The overwhelming majority of schools are safe, but tragic events have caused both parents and children extreme and legitimate worry.  We know it takes everyone to create safer schools -- parents, school administrators, law enforcement, and others play an important role as well.

As a parent it is important to recognize the signs of a child's potential involvement with violence (or drug use or other crime).  No one sign should be reason for alarm.  Multiple indicators suggest increased potential risk of a student getting into trouble.  These behaviors often appear suddenly, but they may also evolve over a period of time.  While there is no foolproof system for identifying troubled students, the list below provides a starting point.

Signs To Look For:

• Drop in grades
• Change in friends -- new interests, particularly because of peer rejection. Change in moods -- more irritable, secretive, withdrawn, inappropriately angry.
• Less responsible -- late for school, late coming home, dishonest
• Child has few or no close friends
• Cruelty to animals
• Sudden change in clothing or style of dress
• Shortened temper and uncontrollable outbursts of anger
• Fascination with weapons
• Threats of violence to self or others
• Persistent disregard for or refusal to follow rules
• Involvement with or interest in gangs
• History of bullying other children (or of being bullied by others)
• Expressions of violence in drawings and writings 

What to do:

• Any of these signs should alert you that a child may be in trouble. Talk to your child. 
• Get counselling, guidance and mentoring services for him or her
• Obtain referrals to appropriate community health, social service, faith community and/or law enforcement personnel. 

Look for part 2 coming soon!

Crime Prevention tips provided by:

The National Crime Prevention Council