It is never too early to educate a child about safety and security. Parents are afraid of their child`s safety at schools, roads and even at home; irrespective of age, a child should be aware of their surroundings, and self security should be their first priority. Teaching a child about talking to strangers depends on their age. Preschoolers are unaware of the term “stranger” and fail to determine who is safe or unsafe. Thus, at schools and toddlers must be taught about basic safety and how to deal with unfavorable situations. The 5- to 8-year-old must be given special attention and lessons about safety and how to deal with strangers, when they are alone and unsupervised in public or at home. A 4 year old knows who a stranger is and must be taught safety rules. Whereas, School-age kids have an idea that some strangers might be dangerous and some can be totally harmless. They have the ability to differentiate between the two with their judgment and impulse. Ways to teach kids to handle strangers: Informing Parents: A parent should be aware of their child`s whereabouts, no matter where they are going. A child must be given strict instructions to inform to their parents about their outings. Even if it is a minor chore or an errand, a parent should be informed; this way they can protect their child from other people. A child should feel free to inform their parents about someone`s inappropriate behavior, be it a stranger or a known person. Parents must listen to their kids by supporting them and address the person trying to hurt them. No Stringent Rules: To a child, virtually everyone they meet is a stranger, at least at first, like, day-care providers and teachers, babysitters, doctors and nurses and dentists, the mail carrier, even police officers. While there are some strangers with ill-intentions, most of the others are safe and probably friendly and kindly disposed towards children. Thus, a child should not be taught to “never” interact with a stranger, rather they should be taught to be more alert and aware and avoid any physical contacts. Childproofing: At an early age a child should be taught to spell and write their full name and at least know the names of one parent. They must know their address and telephone numbers of their parents and emergency numbers like 9-1-1 or 1-0-0. Basic body safety: Teachers and parents should educate 2- and 3-year-old with general body safety. Preschoolers are not too young to learn the correct terms for their genitals and they must be taught that no one is supposed to touch their private parts and they must avoid any kind of physical contact with strangers or sit on their laps. Using Public Bathrooms and Trial Rooms: By age 6, most children are ready to use a public restroom and trail rooms on their own. A parent should be vigilant and should stay close to their child. They must immediately refuse help from unknown people, if offered any. Ability to say NO: A child should be taught to recognize suspicious behavior. Instead of telling them to be scared of an unknown person and run away from them, a child must be taught to detect danger and uncanny situations. Instances like, a stranger offering candies, asking for directions, asking for personal information, showing inappropriate behavior; kids should be aware of such circumstances and never succumb to the given scenario. They should be taught to stay away from such strangers and never offer or accept any help from such people. Final Thought about Parents, Kids & Strangers: It is not possible to protect kids from strangers at all times. But it is possible to teach them about appropriate behaviors and what to do if somebody crosses the line. There is no point crushing a child`s friendly and outgoing nature and terrorizing a child by making them scared of everyone by dwelling on such unpleasant possibilities as kidnapping, rape, and murder; rather they must be taught to distinguish among different people and always be alert and attentive. Keeping these tips in mind can help kids stay safe while they’re out and about.
SECURITY AT SCHOOLS “It is not who you attend school with but who controls the school you attend”, a famous quote by Nick Giovanni, correctly states the essentiality of school management. An institution like school provides formal education to a child, in an environment which is favorable and challenging yet safe and secure. Thus, the primary aim of the Department of Education is to implement security measures to create a harmless ambience for staff and students and to protect school property. Concerns: Alarming incidents at schools, all around the country, has forced the public to question the judgment and quality of the school authorities and their lackadaisical approach towards the safety of the students. Recent acts of violence and destruction has raised concern among parents and guardians, as their children spend half of their day at school in a similar environment. Security Measures fro Schools: The Growing public anxiety over such incidents in public schools has prompted educators and lawmakers to drastically heighten security and safety measures in schools in order to reduce and prevent violence and ensure safety in schools. Some of the immediate measures the authorities must adapt are Zero Tolerance Policy, Increasing physical security, providing Self Defense classes, increasing liaison with law enforcement and private security agencies and offering students types of violence prevention programs. Increased Physical Security: There should be limited access inside the school premises and all unmonitored entrances must be locked while the main gate should always be under CCTV surveillance and monitored 24*7. The visitors should not be permitted to enter without checking in at the main office, and a distinct identification must be issued, that they have to wear while on campus. The security officials are to be assigned at specific campus perimeters and hallways and they should be provided with a two-way radio for better communication. There should be regular inspections of the exterior and interior of the campus and any suspicious activity must be immediately reported to school officials or the police. Apart from installing a minimum of 25 security cameras around the school in classrooms, hallways, gyms, cafeterias, parking lots, football fields, and on each school bus, walk-through metal detectors should also be acquired by school authorities for the screening of weapons or explosives that promote violence and threat. Disaster Plans: A variety of approaches are needed for implementation of effective security and other uncalled disasters. There should be special arrangements and solutions for security breaches and associated vandalism like arson and theft in schools. There should be adequate security exits and students should be given special classes to tackle such aversions. These incidents severely disrupts the normal daily routine of schools, and often results in the loss of valuable and irreplaceable resources and sometimes even innocent lives. Zero Tolerance Policies: Public schools should have zero tolerance policies for firearms and other weapons, alcohol, illegal or legal drugs, tobacco, and violence. There must be predetermined penalties for the students and staff and they shouldn`t be forgiven under any circumstances. There should be rigorous action taken against students who disobey the rules and the same applies to the teachers as well. This is the duty of the principal to keep an eye on all activities and be alert in every situation. Liaison with Law Enforcement and Private Security Agencies: Security guards and police officers can identify places in public schools that must be monitored for situations where property damage, crimes, or physical violence may occur. These places are usually the halls, toilets, restrooms, cafeteria, and the parking lot. By being at the right place at the right time, security guards or police officers can avoid and minimize mishaps effectively. Hence, such professionals must be appointed to perform multiple tasks such as patrolling school grounds, assisting with investigations of students who break school rules, conducting searches for substances like drugs, alcohol, cigars, etc, and arresting intruders who sneak into the school. Violence Prevention Programs: These programs put forward the examples of students who have been punished for violating school rules and try to prevent these students from committing future acts of violence by making them realize that their actions are unacceptable. Banning a criminal does not kill the crime, thus this program seeks to avoid criminalizing offending students and keep them in the classroom, which avoids disrupting their education. Perpetrators who snoop around the campus doing inappropriate activities should be penalized and students should be aware of such happenings and trained to be alert. Conclusion: School authorities and Security Department should identify the specific problems that are currently taking place at their school and determine how to rationally address them without further delay. At this time when parents continue to fear crime and violence, increased security is unavoidable. Prevention measures, outside of security devices, should also be considered that include peer mediation, parental involvement, and more easy access to security personnel. Children need a healthy and an uninterrupted ambience and their parents should be willing to send them to schools without fearing anything unfortunate happening to them and this can only be achieved if the school management promises a better and a safe environment for the students.