Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2006

[Henk Elegeert]

REPLY TO: D66 at nic.surfnet.nl

http://nces.ed.gov/programs/crimeindicators/ind_20.asp
Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2006 -

"
Indicator 20: Students' Reports of Safety and
Security Measures Observed at School

The percentage of students who observed the use of
security cameras at their schools increased from 39
to 58 percent between 2001 and 2005.

Schools use a variety of measures to promote the
safety of students, ranging from codes of student
conduct to metal detectors. However, research
suggests that aggressive use of some security
measures in schools can alienate students, increase
distrust and misbehavior among students, and disrupt
the school environment by interfering with learning
(Beger 2003). In the School Crime Supplement27 to
the National Crime Victimization Survey, students
ages 12-18 were asked whether their school used
certain security measures.28 Security measures
include metal detectors, locker checks, security
cameras, security guards or police officers, adult
supervision in hallways, badges or picture
identification for students, a code of student
conduct, locked entrance or exit doors during the
day, and a requirement that visitors sign in. In
2005, nearly all (99 percent) students ages 12-18
observed the use of at least one of the selected
security measures at their school (table 20.1).

In 2005, the vast majority of students ages 12-18
reported that their school had a student code of
conduct (95 percent) and a requirement that visitors
sign in (93 percent; figure 20.1 and table 20.1).
Ninety percent of students reported observing school
staff or other adult supervision in the hallway, and
68 percent reported the presence of security guards
and/or assigned police officers. Between 53 and 58
percent of students reported locker checks, locked
entrance or exit doors during the day, and security
cameras at their schools. One-quarter of students
reported that badges or picture identification were
required. Metal detectors were the least observed of
the selected safety and security measures: 11
percent of students reported the use of metal
detectors at their school.

The percentage of students reporting the presence of
many of the selected security measures increased
between 2001 and 2005 (figure 20.1 and table 20.1).
For example, the percentage of students who observed
the use of security cameras at their schools
increased from 39 to 58 percent during this period,
and the percentage who reported that students were
required to wear badges or picture identification
increased from 21 to 25 percent. Between 1999 and
2005, there was also an increase in the percentage
of students observing locked entrance or exit doors
during the day (from 38 to 54 percent), the
percentage reporting a visitor sign-in requirement
(from 87 to 93 percent), and the percentage
reporting the presence of security guards and/or
assigned police officers (from 54 to 68 percent). No
differences were detected in the percentage of
students reporting locker checks or a code of
student conduct in their schools across all survey
years.

----
27 In 2005, the unit response rate for this survey
did not meet NCES statistical standards; therefore,
interpret the data with caution. For more
information, please see appendix A Acrobat PDF File
(168 KB).

28 Readers should note that this indicator relies on
student reports of security measures and provides
estimates based on students' awareness of the
measure rather than on documented practice. See
Indicator 19 for a summary of the use of various
security measures as reported by schools.
"

En wordt het nu daardoor ook 'veiliger'? Of 'leren'
kinderen dat 'veiligheid' komt met maatregelen van
anderen? Dat 'wantrouwen' -want waarom heb je anders
die camera's nodig- beter is dan vertrouwen hebben
in de ander? En waarom zou je daar zelf nog iets
aan/moeite voor doen, er hangen immers overal
camera's die wel 'objectief' registreren wat je/de
ander doet?

Is dit alles niet eerder uiting en brevet van
onvermogen dan van een verantwoord voeren van zgn.
'veiligheidsbeleid'?

Henk Elegeert

**********
Dit bericht is verzonden via de informele D66 discussielijst (D66 at nic.surfnet.nl).
Aanmelden: stuur een email naar LISTSERV at nic.surfnet.nl met in het tekstveld alleen: SUBSCRIBE D66 uwvoornaam uwachternaam
Afmelden: stuur een email naar LISTSERV at nic.surfnet.nl met in het tekstveld alleen: SIGNOFF D66
Het on-line archief is te vinden op: http://listserv.surfnet.nl/archives/d66.html
**********