The Cop Column
March, 2001
Rick Hord, Public Information Officer
Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office
Are Your Kids Safe at School?
Nothing could be more heart-wrenching and traumatic than children being murdered at school.
In fact, however, school remains the safest place for children; most deaths and serious injuries happen at home or near home. Even in the relatively safe environs of the school grounds, many other threats far outrank the chance of being shot by another student. For example, as many school children are killed playing or practicing sanctioned, organized sports in an average year as have been shot to death at school during the worst year.
Sterile facts, though, are of no comfort at all when a tragedy does occur. The principal of Santee High School in California spoke the truth when she described the events at her school as her "worst nightmare."
What can we each do to prevent this unimaginable nightmare from coming true in our community? Let's quickly review some lessons learned.
*Communication is the first and most important line of defense. After a tragedy, we invariably learn of threats that were dismissed as a joke, rumors not taken seriously, or signs of trouble ignored in the hours or days before the event. The obvious lesson is also the matter-of-fact name of a program in Okaloosa County: "Tell Somebody." Notify a teacher, administrator or School Resource Officer of any and all threats, rumors, and suspicious activity. Help authorities trace rumors to their source.
*Parents should know what their children are doing. Yes, teens need their privacy, but when parents are totally out of their kids' lives, our most important link is broken.
*Teach children important lessens from an early age. One of these lessons should be to respect individual differences, and not tease or taunt others. Another should be the link between decisions and consequences.
*Discuss current events with your children. The most important part of this discussion is listening.
*Have a plan. Would your kids know what to do if they saw a knife, a gun, or other weapon? Would you? Where would you go to reach safety in case of sudden violence? There are questions you must think about before you need the answers.
Is violence at school on the increase? Our figures would tend to indicate it's not. The number of felony arrests and "weapons investigations" reported by the Resource Officers has declined significantly in the past few years. Resource Officers in Okaloosa County investigated 73 reports of weapons on campus during the 1999-2000 school year, compared to 142 the previous year. Felony arrests by Resource Officers have declined from 52 to 43.
-30-