose of informally and "off the books" remedying any issue before it really becomes one. Kids furthermore do not want to be perceived as tattle-tales so they are disinclined to lodge formal complaints. However, these "chaperones" can handle matters with confidentiality so that no one really gets exposed. An ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure.

These "chaperones" would be more effective at the high school level. In a dance club, security is supposed to canvass the entire place. A staffer is not supposed to directly look at people nor should he/she look away from people. They are supposed to monitor the people in that club to make certain everything is ok. They supposed to observe if any possible conflict is brewing so they can "nip it at the bud".

Schools should employ the same concept. Those "chaperones" could freely engage with the students without being partial to anyone. These chaperones could receive college credit. They could also receive tax and/or tuition credit.

Students have the responsibility not to fight. However, the school's staff has the greater responsibility to keep students safe. Student education is not possible without student safety taking first priority.