Exploring The Intricacies Of School Safety

Very clear that this is about more than a few little work done that is not there are a wide range of play is policy with family Pres. John Rustin thanks for joining us this week for family policy matters safety, particularly in schools is at the forefront of our minds these days, especially in light of Violent Tragedies Taking Pl. in Portland, FL and elsewhere across our country today were fortunate to be joined by Lindsay Burke, director of the Center for education policy at the Heritage foundation in Washington DC will be discussing some of the intricacies surrounding this issue, and where the research suggests our efforts may be best directed as we really seek to keep our children our teachers and staff safe while at school. Clearly this is a critically important issue and a very complex issue as well Lindsay what the family policy matters. Thank you so much for having me.

Now let's begin with, some big picture perspective on this issue of school violence. How does the rate and severity of school violence across our nation compare with for the history of what we seen in our country will certainly any violent Internet and at school involving a child is tragic that Columbine style students are actually quite rare.

Thankfully, since about the 1990s American hundred thousand or so public and primary schools have experienced about 22 on campus shooting that resulted in two or more fatality so that the average out. That's less than one multiple fatality shooting each year. And of course wanted one too many. By the idea that the Columbine style seating are something that we see frequently, thankfully, is not the case and and since 1998. There has not been any steady rise in shooting that that is the good news, if you look back to the mid-1990s and early 1990s, there were four times as many children who were killed in schools in the 1990s and then today, and that numbers been really declining pretty steadily over the past 30 years, that's interesting. I think that's an important perspective just so that we look at the reality of the situation. I know with media coverage and are clearly the well-founded concerns that we all have about school violence that it may seem to some that there's been a significant increase in recent years, but that really it is not the case. Although it is good that were having a heightened level of sensitivity and awareness of this issue.

Now speaking of this issue to Lindsay. What are some of the variety of factors that are most important to consider as we seek to have a truly productive and honest conversation about how to make our schools more safe. What one thing that we focus on here at heritage to what you said. How do we have this productive and honest conversation and it became very clear that this is about more than just he know our president here like to say about more than two little words stand… It not the answer that there are a wide range of issues at play pool violence is related to a wide range of issues, and so part of… Range of issues. One of the most critical underlying cultural factors that are related to youth violent and that would include primarily the creation and the maintenance of stable and strong in intact families and that's really important and unfortunately something that we had seen moving in the opposite direction. Over the years. So in addition to fostering strong families which would go a long way and a lot of these crises is up to the school level side and the policy side of that which involves allowing schools to actually punish student misbehavior when it occurs effectively without worrying that they are going to be penalized and felled through federal policy during the Obama years how the Obama administration really attempt to tie access to federal funding to school policies that limited discipline measures such as school pension and that was something that was promulgated and what was noted that 2014 dear colleague letter to resending that guidance which is something that the current administration is considering and should do will go a long way in restoring decision-making authority back to schools when it comes to student misbehavior and discipline. What's important is the overall aspects of individual responsibility and I really appreciate so much what you sure about the importance of family structure when the family starts to unravel the impacts of that across our society or just enormous and I think that that's what we seen in many of the circumstances right and you cannot over state the importance of intact family. Family is so important and unfortunately a majority of school attackers have come from broken homes yet either homes are repeated for domestic violence.

Absentee fathers that's really unfortunate to see some of these school attackers had really experienced them pretty. Family instability and that goes for parkland in Sandy Hook and others just name a few.

And I would say that that that does not mean that children obviously from from broken homes to be viewed as a threat that all should I a few think that it requires that we recognize the critical importance that family intact family plays in that fundamental role of childhood development. Some truths now another issue that truly comes alive in this is become an area of focus is mental health. How does mental health factor into the overall equation of school safety and the individuals that we have seen perpetrate some of these crimes in recent years has been an increasing focus then you know I think it is good that were sort of the policy world broadening our focus on some of the factors that have led to the tragic tragedy mental health ain't one of them. I would say need to be better trained to recognize the signs of mental health and that I should note here that we should make a distinction between severe mental illness and just general mental health school staff do need to be trained in recognizing those severe mental health issues right now there is typically in a district school. Only one counselor per 500 students is only one nurse per 1200 students know, I don't think that the answer there is more spending, but it is really empowering schools have more say over how they allocate their resources and how they administer and allocate staffing position. One thing that we know is that while there are few counselors and nurses per student that we've actually seen the inverses over the past few decades. It just general administrative staff nonteaching staff in school has really just exploded over the past few decades.

