Abstract
Problem. School safety concerns, regarding both students and staff, have been brought to the forefront in California by recent legislation, court actions, and alarming crime statistics. Educators, faced with the task of providing a safe and orderly environment, are having difficulty developing effective safety and security plans. Purposes. The purposes of this study were to determine how many crime prevention plans were being used, to determine what kind of plans were being used, to produce guidelines that could be used for developing effective plans, and to analyze three existing plans. Procedure. This descriptive research study, conducted in Southern California, utilized a field-tested questionnaire, interviews, and school site visitations. Selected findings. (1) Of the respondents to the questionnaire, 84.3 percent had safety and security plans, 95.7 percent utilized some form of noncertificated personnel for campus supervision, and 58.6 percent used police services in varying degrees. (2) A National crime prevention program, utilizing crime analysis techniques which are based on patterns and trends, was very successful throughout the United States. (3) Two school districts, utilizing police services in varying degrees provided programs that were successful in reducing the number of incidents of campus crime and violence. Selected conclusions and recommendations. (1) School administrators should take a leadership role and begin making preparations for the development, implementation, and ongoing evaluation of safety and security plans. (2) An initial step in the implementation of a school plan is the development of a steering committee with a broad range of representation. (3) The planning process should begin with a needs assessment covering three areas: the school plant relative to security, repairs and usage; school policies and procedures particularly those related to attendance and discipline; and external community pressures and influences such as gang and criminal activity. (4) Schools, having limited resources, should develop innovative programs and partnerships. Numerous programs, already developed and field tested, are inexpensive, readily available, and easily modified. (5) All available communicative techniques should be utilized in order to guarantee that students, staff, parents, and the community are familiar with all policies and procedures.