School safety: 10 questions you should ask first

School security concerns are fueling middle and high school students’ anxieties about their safety. Here are 10 questions superintendents should ask their students and staff to mitigate fear.

Students feel least safe on the school bus, according to a new report from YouthTruth, an initiative of the nonprofit Center for Effective Philanthropy. In the classroom is where they feel safest, according to two-thirds of secondary students.

Fears peak starting in sixth grade (26% of students report anxiety) and decline gradually as students progress through high school. Still, only 44% of secondary students agree they’re safe from violence at school.

“This perception of safety from violence at school remains consistent across grades six through twelve: no secondary grade reaches even the 50% threshold,” the report reads.

Fights between students are increasingly common, contributing to students’ anxieties. Twenty-six percent of middle schoolers and 18% of high schoolers report witnessing fights “often.”

School leaders must act with purpose and an open ear, argued Camilla Valerio, lead researcher and analyst at YouthTruth. The report recommends that leaders start by asking their students and staff these 10 questions:

Listening and trust

1. When you raise a safety concern, what happens next? Do you feel listened to?
2. What would help you feel more confident that adults take your concerns seriously?
3. What do students and staff observe about safety during the school day that leaders may not be aware of?

School spaces and exposure

1. Where in our school do you feel most safe? Why?
2. Where do you feel least safe? What makes those spaces feel that way?
3. What changes could make those areas feel safer?
4. What kinds of things make you worry about safety at school?

Preparedness and communication

1. Do you feel prepared to stay safe during a security threat? During a natural disaster?
2. What ways does that school communicate about safety that work well for you—and what ways do not?
3. If you could tell the school board one thing about safety at your school, what would it be?

Read the full report here.

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