Schools learn tips to averting violence, preparing for disasters

Terry Webster

Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2001 | 9:30 a.m.

First came guns and school shootings. Then came terrorist attacks and anthrax, the newest fears relating to school safety.

During the Governor's Conference on School Safety Tuesday, Beverly Hoover, a senior associate with disaster services for the American Red Cross in Washington, spoke about what schools can do to be better prepared during any type of disaster.

The conference, covering an array of school safety topics, continued today at The Orleans.

Hoover said the Sept. 11 attacks have increased fears of parents throughout the country about their children's safety in school.

One step parents can take is to learn the details of their school's emergency plan, according to the Red Cross.

For example, parents should know whether students will be kept at the school or sent home. Parents also should determine what kind of authorization schools require to release a child to someone other than themselves.

Hoover also stressed that now, more than ever, it's important for schools to have specific plans for what to do when tragedy strikes.

Although internal acts of school violence are on the decline locally and nationally, the prospect remains a concern.

Hoover said the statistics are still alarming and need to be addressed. Nationally, each day about 900 teachers are threatened, 100,000 children take guns to school and 150,000 students stay home because they fear for their safety, according to the Red Cross.

Clark County School District Police Lt. Dan Reyes talked about warning signs that point to the threat of violence in schools.

"I always wanted to know whey this happens," said Reyes, a 30-year veteran of the school police. "That's what drives me."

The key signals are a student who is a loner or who is regularly being picked on, he said.

"If you see a child sitting in the lunch room by himself, with his head hanging down, it's incumbent upon you to go up to that child and ask him what's wrong," Reyes said. "Eventually, you will get to the root of the problem."