| ools safe? Considering the number of tragic events | | | | Abloy Group and the Security Industry Association, |
| that have occurred at schools across the country in | | | | mobilizes parents to work with school officials and |
| recent years, this is one question every parent, | | | | policymakers in creating an environment where |
| teacher, administrator and community member is | | | | students feel safe. |
| having a hard time answering. | | | | The initiative distributes publications that help parents |
| The recent shooting in Red Lake, Minn., put another | | | | and others learn the ropes to becoming involved in |
| act of classroom violence on the map. This tragedy, | | | | school safety issues. Its "Caregivers' Guide to School |
| as well as other high-profile school shootings such as | | | | Safety and Security," for example, outlines specific |
| the one at Columbine High School in Colorado and | | | | actions they can take to help improve school safety |
| others in Tennessee, Oregon and Michigan, clearly | | | | and includes an overview of security guidelines. |
| show that school violence is not limited by geography | | | | Another helpful resource is the "School Safety and |
| or demographics. | | | | Security Toolkit: A Guide for Parents, Schools, and |
| This deadly pattern has stirred concerns about school | | | | Communities." This guide gives parents and |
| safety, gun control and the need to address the | | | | community members the tools they need to work |
| roots of such violence in the nation's schools. | | | | with school administrators and policymakers to |
| To raise awareness of school safety and security | | | | assess the safety and security of schools and plan |
| issues and to help make schools more safe, the | | | | for improvements. |
| National Crime Prevention Council, best known for its | | | | "Until we put school safety at the top of the |
| 25-year-old beloved icon, McGruff the Crime Dog, | | | | community agenda, our schools - and our children - |
| developed the Be Safe and Sound initiative in | | | | will continue to be vulnerable," said Alfonso E. |
| collaboration with National PTA. This public education | | | | Lenhardt, president and CEO of the National Crime |
| effort, funded by the Allstate Foundation, Assa | | | | Prevention Council. |