Safe Campuses

By Bennett S Kayser

There are different aspects of safety at our schools.

Then there is the safety issue of keeping LAUSD's facilities free of toxic and dangerous substances. Are the science labs, art classes, shops and other classrooms safe and ventilated? Have the teachers been properly trained in classroom safety? During my 14 years as an LAUSD teacher, other than fire and disaster drills, I was never formally trained in classroom or laboratory safety. Fortunately for me and my students, I had a decade of experience as a Laboratory and Radiation Safety Officer for the UCLA Medical School. As a member of the School Board I will develop a policy requiring teachers and allied staff to be trained in classroom safety.

The safety issue most often discussed is the victimization of students and others as a result of some type of violence or crime. There must be a zero tolerance for bullying, fighting, and other forms of violence especially when that violence is directed toward a group in the form of a hate crime. Where violence occurs more often than rarely, a uniformed School Police officer should walk a "beat" around the campus to make his/her presence obvious. There should be more access not just to police, but counselors as well. In areas of the District where children are not safe+or think they are not safe--walking to or from school, community organizers should assist neighborhoods to develop safety plans in the context of a Neighborhood Watch.