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"...very high levels of kids report they are using drugs and alcohol to deal with stress. The economic struggles that families are facing could be a factor in that."
Sean Clarkin,
director of strategy for the Partnership at Drugfree.org, commenting on a recent study that indicates that substance abuse is again on the rise in American teens.
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With summer approaching, custodial staff may soon be working outside, often in very hot conditions. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) suggests that all workers exposed to extreme heat slowly get used to their environment over a one-week period. This process is called acclimatizing and can safeguard staff from heat related illnesses.
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 National Safety Month
June is National Safety Month, and the National Safety Council has set this year's theme as the "Journey to Safety Excellence." Although it can be difficult to focus on taking proactive measures when faced with so many other challenges and responsibilities, it's important for districts to adopt their own journey to safety excellence by fostering a preventative, safety-centric culture.
Summer is an ideal time to assess your school and/or district's safety strengths and weaknesses. Activities like executing tactical site surveys and analyzing the past year's accident reports, for example, will help you target areas in need of staff education and improvement. SafeSchools' Tactical Site Surveys course is a good resource to review before you get started.
Since each week of National Safety Month has a different theme, focusing on the weekly themes is another great place to get started on your school's journey to safety excellence. June 19-25 is dedicated to "Preventing Slips, Trips and Falls"; to address this week's theme, try reviewing one or all six of SafeSchools' expert authored Slips, Trips and Falls courses. For more information on how SafeSchools can enhance your school or district's safety culture while reducing costs, please contact us at 800-434-0154. |
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 Summer Safety Checklist for Custodial/Maintenance Staff
Early summer is the ideal time for custodial and maintenance staff to undertake safety preparations for the next school year. Does your school have an end-of-year checklist? If so, make sure it covers all the topics needed to maximize safety on your school campus. Here are just a few of the items you'll want to make sure are included in this year's review:
- Make sure your Integrated Pest Management program is being implemented properly.
- Take an annual inventory of hazardous substances.
- Review your Material Safety Data Sheets - make sure your set is up to date and complete for each building/area.
- Check all locks on external doors and windows.
- Check fire and smoke alarms and alarm systems to be sure they're working properly.
- Check exterior walkways and entrances to be sure they're easily passable.
- Check all playground equipment for wear and tear.
- Check your HVAC systems to ensure they're all functioning properly.
- Check all emergency exits to confirm they are functional and unobstructed.
- Review your Emergency Response Plan and Building "lock down" procedures.
SafeSchools offers 48 Environmental Safety courses for custodial and maintenance staff that provide in-depth coverage for many of the topics listed above - and many of these courses are also available in Spanish. Our latest course, Back Injury and Lifting: Custodial is specifically designed to help your maintenance team minimize work-related back injuries through real-life scenarios modeling activities they may encounter every day while on the job.
You may also want to visit the National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities (NCEF)'s website where you'll find a variety of custodial and maintenance checklists that will be valuable as you assess the safety and security of your school buildings and grounds. Here's to a safe and injury-free summer!
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 The Importance of Incident Tracking in Your District
Increasingly, state legislators are wrestling with the challenge of bullying and harassment in schools. More and more, state regulations are requiring districts to document all such incidents as well as the manner of their subsequent investigation and resolution. Oregon's HB 3403 and Washington's Harassment Intimidation and Bullying law, HB 2801, are just two of the many examples of legislative mandates around these issues.
Additionally, the specter of liability looms large for district administrators, especially if a student is hurt at school or on school grounds. The challenge for district leadership continues to be how to safeguard students and staff with fewer resources given the plight of budget cuts. So, is their hope? One of the solutions may be technology.
SafeSchools, the leader in online staff training for school districts, recently introduced an innovative Web-based incident reporting and tracking system called SafeSchools Alert for just this purpose. Alert enables students, parents, and staff to confidentially report safety concerns - such as bullying and potential school violence - directly to your district through four different means: phone, text message, email, and Web. These tips are immediately logged in the system and routed to administrators for investigation and resolution. Administrators can even publish progress updates for the person who reported the incident, even if the tip was submitted anonymously. And, more importantly, administrators have access to an archive that documents every activity associated with a tip or incident in the system, which can prove to be invaluable if legal action is taken. Interested in more information or a demo? Email us at info@safeschools.com or call 800-434-0154 today. |
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FERPA: Noncompliance Can Be Costly
As you know, educators are very skilled at giving information. After all, the free flow of information is core to being an effective teacher or guide. However, some information about students should never be shared without a parental consent and there are serious consequences for doing so. Did you know that your district could lose all federal funding if you leak certain types of student information?
In this age of technology, a slip of the "Send" button can prove costly. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA, is an important federal law with which all school district employees should be familiar. In a concise 18 minute SafeSchools FERPA tutorial, your staff will know the do's and don'ts of privacy of records as it relates to students, not to mention how to facilitate parent requests. Interested in a preview of our FERPA course? If you're already a SafeSchools customer, click on the "Take More Courses" tab in your SafeSchools site, then scroll to the Human Resources category to find the FERPA course. Not yet a customer? Email us for a free preview at info@safeschools.com. |
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© 2011 SafeSchools LLC. SafeSchools is a registered trademark of SafeSchools LLC. All rights reserved.
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