If you look back to 1950 there were 2.36 teachers for every non-teacher in a typical school district in today at 1212. There's a lot of for lack of a better term administrative bloat in school. The school had the ability to better directives resources on their own instead of having to jump through hoops to satisfy federal regulations and requirements. I think we could see them better allocate resources which would have.

I think a positive downstream effect on the mental health I was listening to a resource to listen to our radio show online resources that will persuasion in your community to our website.org Lindsay mentioned this earlier to put gun laws often become a hot button topic when we discussed school safety based on your research and knowledge of this issue. Do you believe that the laws that we have in place regarding guns are sufficient or do you think that more laws and regulations are necessary, but I will say that my area of expertise is education policy and not the Second Amendment. However, my colleagues here, John, Mel, and 80 square really fantastic work in the space.

One thing that that they have pointed out a lot of the research that they published recently is that the majority of school shooters under the minimum age to purchase the gun had obtained one legally that that was already owned and so school safety. I think I really need to be considered outside of gun control debate not not be limited to gun control. Then we see in China.

Unfortunately, 18 children died in a knife attack in 2010. So it really is. I think something that necessitates a far broader conversation than just gun control. Well, that's it.

It's an easy topic to jump onto and for folks on all sides of the political spectrum to attempt to use to their advantage to push a particular agenda but think as you well stated throughout our discussion so far.

There is far more to this issue than John so we really need to take a look at the whole picture and all of these different aspects. No Lindsay from from the perspective of Social Security. What changes can schools implement relatively quickly and easily. That will help to increase the safety of student teachers and other staff in the school armed security guard that one could resort. They can be expensive for school to implement and particularly to implement multiple such security guard.

One of that is you. The tort of low hanging fruit and easier changes might be the use of outdoor barricades in schools.

These are small wedges that can be placed doorframes within seconds.

That will prevent intruders from physically entering a room. There are some sort of easier and lower-cost fixes that schools could pursue, but I go back to this need.

Really for schools to have more autonomy over the dollars that they're currently spending. If we could free up some of the red tape and the regulations that are handed down from Washington and actually empower principals and school leaders to make these decisions about how to best allocate the resources that go a long way in helping them, whether it's prioritizing armed security guards to work. Other types of school hardening mechanisms. They would be able to do that. There was a proposal floated by Sen. Alexander who is the chair of the Senate education and labor committee, and he basically suggested doing what I just described, which is to allow schools to really have more control over the dollars that they spend in really allow them to use the existing funds that are already spent through federal policy toward whatever local school safety priority. They might need to address is the appropriate responsibility and cooperation between different levels of government, for example, the school systems. The schools on the ground and our state and federal government to address this topic most effectively and most appropriately mentioned, I think first and foremost we really need to free up states and localities to do it with a few best way to understand the local environment in which they operate. They have the local contextual knowledge to know what they need to do on school safety and so have the federal government really could free up the red tape there that might bind the hands of state and local leaders. But then down at the state level. There is also there are quite a few areas in which states and local leaders could better work together.

One example would be across state lines to have better communication about what work there are district and state some across the country to do a good job of this. North Carolina is a good example where they actually have all of the state agencies so the health agency and state Department of Ed and others we get together do conference calls about school safety double. We need to do is export some of that across state lines and actually share these best practices and then at the end of the day.

I think we we need to ensure that parents are actually able to find schooling options that are a good fit for their child as well.

We know that school safety is one of the biggest priorities for parents when they're choosing a school that can go you know far beyond this conversation but into a conversation about bullying and just other general school safety measures at the student level.

So, ensuring that families have access to options that work for them.

Of course, to be part of that as well. That's great. Lead into my final question for you and that is what can parents and students do also a practical standpoint to help to make their schools and those environment safer by continuing to be as active as possible in Florida and Broward County. We have seen parents really step up and students in particular really step up be part of the conversation in terms of school board meetings and at meetings at the school PTA meeting, etc. we also I will say at heritage. We have a lot of resources for parents and students and policymakers, but under school safety initiative for parents and students in particular. There's a lot out there but I think being part of the conversation attending the school board meetings is really critical, politically share with our listeners where they can go to get information about this school safety issue and other information great wealth of information at the Hertz foundation provides think they might seek and visit heritage.org and there are two areas on our site. You can check out for more on this one is our school safety initiative which will see prominently in the other for general education policy. We have a whole education initiative as well that you can click on there but heritage.org and I would also recommend the daily signal.com all of the great resources there. Grace once you for thanks much for being with us on family policy matters and for all your great work at the heritage foundation on the so very important issue of education policy and to listen to every show online resources and information about issues important to families in the Carolina website family.org and follow us on Twitter and Facebook