Illinois: New law requires police to alert schools of student investigations

Teacher attacked by teen in 2008 inspired measure, Quinn says

August 28, 2012

Gov. Pat Quinn signed a law requiring police to alert school officials when a student is under investigation. (Armando L. Sanchez, Chicago Tribune)

As a teacher who was attacked by a student in 2008 looked on Monday, Gov. Pat Quinn signed a law requiring police to alert school officials when a student is under investigation.
"Something really bad happened here," Quinn told dozens of students and local officials during the signing ceremony at Elgin High School, referring to the attack on Carolyn Gilbert. "We need to make sure that never happens again."

He referred to Gilbert, 55, as "heroic" and "dedicated."
"She inspired this law and all of us," he said, hugging her after signing House Bill 5602. The law takes effect Jan. 1.
Gilbert stood at Quinn's side as he spoke of the day when Angel Facio, then a 16-year-old sophomore at the school, threw a coat over her head as she was alone in her classroom and repeatedly stabbed her.
The attack caused her to lose sight in her left eye. Facio was convicted of attempted first-degree murder. In a separate trial, he later was found guilty for the aggravated criminal sexual assault of a victim younger than 9 — a case he had been under investigation for at the time Gilbert was attacked. School officials did not know of the investigation because law enforcement at the time was not required to share such information with school officials.
A school would not have learned about a student being under investigation until he or she was detained or arrested in connection with a crime, said John Heiderscheidt, school district safety coordinator for Elgin-based School District U-46.
"Now police can tell schools if a student is under investigation," he said.

Keeping Your Kids Safe at Schools

ARA: High Point Enterprise:  8-24-2012


(ARA) - The start of the school year is a time of great anticipation for parents and kids alike. New teachers. New classes. New and old friends. It’s a time for fun and learning.
Parents expect schools to be safe havens, but the reality is that children face a host of dangers all day long. Bullying, taunting and teasing are only some of the hazards that kids must deal with it every day at even the best schools in America.
About 30 percent of middle and high school students say they’ve been bullied. Among high school students, one out of nine teens reported they had been pushed, shoved, tripped or spit upon during the last school year, according to a National Institute of Child Health and Human Development research study.
FindLaw.com, the nation’s leading website for free legal information, offers the following tips on how to keep your children safe at school:
* Talk to your kids about school safety. Talk about bullying and make sure your child understands what is and is not acceptable behavior. Also discuss when and how to report bullying.
* Go to the bus stop. If your schedule allows, go to the bus stop with your child and get to know the other kids and parents, along with the bus driver.
* Get to know your kids’ teachers. Send your child’s teacher an email to introduce yourself and regularly check in on your child’s academic and social progress. Learn how his or her teacher approaches bullying and other issues that may distract from the school’s learning environment, such as the use of cell phones and iPods.
* Read the school’s policy on bullying. Become familiar with school policies about bullying - particularly the protocols for identifying and reporting bullying behavior. Pay careful attention to policies regarding cyberbullying, which can take place outside of school.
* Watch and listen for the cues. Many kids don’t want to reveal to their parents that they’re being bullied, taunted or teased by other kids. If your child is withdrawn, not doing homework, sick more often than normal or demonstrating other out-of-the-ordinary behavior, talk about what seems to be bothering him or her.
* Know where your kids are at. Sometimes bullying and other unsafe situations take place outside of school grounds, such as at other students’ houses. Telling your kids that you want to know where they are and that they need permission to visit a friend’s house shows them you care. It also reassures them that they can contact you if they need help.
* Monitor Internet use and texting. Put the home computer in a public place and don’t allow your kids to use a computer in their bedroom by themselves.
* Talk to other parents. You may learn that their children also have been bullied or have been involved in activities on and off school grounds that you should be concerned about. You stand a much better chance of obtaining changes and creating a safer environment for your student by acting together rather than alone.
* Put it in writing. If you suspect your child is being bullied or sexually harassed by another student (or a teacher or staff member), ask for a face-to-face meeting with the school’s principal. If the principal does not act, hire an attorney and escalate your complaint to the superintendent and school board. Putting your complaint in writing about the specific types of negative behavior affecting your child is necessary if you need to litigate the complaint in court.
* Take appropriate action when bullying becomes assault. If your child is physically assaulted on the bus, in school or on school grounds, contact the local police department, particularly if there is a school liaison officer assigned to the school, about whether a police report or assault charges should be filed. Do not wait to let the school handle the situation.
For more information about how to keep your kids safe at school, visit FindLaw.com.

Read more: High Point Enterprise - Keeping your kids safe at school

Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning? Little Did She Know She'd Kissed a Hero

Alan Jackson: Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPHnadJ-0hE&feature=related   Kristy Jackson - Little Did She Know     Remembering 9-11 (Part 8 - Canada's Incredible Response)

NC House Bill 1078 and Senate Bill 707: School Safety

Above Legislation Bills: great improvement,
yet...

From listening to students, parents, educators and law enforcement personnel needs, Safer Schools Team members have sought legislation inclusion of the following three requests to proactively safeguard students, school personnel, & SROs. 

Safer Schools' three requests seriously are addressed with accountability in some NC school systems.

Why not in GCS?
Why not in all NC school systems?

Safer Schools'  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

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.

NC Senate Bill 707: signed 7-2012; adds improvement to HB 1078; does not include Safer Schools' above three requests

What is the reasoning and in whose best interest is it to avoid/omit accountability of Safer Schools' above three requests?

Video- Bullycide in America » Book Video Creation | Book Trailers

Boy gets $50000 grant to stop bullying - ABC Action News

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One in four children will be bullied this year, which equates to more than 18 million kids. ... We caught up with Jaylen in his science class.

Bullied Teen Wins $50K Scholarship In Essay Contest | Madame ...

Back to School: Talk to Your Kids About Bullying

Bullying can happen to anyone. Statistics show one in five children admits to being bullied at school. Bullying can affect a child’s school performance as well as their social and emotional development. With a new school year upon us, bullying may be a concern for your child.

Family Service of the Piedmont’s Director of Counseling Services Theresa Johnson offers advice on talking to your kids about bullying and tips on what to do if your child is a victim of bullying at school.  
Click Here to Read More <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=51612173&msgid=354984&act=3XP9&c=1003497&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.familyservice-piedmont.org%2Fnews%2Fnewsletter%2Fbullying>

Jessica Logan Act, H.B. 116: Ohio passed Jan., 2012

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   New State law gives school districts reach to punish cyberbullyin ...

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   The Jessica Logan Act, H.B. 116, was signed into law in January and schools must update their antibullying policies by November to reflect the ..

"Restorative Practices"

Click Safer Schools' left page: "Restorative Practices..." (videos included)

"Restorative Practices" can help students, families, educators, staff, and schools improve school climate, classroom management and student discipline.