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School Violence Threat Management by Dr. Kris Mohandie is a Valuable Resource for Those who are Interested in Student Threat Assessment

August 18, 2012 by

The Indiana School Safety Specialists Academy issues School Violence Threat Management a Practical Guide for Educators, Law Enforcement, and Mental Health Professionals in the academies’ courses.  I found this book to be very helpful even though I have been teaching student threat assessment since the mid 1990s.  Dr. Mohandie brings a highly technical viewpoint to this proven process which will be especially helpful to mental health professionals who are tasked with helping to evaluate students who have made threats relating to school violence.

I feel that this is a solid book for the school safety professional.  

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Free School Safety Video Podcast – Ask Safe Havens – Why are School Safety Assessments so Important?

August 17, 2012 by

This segment of the Ask Safe Havens series addresses the value of regular school safety, security, climate, culture and emergency preparedness assessments.  Assessments can help with concerns as diverse as bullying to worker’s compensation claims to acts of terrorism targeting schools.

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Free Video Podcast – How School Safety, Security and Emergency Preparedness Affect School Climate, Culture and Academic Achievement

August 16, 2012 by

This video is part of the Ask Safe Havens series that was filmed, edited and produced by the Safe Havens International Video Unit. This series of school safety videos is designed as a free resource to school officials, community partners, parents and students. Safe Havens has more videos in this series in production and they will be released as they are completed.

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Lawsuit against New Jersey School System for “Bizarre” Behavior of School Administrator Suggests that Attempts to cover-up school incidents can be Very Problematic

August 15, 2012 by

Fox News is reporting that a New Jersey school district settled a civil suit relating to alleged “bizarre” behavior of one of the system’s school administrators.  In the suit, Vice Principal Theresa Brown was alleged to have forced a group of Hispanic students to eat on the floor of the cafeteria for ten school days at Charles Sumner Elementary School in Camden, New Jersey after a student accidentally spilled water on the floor.  According to the Camden Courier Post Newspaper, the administrator first claimed that the students were told they must eat on the floor because the school did not have enough chairs in the cafeteria.

According to Fox News, a Hispanic teacher at the school was fired after he learned of the incident and encouraged the students to report the matter to the school district.  The teacher was paid more than $70,000 when he settled a civil action against the district.  

As in other fields where public trust is important, indications of a cover-up when complaints are levied against school officials can complicate situations that are already difficult.   Proper investigation and documentation of incidents can help to clarify what has and has not taken place when allegations of this type are made.  This can be even more critical when litigation relating to school safety incidents takes place.   

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Free Cyber Bullying Resources for Schools, Parents and Students

August 14, 2012 by

Stop Bullying Now is a free resource to help school officials, parents and students understand and address bullying issues including cyberbullying.  Take a few minutes to visit the section of their website focused on cyberbullying if you have not already had a chance to do so.

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A Good Read for Those Interested in Cultural Diversity and Societal Bullying – The Unwanted – A Memoir of Childhood by Kien Nguyen

August 11, 2012 by

 I found “The Unwanted: A Memoir of Childhood” to a be an excellent book to help people learn about cultural diversity. I ran across the book by accident while at a bookstore looking for another title.  Author Kien Nguyen chronicles his experiences growing up in Vietnam prior to, during and after the fall of the government of South Vietnam to the communists.  The book describes how he was treated as a child of a Vietnamese mother and an American father.  I have recommended this book to teachers who are looking for books that can help students walk in the shoes of someone else as they experience difficulties because they are different in some way. 

Nguyen relates in graphic detail how terribly he was treated as a child once the government fell.  Kien relates how his school teachers and other students were hostile to him because he was a multi-racial child and because his mother had been associated with an American service member.  He details the cruelty of some people including members of his extended family, his attempt to flee the country and subsequent experience in a re-education camp before finally being allowed to come to the United States.

Having been to Vietnam many times and having visited Kien’s hometown of Nha Trang as well as being the father of an Amerasian son, this was a very personal book to me. Each time I take my son Vietnam I think of how well he is received there in contrast to the manner in which Kien was treated in the same country.   Now that Vietnam is the number 15 trading partner for the United States and our military has increasingly been collaborating with the People’s Army of the Republic of Vietnam, the tone of the government about interaction with Americans has changed considerably.  This book helps us to understand just how much the world has changed while helping us remember how vivid the memories of those who have experienced a very different situation can be.

This is an excellent book to help people understand how difficult the circumstances of many children are in other parts of the world.   

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