The Fundamentals of School Security 學校安全的基礎

School security is a front-burner issue for educators, students, and citizens reeling from the shock of a series of mass school shootings.

作為教育工作者，學生和市民要從一系列大規模的校園槍擊的震驚事件中釋放出來，學校安全是一個應優先考慮處理的事件。

Yet recently released studies show significant decreases in key types of school violence.

然而最近公佈的研究表示，主要類型的校園暴力事件顯著減少。

In this emotionally charged atmosphere, school administrators must strive to meet their schools' real security needs without wasting scarce resources on measures that may be unwarranted.

在這充滿不安的氛圍裡，學校管理人員必須在不浪費匱乏的資源，及實行可能不必要的措施，努力滿足他們學校真正的安全需要。

HOW SERIOUS IS THE PROBLEM? 這個問題有多嚴重？

Despite occasional high-profile tragedies, children in the United States are safer in schools than outside them.

在美国尽管偶尔會發生一些比較嚴重的悲劇事件，但是兒童在學校裡還是比在學校外面安全。

Of all violent deaths that occur among school-age children, less than 1 percent occur at or en route to school or school-sponsored events (Kachur and others, cited in Berner and others 1999).

Ninety percent of all public schools reported no serious violent crimes during the 1996-97 school year.

在1996年到1997年期間，美國有90%的公立學校報告沒有嚴重的暴力事件發生。

Although 57 percent reported at least one incident of crime or violence to law-enforcement officials, less-serious and nonviolent crimes such as theft, vandalism, and fights not involving weapons were by far the most common (National Center for Education Statistics 1998).

Some types of school violence are declining, along with overall youth violence in the nation. Berner and others (1999) found significant decreases in several types of violence-related behaviors among high school students between 1993 and 1997, including a 28 percent decrease in self-reported weapon carrying and a 9 percent decrease in fighting on school property. They also note that the percentages of such behaviors occurring on school property were much lower than the total percentages.

在不少研究報告中表示， 從1996年到1997年美國校園的嚴重暴力事件有所減少。學校中有暴力行為學生的類型也有所減少。包括減少28%的持械行為以及9%的校園毆打行為。

The number of students expelled for bringing guns to school declined 31 percent between the 1996-97 and 1997-98 school years (U.S. Department of Education 1999).

Reductions in violence did not occur in all subgroups, however.

然而，在所有的次群體中暴力事件並沒有減少。

For example, levels of fighting remained the same among Hispanic students, and others report.

例如， 西班牙裔学生之間的毆打行為沒有減少，伯纳(Berner)等报告。

Their study also found no significant decreases in the percentages of students who reported being victims of theft or deliberate damage of property at school, feeling too unsafe to attend school, and being threatened or injured with a weapon on school grounds.

他們的研究裡也發現，學生對遭盜竊或者故意破壞學校公物、對學校沒有安全感、被威脅或被槍械傷害的報告並沒有明顯的減少。