How We Can Make Olathe West safer

I have created a survey that asks the students of Olathe West specifically, what the school can do to make Olathe west safer.

40% of the people that answered are female and the other 60% are male

80% of students believe that sometimes schools have protection. Reassurance in the school’s provided protection is very important to feel safe at school. At Olathe West, the amount of police officers and other SRO’s are provided after an incident is reported, or after something is suspected. Students suggest that we need to have those SRO’s and police officers most of the school day. Doing that will lower the risk of unfortunate events and fights. Knowing that those sources are there, will lower the risk of someone trying to harm or attack the school.

As seen above, students think that we should have more SRO’s. I think that will benefit the school significantly. The second one says ” we should talk more about safety, and let people know that it is okay to talk about things that make them feel unsafe”. That can be very impactful to our school. Talking more about safety will raise awareness to students about violence and other incidents. Students will know more if the situation comes if we talk over procedures more often. The school also should make sure that every student is involved. Olathe West is big on its open classrooms and areas. That can make students question or test their safety. Letting people know what to do if they are in an open classroom, can relieve the ease or fear that comes with being in our open environment.

It is very crucial that students at Olathe West feel safe. Nobody in the class said that they did not feel safe at school which is very important. 40% of the class said that they sometimes feel safe at school. The other 40% is important. The school only feels safe sometimes, because there is an increased amount of security after an incident or when a rumor is spread. The sometimes is not all the time, and that can change by raising social awareness

Social awareness is very important to all schools. “Social awareness gives you the ability to understand and respond to the needs of others. Improve your social skills and gain the respect of others as you apply the ideas on this page. Understanding other people’s feelings are central to emotional intelligence.” as said Change Management Coach. It is important the school has an understanding socially about others feelings and value the importance of others feelings. As said in the article America’s Shameful Truth about School Shooters and Bullying, “The victims of bullying are even more likely to suffer negative effects than their tormentors — including the very smallest percentage of children who become school shooters.” Our school needs to be more socially aware to lower the statistics of shooters who were bullied in the past, that are later on more violent and less content. Our school needs to not only focus on mental health but also social awareness. How can we do that?

Another question that I asked in my survey was “ What are some activities that Olathe West can do to raise social awareness”. Students anonymously answered, “posters around the school, assemblies, advisory classes could come up with something, and have a checkup with the students every once in a while.” Posters around the school can inspire and create a better environment. But one on one conversations can engage students and help students with their individual social interaction.

Only 60% of students know what to do if they are confronted with someone who is trying to cause harm to others or themselves. It is important that our school raises that percentage for the students and faculty. The schools should increase the number of times that we go over procedures and protocols during an attack. If we continue to go over procedures, then students will have a better understanding, and begin to memorize what to do during an attack so they do know what to do if confronted with someone who’s intentions are to cause harm.

The last question is, “ Do you think the ALICE system is effective?”. Only 20% of students think that it isn’t effective, which is a good standpoint. The ALICE system stands for alert, lockdown, inform, counter, and evacuation. It is very good that many people believe in the system. Although that one specific statistic is good, the school in general still has a lot of work to do to make Olathe West a safer environment for everyone.

what does alice stand for - Google Search

Develop Social Awareness To Build Emotional Intelligence.

America's Shameful Truth About School Shooters And Bullying