The Beacon School at P.S. 194 in New York City keeps children off the streets by offering late-afternoon activities. The Fienberg-Fisher Elementary School in Miami Beach, Fla., is collaborating with a host of health and social service providers to make itself a community resource for families. In Tucson, Ariz., educators worked with parents and community activists to deny a new liquor license to a bar near a saloon that they deemed a blight on the neighborhood. Universities are even starting to educate people differently to work in schools like these. In 1996, California State University at Monterey started a program leading to a bachelor's degree in collaborative human services.
Safe schools require the collaboration and support of students, staff, parents, and the community.
Include safety in district mission statements. A sound mission statement supporting the goal of safe and drug-free schools provides the legal basis for school board policies. Craft individual safe-school plans. Each school site should have a comprehensive safety plan that addresses its own educational, supervisory, social, and cultural needs. Develop written agreements with other youth-serving agencies.