PTA: Enforcement of School Safety Plans Needed

PTA will attend White House Conference on School Safety tomorrow

CHICAGO (October 9, 2006) - PTA officials will attend a special conference convened by the White House tomorrow to discuss issues related to school safety. The conference is in response to the recent school shootings that occurred in Colorado, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. PTA hopes that those called to the table will approach the issue with a 360-degree view of what it will take to ensure all schools are safe places for children to learn. School safety must be paramount, even during this politically charged climate.

The recent school shootings have been a wake-up call to parents and school officials nationwide. PTA hopes that the White House conference sparks a renewed urgency for school communities to enforce school safety plans that, in most cases, are already in place.

As parents and family members that frequent school facilities, PTA members want to see school communities dust-off the school safety/crisis plan and put into motion a collaborative effort to protect children and school staff and prevent violence in schools. According to the National Crime Prevention Council, the crime rate can decrease by as much as 30 percent when a violence prevention initiative is a community-wide effort. School communities that have violence prevention plans and crisis management teams in place are more prepared to identify and avert potential problems and to know what to do when a crisis happens.

Preventing violence in schools is not an issue that can be managed single-handedly by families, schools, health/emergency officials or the government. Our school communities must unite to keep children safe - a blanket, one-size fits all approach is not the answer. As school safety policies and measures are reviewed or new ones created at the local and state level, PTA believes parents need to be informed and involved at all levels of this decision-making process.

Additional resources on school safety and what parents can do to help children cope are available at http://www.pta.org/schoolsafety.

About PTA
PTA comprises nearly 6 million parents and other concerned adults devoted to the educational success of children and the promotion of parent involvement in schools. PTA is a registered 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization that prides itself on being a powerful voice for children, a relevant resource for parents, and a strong advocate for public education. Membership in PTA is open to anyone who is concerned with the education, health, and welfare of children and youth.