The odds of suffering a violent death at school is less than one in a million, according to the Department of Education. Even so, the department says, students nationally are more fearful at school today than in the past. Across the region, school-safety measures vary from district to district, though there are some similarities, according to school officials responding to an Inquirer survey. Security cameras, identification badges, visitors' passes and locked doors are the most common strategies used to keep schools safe. Efforts to identify and discipline bullies also are common.
School superintendents say they have given much time and effort to enhancing safety programs.
Still, there's a chance that violence may intrude, Schlovin said. Right now, we are experiencing violence in our society - and as long as we have violence, I don't know how we can keep it out of our schools. In Philadelphia, a major overhaul of the way schools are policed is likely to occur this school year, with the aim of reducing school violence and improved handling of disruptive students. Across the region, many superintendents say smaller districts have an edge in school safety. Students don't feel isolated.