Communities, including schools, must support the opportunities for building connections with young people and supporting resiliency. Communities, including schools, must continue to support families. Communities, including schools, must teach children how to be critical viewers of information to counteract violence in the media. The 1st Extraordinary Session of the 1993 Legislature directed the State Superintendent of Public Instruction to compile data obtained from each school district and each private school reporting all known incidents in the year preceding the report involving the possession of weapons on school premises, on transportation systems, or in areas of facilities while being used exclusively by public or private schools in violation of RCW 9.41.280. Every person who furtively carries with intent to conceal any dagger, dirk, pistol, or other dangerous weapon, or who uses any contrivance or device for suppressing the noise of any firearm is guilty of a gross misdemeanor.
Violators are guilty of a gross misdemeanor.
Also included in that policy should be a statement that mandates prompt notification of law enforcement and the student's parent or guardian in the case of a firearm or weapon allegation or indication of such violation. In response to the growing concerns regarding violence in school districts, OSPI has taken a proactive approach by providing information and training to schools regarding school violence issues. It is critical that school districts in the state, in partnership with their communities, assess their risks using local data and align the appropriate protective factors, including conducting a survey of local climate in schools, developing crisis response teams, etc. Support is available from the community mobilization partnerships, county prevention coordinators, personnel in the school districts and educational service districts, state agency staff and prevention partners in utilization of violence prevention and safe schools planning models. The purpose of this committee is to provide information to schools throughout the state to assist them in the process of making our schools safer.