STATEWIDE EFFORTS IN SCHOOL SAFETY TURN TO CRIME STOPPERS OF HOUSTON
(School safety is a nationwide concern. Houston-based Crime Stoppers, through its Safe School Institute, has created a training program that serves as a model for providing best practices and proven tools for school district administrators, law enforcement, and community organizations to keep kids safer while at school. The program was in response to violence prevention in Texas schools as an outgrowth of Governor Greg Abbott’s multifaceted “School and Firearm Safety Action Plan.”) Research shows that school safety contributes to learning. Kids learn better when they feel safe at school. We know this from data compiled by the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) administered biannually to all high school students across the country. The public safety mission of our local Crime Stoppers addresses the importance of school safety with the expansion of their Safe School Program. The goal this year is to offer the program to nearly 130 communities and independent school districts from across the state. School safety advocates from Brazoria, Grimes, Denton, Hidalgo, Laredo, and other counties have already attended training. As the largest Crime Stoppers organization in the country, the Houston chapter has been recognized for its experience and effectiveness in creating safe school environments. Working with the Governor’s Criminal Justice Division, expanded statewide training sessions were rolled out in the fall of 2018 with support from the private sector. Training sessions are underway with participants attending full day workshops to equip themselves with critical information, vital processes and procedures, assessment tools, and best practices to take back to their home communities. Whether starting a new Crime Stoppers Safe School Program or working to improve an existing program, the tools offered are strategic and proven to keep kids safer while at school. Understanding that students are the first line of intelligence to prevent incidents, the Safe School Program began in 1997 to provide students with a 24-hour a day anonymous reporting system to report dangers and threats on their school campus. To date, the program has educated over one million students in more than 60 school districts across the Greater Houston Area and Texas and has helped law enforcement solve nearly 2,000 school cases—removing almost 300 weapons from Houston-area schools. Crime Stoppers of Houston recognizes school environments and situations are changing. The aim is not only prevention but also proactively developing a safety culture within the schools and fostering positive administrators relationships and law among enforcement. students, Crime Stoppers of Houston has a desire to make sure that all children across the state of Texas are safe at all times while at school. The Safe School Institute serves as the hub for all aspects of school safety, covering topics such as cyber safety, drug awareness, teen dating violence, mental health awareness, and much more. (Rania Mankarious is the CEO of Crime Stoppers of Houston, a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization that relies on community support to fulfill its commitment to keep communities safe. Funding from Aramco has helped to expand the training statewide as part of its strong commitment to safety and corporate citizenship.)