The National Parents Teachers Association (PTA) has developed a checklist to help schools and communities deal with the problem of school violence. They provide 10 strategies, most of which are included in other well-informed guides to reducing school violence.
The list is relatively familiar. Parents should talk to their children, being far more proactive than waiting for their children or teens to come to them. Parents need to set clear rules and limits for their children. Parents and teachers should be advised as to how to recognize certain warning signs that could include withdrawal from from friends, declining grades, quitting sports or club activities, sleep disruptions, eating problems, evasiveness, lying, and chronic physical complaints. Parents should not be afraid to intervene. Parents should stay involved in their child’s school. Parents are recommended to join PTA or violence prevention coalitions as well as help organize community violence prevention forums and develop a school violence spec prevention plan. They should also know how to deal with the media in crisis situations as well as work to influence lawmakers on behalf of their children.
For the more detailed checklist, go to the National PTA’s Checklist to Help Prevent School Violence
Written by NSV Blog Staff Writer
The NSV Blog 