School Policies and Legal Issues Supporting Safe Schools (Revised)

• NCJ Number: 229355
• Date Published: September 2007
• Author(s): Thomas Hutton; Kirk Bailey
• Agencies: OJJDP-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Handbook
• Grant Number(s): 2005-JL-FX-0157

Annotation

This guide presents an overview of the legal and practical considerations concerning students of which school officials must be aware in developing and implementing efforts to prevent school violence with a focus on Federal law.

Abstract

Schools tend to be safe environments for children compared to other settings. However, research indicators show that students continue to be victimized at school too frequently, have concerns about their own safety, and report engaging in avoidance behaviors at school. To assist schools in their safety efforts the Hamilton Fish Institute on School and Community Violence and the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory with support from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) revised a series of guidebooks. The guidebooks are intended to build a foundation of information to assist schools and school districts in developing safe learning environments. The guidebooks provide local school districts with information and resources that support comprehensive safe school planning efforts. This guidebook is a practical guide to the development and implementation of school district and school policies that support safe schools. Section 1 provides an overview of legal and practical considerations to keep in mind and to address with local legal counsel when developing policies at the district level to prevent violence. Section 2 addresses specific situations and issues that may arise and discusses how the framework set forth in the first section bears on these questions. The guide concludes with a glossary of terms and a list of additional resources and organizations that may be of assistance. References