School Safety Matters
In this issue:
New Online Course Spotlight: Arson Awareness & Prevention
WHO Declares Pandemic
Personal Protective Equipment
SafeSchools Spotlight: Craig Ullery, Retiring Assistant Superintendent of HR, Mason City Schools
School Safety Tip of the Month: Playground Surfaces
School Safety Quote of the Month: American Academy of Pediatrics Addresses Bullying
GAO Report: Special-Needs Kids Abused in Schools
Court Considers Girl's Lewd MySpace Parody
When Bullying Turns Deadly
Other Relevant School Safety News Stories -- Links Only
New Online Course Spotlight: Arson Awareness & Prevention
As this recent article shows, arson is a very real threat to school districts around the country. Arson is extremely costly to society in general, and is a difficult crime to detect and prosecute. SafeSchools’ recently released online course, Arson Awareness & Prevention, provides school employees with information that will help reduce the likelihood of arson at their school. The course reviews best practices to eliminate arson and provide a better understanding of the principles of fire itself, in addition to the main elements of arson and some common causes of campus fires.
To preview the course or for more information contact us at info@safeschools.com.
WHO Declares Pandemic
On Thursday, June 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the H1N1 Virus, commonly known as the Swine Flu, has become the first pandemic of the 21st century. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines a pandemic as a global outbreak of disease. Although the designation of pandemic may seem like cause for panic, it does not signify that the virus has become more deadly; rather, it refers to its geographical spread.
In fact, this current strain is still causing mild to moderate illness in the vast majority of cases. At this point, the WHO’s greatest concern is to find a balance between overreaction and complacency. These recent developments further reinforce the importance of proper training to prepare and educate your staff to handle the threat of pandemic flu. Our Pandemic Flu course is now available online to all SafeSchools customers as part of the Health category.
Not yet a SafeSchools customer, but would like to preview the course? Click here to request a free 30-day trial.
Personal Protective Equipment
We understand the temptation. How many times have you said or heard things like, “I’m only going to cut this one piece of wood; it should be fine”; or “Fifty pounds of books? I should be able to life that no problem…” Careless decisions like this, however, can lead to potentially serious injuries. Many injuries occur when we’re in a hurry, the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is not readily available, or we simply have our mind on other things and forget that body parts like the eyes, hands, feet, and head need special protection for certain jobs. Especially if you’re working outdoors in the heat this summer, it can be extremely tempting to disregard gloves, hats, goggles, etc. But it’s important to remember that wearing PPE is one of the single-most important steps you can take to stay healthy and injury-free.
For more information, check out SafeSchools’ Personal Protective Equipment course.
SafeSchools Spotlight: Craig Ullery, Retiring Assistant Superintendent of HR, Mason City Schools
Craig Ullery, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources with Mason City Schools, has been a SafeSchools customer since the very beginning. Ullery has played an integral role in the growth and development of the District as it grew from 5,364 students in 1998, to its current count of 10,747 students. Ullery was personally responsible for hiring over 835 teachers in eleven years, in addition to creating important school training initiatives and saving taxpayers money by self-insuring Mason City Schools’ Workers’ Compensation. After 35 years in education and seven years as a SafeSchools customer, Ullery is retiring this year. Before moving on, we asked Ullery to share some of his school safety wisdom with us, as well as pass on some tips to our current SafeSchools customers.
Click here to read the interview!
School Safety Tip of the Month: Playground Surfaces
With most children away from school grounds for the summer, now is a good time to inspect your school’s playground for potential safety hazards. Since appropriate surfaces can reduce playground injuries, school employees should watch for four areas of foreseeable surfacing hazards:
- Inappropriate playground surface materials that do not meet F-1292 standards.
- Equipment over the height of 8 ft., which triples the potential for injury.
- Surface materials that are too shallow. In general, loose fill surfacing should be at least 12 in.
- Use zones that fall short of the specified minimum distance. Surfacing should extend to 6 ft. around stationary equipment; twice the height of the swing beam around swings; and up to 8 ft. in front of slides.
School Safety Quote of the
Month: American Academy of Pediatrics Addresses Bullying
“Olweus’s genius,” says Dr. Robert Sage, Boston Medical Center, “is that he manages to turn the school situation around so the other kids realize that the bully is someone who has a problem managing his or her behavior, and the victim is someone they can protect.” Sage’s quote addresses Dan Olweus, research professor at University of Bergen, Norway, who has adopted a model of bullying prevention that the AAP is recommending schools adopt. This is the first time the AAP is including a section on bullying in their official policy statement.
GAO Report: Special-Needs Kids Abused in Schools
Congressional auditors uncovered abuse of techniques to restrain or discipline special-education students
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/05/18/siu.schools.abuse/index.html
Court Considers Girl's Lewd MySpace Parody
Case over mocking principal tests the limits of school discipline
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31070831/
When Bullying Turns Deadly
What some see as a typical challenge of growing up is becoming more serious than ever.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/personal/05/26/o.truth.about.bullying/index.html
Other Relevant School Safety
New Stories -- Links Only
Florida Epidemic: Teachers Sleeping with Students: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1901762,00.html
Fired and Behind Bars, Teacher Still Gets Paid: http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/06/05/alabama.teacher.sex.salary/index.html
Parents Demand Resignation of School Principal over ‘Racist’ Teacher Survey: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,524895,00.html?test=latestnews
Can a Mop Fight the Swine Flu? Probably Not: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30854910/ns/health-swine_flu/
4 Teens Charged as Adults for Locker Room Assault: http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/06/04/florida.sexual.assault/index.html
Graphic Video Aims to Stem Teen Pregnancies: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30845658/ns/health-kids_and_parenting/
Janitor Previously Accused of Inappropriate Touching: http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090602/NEWS0102/906030310/Janitor+accused+of+lewd+behavior
Pittsburgh Teen Charged after Allegedly using Biology Class Snake as Jump Rope: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,520826,00.html?sPage=fnc/us/crime
Texas Special Education Teacher Allegedly Pistol-Whipped Teen: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,520845,00.html
Parents Allowing 8-Year-Old Son to Live Life as Girl: http://www.foxnews.com/video2/video08.html?maven_referralObject=5189169&maven_referralPlaylistId=&sRevUrl=http://www.foxnews.com/national/crime/index.html
36 Children Hurt in School Grate Collapse: http://wcbstv.com/topstories/brooklyn.collapse.school.2.1016781.html
Letourneau Hosts ‘Hot for Teacher’ Night: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2009/05/22/dnt.wa.hot.for.teacher.night.komo
Girl Accused of Soliciting Dad’s Murder on School Bus: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,522438,00.html
Judge Bans Bible from Kindergarten Show and Tell: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,524097,00.html
Princeton University Lockdown Caused by Toy Gun: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,524943,00.html
Diabetic Girl Punished for Sneaking Fruit Snack: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/31124144#31124144
Shen Computer Case Has Familiar Ring: http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=809665
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