This week I was appalled to learn of the murder of two teachers, one in Nevada and the other in Massachusetts. Obviously, this was not a good week for our country’s schools. The two accused of the crimes are and were students at the respective schools. What is sad is that these horrific events, although immediate to all educators, seem to be lacking an appropriate level of importance by the media. While I am sure that the tragedies are being intensely felt in Sparks and Danvers, I am worried that most folks will simply go on with their lives and not have the two killings further our discussion and pending action on how to recognize and then respond to students who are in a state of extreme mental or emotional stress. Clearly, there was something terribly wrong with the two boys accused of the killings.
Our schools spend a lot of time and energy creating a positive school culture through programs such as Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports. KPBSD school staff also works hard to prevent bullying and trains our students in how to respond and prevent cyber bullying. While our teachers and principals are trained in basic psychology, they seek guidance from our school psychologists when faced with students demonstrating extreme behaviors. A part of the school psychologists’ training is being able to help students who bully or who are bullied. Our school counselors also play a significant role and are at the forefront of the day-to-day experiences of students dealing with the multitude of issues that affect their school experience. In sum, I feel that we are doing well to promote a safe school environment and are making a good effort to recognize and help our troubled students.
As we look ahead to securing federal, state and borough support for our schools, it is easy to focus on the pending lack of new money and the need to tighten our belt. Although this is likely our reality, we must avoid letting the relatively flat level of funding compromise our capacity to maintain a safe school environment. Public schools are tasked with so much more than providing a basic education, let’s ensure that those who make the support level decisions for education understand this.
Safe school environment
This week I was appalled to learn of the murder of two teachers, one in Nevada and the other in Massachusetts. Obviously, this was not a good week for our country’s schools. The two accused of the crimes are and were students at the respective schools. What is sad is that these horrific events, although immediate to all educators, seem to be lacking an appropriate level of importance by the media. While I am sure that the tragedies are being intensely felt in Sparks and Danvers, I am worried that most folks will simply go on with their lives and not have the two killings further our discussion and pending action on how to recognize and then respond to students who are in a state of extreme mental or emotional stress. Clearly, there was something terribly wrong with the two boys accused of the killings.
Our schools spend a lot of time and energy creating a positive school culture through programs such as Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports. KPBSD school staff also works hard to prevent bullying and trains our students in how to respond and prevent cyber bullying. While our teachers and principals are trained in basic psychology, they seek guidance from our school psychologists when faced with students demonstrating extreme behaviors. A part of the school psychologists’ training is being able to help students who bully or who are bullied. Our school counselors also play a significant role and are at the forefront of the day-to-day experiences of students dealing with the multitude of issues that affect their school experience. In sum, I feel that we are doing well to promote a safe school environment and are making a good effort to recognize and help our troubled students.
As we look ahead to securing federal, state and borough support for our schools, it is easy to focus on the pending lack of new money and the need to tighten our belt. Although this is likely our reality, we must avoid letting the relatively flat level of funding compromise our capacity to maintain a safe school environment. Public schools are tasked with so much more than providing a basic education, let’s ensure that those who make the support level decisions for education understand this.