69ý

School Climate & Safety

At School Safety Summit, Bush Urges Adults to Share Information to ‘Save Lives’

By Mary Ann Zehr — October 10, 2006 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

At a summit on school safety sponsored by the federal government today, President Bush stressed the need for law-enforcement officers, educators, and others who work with children and youths across the country to exchange ideas on how to best prevent school violence. The purpose of the conference, the president said, “has got to be so we share information so we can save lives.”

In brief remarks, Mr. Bush expressed regret that recent deadly school shootings in Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin had made it necessary for him to call a national summit on school safety issues. “The violence we’re having in our schools is incredibly sad and it troubles a lot of folks, and it troubled me and Laura,” said the president, who was accompanied by first lady Laura Bush. “Rather than be upset, it’s best to be proactive.”

Mr. Bush listened for about 45 minutes to a recap by U.S. Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, and selected panelists, about discussions earlier in the day on preventing violence, preparing schools and communities to be safer, and recovering from school violence.

The president did not give a speech at the event, which was held at the National 4-H Conference Center, just outside Washington. But he asked several questions of panelists.

Noticing ‘Warning Signs’

President Bush showed particular interest in finding ways to urge more teachers to report warning signs that individual youths are troubled after Marleen Wong, the director of crisis counseling and intervention services for the 727,000-student Los Angeles Unified School District, told him that students who want to harm others often also are depressed.

“Is it typical that a student who expresses the wish to die makes that clear to his or her peers?” the president asked.

Ms. Wong replied that a student who wants to harm himself or others shows signs that could be a warning to the people around him.

She praised Chiarasay E. “Chiara” Perkins, a senior at Walton Senior High School in DeFuniak Springs, Fla., and the president of a youth crime watch in her community, as having summarized those warning signs well on an earlier panel. At Ms. Spellings’ bidding, Ms. Perkins repeated them to the president.

“Some of the traits that are noticeable are changes in everyday habits,” the student said. “They start eating different, dressing different, carrying themselves in a different manner.”

“If a teacher were to notice those traits, is it typical that they would act on them?” Mr. Bush asked Ms. Wong.

“That varies around the country,” Ms. Wong said. “More and more people are paying attention because we’ve paid such a dear price for ignoring some of the warning signs.”

Of the three fatal shootings in recent weeks, the one in Cazenovia, Wis., was by a student. Those in Bailey, Colo., and Lancaster County, Pa., were both by adult intruders. Both those adults shot themselves in the incidents.

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in 69ý
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

School Climate & Safety How to Judge If Anonymous Threats to 69ý Are Legit: 5 Expert Tips
School officials need to take all threats seriously, but the nature of the threat can inform the size of the response.
3 min read
Vector illustration of a businessman trying to catapult through stack of warning signs.
iStock/Getty
School Climate & Safety What 69ý Need To Know About Anonymous Threats—And How to Prevent Them
Anonymous threats are on the rise. 69ý should act now to plan their responses, but also take measures to prevent them.
3 min read
Tightly cropped photo of hands on a laptop with a red glowing danger icon with the exclamation mark inside of a triangle overlaying the photo
iStock/Getty
School Climate & Safety Opinion Restorative Justice, the Classroom, and Policy: Can We Resolve the Tension?
Student discipline is one area where school culture and the rules don't always line up.
8 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
School Climate & Safety Letter to the Editor School Safety Should Be Built In, Not Tacked On
69ý and communities must address ways to prevent school violence by first working with people, says this letter to the editor.
1 min read
Education Week opinion letters submissions
Gwen Keraval for Education Week