Other ideas include metal detectors, surveillance cameras, receiving credit for working or volunteering, creating a college and vocational track, random drug testing for staff and students and creating a place for anonymous students to report violence or possible violence. But school can't become a secondary issue. The group hopes to have its recommendations ready by the end of July and plans to spend August focusing on the issue of prayer in school. The committee plans to meet again Tuesday. If students can use the Internet to share ideas for killing a teacher, schools can use technology to make classrooms safer, a University of South Florida educator advised state lawmakers Thursday.
Every school has a rhythm, hot spots.
It's also predictable by the time children are 3 or 4 years old whether they may become violent or disruptive, he said, emphasizing the need for early intervention. The bipartisan task force was leading its second of five planned meetings across the state to gather information for future legislative decisions on school safety. Batsche, along with colleague Hilda Roselli, also said educators and students need more training and role playing in handling violence. Roselli is USF's assistant dean for undergraduate programs and oversees teacher internships. A student may have to participate in a fabricated name-calling and shoving incident as many as 50 times to learn anger management, Batsche said.