The AFT was among several organizations invited to attend President Bush's summit on school safety this month in Chevy Chase, Md., where panelists shared information and ideas on preventing school violence as well as recovering from tragic events.

AFT educational issues assistant director Kathy Buzad was at the Oct. 10 Conference on School Safety that brought together educators, law enforcement officials, representatives of social service agencies and others. The high-profile event featured Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Education Secretary Margaret Spellings and President and Mrs. Bush.

The conference was held in the wake of recent tragedies at schools that have shocked the nation, including the killings at the West Nickel Mines Amish school in Pennsylvania, the killing of a Wisconsin school principal by a student and the death of a teenage girl shot by a gunman in Colorado.

A number of partnership programs established in school districts to prevent violence were highlighted, including programs in suburban districts in Florida, Virginia and Colorado and one urban program in Los Angeles.

Even with programs and preparations in place, preventing the kind of random school violence that occurred in recent weeks is a challenge, reports Buzad. At Platte Canyon High School in Bailey, Colo., for example, where a gunman last month took six teenage girls hostage and killed one of them before killing himself, the town's sheriff told participants that the school had an excellent safety plan in place that was rehearsed during the last school year.

Nevertheless, educators and parents should remain alert to warning signs, participants were told, since 80 percent of students who plan violent acts at some point communicate their intentions. Other warning signs include acquiring weapons or having difficulty dealing with a loss or a failure.

Panelist George Sugai, a professor at the University of Connecticut School of Education, highlighted the critical and positive role of schools in preventing anti-social behavior. "Schools are the best social change agents we have; they are a great investment," he said. All children should be given the opportunity to learn good behavior in an environment of predictability and trust, he added "School climates that are proactive, positive and predictable and that promote academic success are buffers to misbehavior."

Another panel addressed what schools and communities can do to recover from a traumatic event, including the importance of school staff in the healing process and the role of memorial programs that focus on helping others. Among the most poignant remarks were comments from Columbine High School survivor Craig Scott, whose sister died in the 1999 Colorado school shooting and who told the group that "kindness and compassion can be the biggest antidotes to violence."

The final panel featured President Bush and members of earlier panels to discuss future strategies. Bush called for local law enforcement officials to share best practices nationally and for education organizations to call for proper training on the warning signs of potential anti- social behavior. He noted that the Department of Education has grants to fund these partnerships and that state and local governments have responsibility for securing funding.

October 11, 2006