10/4/21—The National Center On Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE), describes school safety as an atmosphere free of violence, bullying, harassment and substance use. The ability to create an environment with a culture of safety is necessary to maintaining not only the physical, but emotional health of students. With proper precautions in place, school safety also increases academic performance, directly building a brighter future for students and schools alike.¹

Conversely, children who are exposed to the threat of violence, theft, witnessing or participating in the sale or use of illegal drugs, and even emotional harassment, did not fare as well. The NCSSLE reports these students as being at risk for dropping out, and being unable to maintain satisfactory attendance and grades.  This effect translates into school-wide issues, dragging down test scores that can alter funding in public schools, and cutting graduation rates. The presence of gangs, clashes between rival groups within the school community, and general reports of students feeling unsafe, all factor into what the NCSSLE calls “collective hostility.” As this element increases on campus, student reading achievements decrease, leading to more negative future outcomes.¹

According to a 2018 survey of 5th to 12th graders, 59% of students reported generally feeling safe at school.¹ That number began to drop when asked about safety in hallways, locker rooms, bathrooms, and outdoor portions of campus, with 31% noting they felt the need to be constantly vigilant, and prepared to defend themselves in the event of attack.  The survey maintains that children who feel unsafe in school are at an increased risk for dangerous behavior, including drug use and carrying weapons.¹

The National Institute of Justice (NIS), says that technology can be an excellent tool when used in a multi-layer strategy to improve safety, setting students up for success both in school and further on in life.² While every campus has different specified needs, improving school climate through social and emotional programs cuts back on both severity and frequency of issues at school, increasing positive behaviors and attitudes.¹ Pairing this with the use of emergency response systems, like the AlertTrace Emergency Management System (EMS), can improve the outcome of emergencies by enabling faster responses and more effective emergency communication between schools, classrooms, staff, dispatchers, and incident managers.

Using our cutting edge IoT devices, our small and affordable panic button system by AlertTrace is a quick and reliable tool to help keep schools safe. Our EMS delivers critical panic alert details, such as location of the emergency and key facility data. With the ability to accurately provide information on incidents in multi-story and outdoor areas, places where students feel more vulnerable on campus can be included for quick response time. With no expensive infrastructure required, this plug-and-play system is developed and supported in the U.S.A. and protects personal privacy, keeping kids focused on learning.

Learn how you can help improve safety at your school when you contact us today.

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¹  Safety | Safe Supportive Learning. (2011). Ed.gov. https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/topic-research/safety

² Ames, B. (2019). Making schools safe for students. National Institute of Justice. https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/making-schools-safe-students