7) NC Center for Safer Schools Report; Legislation and Requests made to NC Legislators/NCAE/NCRSP; Info Related to School Violence

 

Senate Bill 589: 2013 School Safety Act
2013 School Safety Act. - North Carolina General Assembly
Guilford County Rep. John Faircloth sponsored H452 titled “2013 School Safety Act.”. Click H452 to read the content of the bill. On the General Assembly webpage for that bill, click title, 2013 School Safety Act
 

Requests made to  NC Legislators & NCAE (NC Association of Educators)/NCRSP (NC Retired School Personnel):

1) Include oral and written threats of violence in the School Law Enforcement Report Form and publicly report this information on the monthly school board agenda.
2) Institute a Violence Risk Threat Assessment, a process in which school administrator, law enforcement, mental health counselor, & teacher(s)/employee(s) involved TOGETHER investigate, examine, evaluate and report the threat.
3) Enact PROACTIVE legislation similar to VA Code 18.2-60: VA Teacher Association and VA legislators passed AFTER the VA Tech massacre: at school or school activities, oral threats of bodily harm are a Misdemeanor 1; written threats of bodily harm are a Felony 6. 

Our children are our most valuable resource.  The highest priority of school leaders, elected officials, and communities is to ensure our children receive a quality education in a safe environment. 

SCHOOL  SAFETY  IS  EVERY CHILD'S  RIGHT


Many students who commit violent crime, threaten or act our are crying for help. We must not let their cries for help be ignored.

3-24-1998: Jonesboro, Arkansas: 11 & 13 year old: stole Grandfather’s guns; shot/killed 5, injured 10 classmates and teachers 
11-30-2008: Apex HS, NC: 18 year old: 4 (16-18 year olds) charged with his murder
10-22-2010: Northern Middle School, GCS, NC: 13 year old: 2 guns, 1 loaded, 11 rounds of ammunition in his locker
12-3-2010: Fayetteville Middle Schooler, NC: 12 years old: charged with a Felony for his written threat of violence
1-5-2011: Carson City, Nevada: Six females (12-13 yrs. old: ‘A’ students) arrested for Facebook sign up: ‘Attack a Teacher Day’
1-5-2011: Omaha, Nebraska:  Male (17 years old) shot/killed Assistant Principal, wounded 3, took his own life
1-25-2011: Alamance County, NC: Juvenile (<16 yrs. of age) charged with a Felony for Facebook threat/“desire to commit violent acts.”; Supt. states he is trying to avoid a school massacre
2-8-2011: W. Mongomery HS, NC: 14 yr old: hit list of 11 students, homemade bomb at home: expelled; Supt. states they have 'zero tolerance'
2-14-11: Millennium HS, Goodyear, Arizona: 15-year-old student with loaded 9mm gun in his backpack at school, verbally threatened to shoot teacher at end of day; charged as an adult: faces one count attempted murder and one count of minor in possession of a firearm
3-30-2011: North Gaston HS, Dallas, NC: two teens charged with bullying & second-degree kidnapping after they gagged & tied a 14 yr old freshman, then left him in a bathroom stall 
GCS school violence documentation report includes bomb threats, yet no column for written or verbal threats of violence. 


NC elected officials state, "Nowhere else in our society, in our businesses & community, would we tolerate actions that are considered misdemeanors & felonies.  Why in our schools?"
Dec. 3, 2010, a Fayetteville, NC middle schooler (12 years old) was charged with a felony for his written threat of violence.  Why not PROACTIVELY in GCS schools? in all NC schools?
NC legislators and citizens are encouraging us to expand our "Safer Schools" Program state-wide.
Gail Neely, Asst. Director of “North Carolinians Against Gun Violence Education Fund”, stated: “In North Carolina, more than 168,000 children live in homes with loaded guns, and more than 82,000 children live in homes with guns that are loaded and unlocked.”
In Feb. 2008, Sheriff BJ Barnes shared, our GCS "school leaders failed to report 90 cases of violent crimes to the NC SDPI.”
What is the current reporting accuracy?
NC House Bill 1078: ensures that acts of violence at school or school activities are reported to law enforcement and to school superintendent: signed fall, 2009
NC HB 1078 is a beginning.  It governs Principals to report to Law Enforcement, but it isn’t clear on the “immediately” part.  It is re-active, not pro-active.  It does not address written or verbal threats of violence, threats of bodily harm or death.
Violence Risk Threat Assessment: the process in which administrator, law enforcement, mental health counselor, and teacher(s)/employee(s) involved together investigate, examine, evaluate and report the threat.  
GCS leaders state Violence Risk Threat Assessment (VRTA) was included in writing in GCS district-wide crisis management plan as of August, 2008 and expected to be shared with employees by school administrators.
To date, August, 2008 to present, we have yet to find a GCS employee knowledgeable of the accountability of the Violence Risk Threat Assessment.
We must unite as a community of students, parents, school staff, school board members, elected officials, law enforcement personnel, and citizens to develop PROACTIVE Safer Schools.
How can we we effectively work to assure the safety of our children and school personnel?
saferschools@yahoo.com

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