Report page 24

Create and promote safe school climates Schools can also support positive school climates by implementing school-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) programs.

These programs actively teach students what appropriate behavior looks like in a variety of settings, including in the classroom, with their friends, or among adults.

Teachers frequently praise prosocial behavior they observe and encourage students’ good behavior.

PBIS can improve academic outcomes for schools and has been shown to reduce the rates of school bullying.

While teachers and staff can foster relationships and connectedness among the student body, students themselves have a role to play in sustaining safe school climates.

They should be actively engaged in their schools, encouraged to reach out to classmates who might be lonely or isolated, and empowered to intervene safely when they witness gossiping, teasing, and bullying.

Following an averted attack at a high school, the school principal sent a note home to students and parents about the incident. He used the note to explain what had been reported, the steps the school had taken to avert the attack, and praise for the students who had alerted school officials about concerning and threatening statements they saw online.

In the note, he also asked parents to encourage their students to speak up if they ever felt concerned about a classmate’s behavior, explaining that students’ “cooperation [with school officials] is important for everybody’s safety.”