Do Most Children Feel Safe at School?
Posted: Sunday, September 06, 2009
by Carolyn Tytler
I realize that, as far as school safety goes, I'm very fortunate in where I live. The schools in my medium-sized city in Southern Ontario, Canada, are just about as safe as schools anywhere can be..
My grandson begins Grade One this September and he is very excited about going to school. Neither he nor his parents are at all apprehensive about his safety while under the supervision of school personnel. Everything possible has been done to ensure the children's safety.
There is also a teacher assigned to Bus Duty. She will see that the children who go home by bus all board the vehicle safely. It is the parents' responsibility to meet the children at the stop near their home.
All school offices are located near the front door. Anyone wishing to enter must sign in at the office. Parents who wish to pick up children at times other than dismissal, must check in first and sign a visitors book. No one is allowed to take a child out without written permission from one of the parents.
There is also a lock-down system which can be implemented in case of any dangerous situations which may develop near the school. In case of a potential threat in the neighborhood, such as a violent domestic dispute in which one party may have a gun, all entrances and exits are locked. No one can enter or leave the building until the danger has past.
Unfortunately, many parents remember all too well when our city was the site of the grisly killings by Karla Homolka and Paul Bernardo. Because of this, most students are driven to school and picked up after class. The children miss the experience and the beneficial exercise of walking to and from school. It will probably take years before those weeks of horror are forgotten.
However, it must be remembered that neither the abductions nor the murders took place while the girls were under the school's care. Tammy Homolka was in her own home, and Kristen French was walking home from school by herself.
As an added precaution. in the high schools, surveillance cameras have been installed at strategic points throughout the buildings. In case of an emergency, police, fire and ambulance personnel are only a phone call away.
All emergency vehicles are equipped with loud, piercing sirens and blazing multi-colored lights. Traffic routinely pulls over when they approach. In a city like ours, with only about 134,000 people, these vehicles are never more than a few minutes away from their appointed destination.
In my city, St. Catharines, Ontario, most children feel safe at school. It is my earnest prayer that they will continue to do so for many years to come.
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