The emotional school climate is a reflection of all staff who work within that environment. School staff must realize their behavior may contribute to a student's problems. Seemingly harmless teasing and embarrassment of students may cause serious problems for those individuals already at risk for presenting unacceptable behaviors. In this case, administrative practices model and establish a tone for all staff and the importance of how they are written and enforced cannot be stressed too much. Of course, students can be victims of harassment and abuse outside of the school.
Parental abuse can be devastating.
Staff must be trained and prepared to work with these students to develop acceptable social skills and behaviors. Whether abuse originates at home or in the school, enforcement of policies and subsequent interactions with parents to identify home environments where violence is experienced by the child and regular staff behavior evaluations are essential. Reporting of cases where abuse is suspected by school personnel can be strengthened by interagency support to strengthen the effectiveness of the intervention. But the team's work doesn't stop here. Drills increase student compliance with staff guidance and boost staff efficiency in responding to a crisis.