You are probably wondering, what does sex have to do with safety? Some would say a lot. Others might answer, there is no relationship between the two. And, still others would say, what are you talking about? On the other hand, there is another group, those who really do not care. They don’t care as long as those things aren’t made public. Depending on your perspective on campus security, the topic could be very important. Sex and safety could be part of your safety planning policies and procedures. When a breach occurs, it responds with safe and swift action. Good? Perhaps some basic questions should be asked. For example, how safe is your school from exploitation by staff and students? What about sexual assault, date rape, or sexual harassment? What if the teachers have sex with the students? Have you ever done a survey about school climate and how people feel? Do the staff and students really feel safe?
We are talking about a range of behaviors related to crime prevention strategies. In any organizational setting, personal interactions occur. Some good and some bad. This comes in many forms. For example, supervisor to subordinate, staff to staff, staff to student, and student to student. When you think of the campus environment, what comes to mind? How do members treat each other? In terms of security and protection, we often think of alarms, officials, locks, etc. What about relationships? How safe do you feel on campus? What about sex? Are there situations in which associations can be compromised? Aside from criminal victimization and victim abuse, what about liability? Naturally, the needs of the victims come first. So personal safety is a crime prevention issue. Preventive measures refer to the early anticipation of illegal actions. Anticipation requires vigilance and evaluation of potential problems. And, the assessment leads to action to reduce opportunities for adverse incidents.
While preventing victimization is the goal of crime prevention, accountability is also important. So campus sex can be a big responsibility in more ways than one. Some, particularly in the media, suggest that campus sex is on the rise. Statistics can be and often are misleading. However, that is beside the point. The point is, how safe is the campus environment? Recent media coverage suggests that teachers are abusing students more frequently. Does that really happen? How would we know? A couple of weeks of intense national media coverage, and we’re apt to think it’s an epidemic. Lately, it seems, there has been a particular focus on female teachers and male students. From a historical perspective, we know that incidents involving weaponized sexuality go unreported. We do not know to what extent people are victimized. Sex and security are topics closely related to campus security. So what are you doing to protect staff and students? Based on these unique considerations, are administrators seeking answers and developing solutions? Obviously, there is no one hundred percent infallible solution. But, there are steps that can be taken to reduce the opportunities. The objective of crime prevention is precisely that. You are reducing the opportunities for non-compliance with safety and security protocols. Sometimes it is called simply being vigilant and taking appropriate action.
Staff who engage in intimate contact with underage students should raise serious concerns with school administrators. Effective leadership must take a stand against unprofessional and illegal behavior. Recent headlines portray somewhat disturbing events. Sex and safety are important issues for school administration today. Failures in behavioral conduct and protective measures can be attributed, in part, to school administration. The administration must express leadership in all aspects of the school environment. Must be vigilant, proactive, and engaged with activities in the campus environment. If your lifestyle reflects a pleasant upper-middle-class gated community setting, with all the trappings of comfort, convenience, and self-indulgence, then think again. Campus security is a deadly serious and never-ending process to facilitate the safety of students, staff, faculty, visitors, and the property of all institutional infrastructure. It is an urgent and essential aspect of self-centered student life, the preoccupation of faculty with academic activities and the absorption of staff by administrative burdens. Institutional security is as much a component of the educational process as any other. Protection efforts support the educational and developmental mission of the entire complex mix of academia. At best, “Safe School” practices, policies, and procedures are part of a service-oriented mission, with critical goals and objectives. These collective efforts offer unique opportunities to promote safety, as well as enhance education and personal responsibility.
By working together to improve school safety, staff and administrators can design and implement effective strategies. Such efforts involve proactive thinking and effective planning. However, no system of protective action is perfect. While prohibiting certain types of conduct can be difficult, vigilance and early intervention can reduce the chance of incidents. When clear violations of law or policy occur, appropriate punitive measures must be taken. The action must be safe, accurate and quickly imposed. The investigative process, legal protections and associated procedural guarantees must obviously be guaranteed. All staff must be alert to breaches of trust, in which the teacher-student relationship is seriously violated. Sexual victimization must be addressed to the fullest extent of the law, school rules, and community public policy. From school assistants to students, teachers and principals, in cooperation with security and law enforcement, the school must be seen as a safe place to continue education. And, it should be noted, no school is immune to such behavioral biases. It doesn’t matter if it’s public or private, religious or secular, or any given location, abuse is highly likely. According to some investigations, the suspects included a variety of people, such as teachers, principals, janitors, bus drivers, and security personnel. Prohibitions on inappropriate relationships should be clearly spelled out in school policies and procedures. Background investigation and proper selection of personnel are essential. Misconduct must be thoroughly reported, investigated and documented. Everyone plays a key role in addressing inappropriate interpersonal behavior when school is in session. This also moves quickly to identify when limits have been crossed. For teacher and student, professional conduct applies both on and off campus, whether on or off duty.
Effective strategies for safety and security begin with leadership and supervision. Just because a staff member is in a position of authority does not necessarily mean that he is a good leader. First, good leaders lead by example. Staff and students must work together to ensure proper reporting of misconduct, delinquent behavior, and other policy violations. Clear, concise and direct policies of conduct should be well published and enforced. Appropriate behavior must be modeled by staff. Students and staff need to know that certain types of behavior will not be tolerated. Everyone within the campus environment has a responsibility for the safety and security of all individuals. Cooperation and collaboration are essential to the overall action plan.
From the point of view of criminal behavior, people commit illicit and illegal acts because they want to. They can claim some mental health excuse, once they’ve been caught. However, they may claim all kinds of excuses. However, the bottom line is that people do things because that’s what they wanted to do. They used someone else to fulfill their need. The perpetrators know what they are doing. They find a target of opportunity and try to exploit it to their advantage. The so-called experts can try to explain the behavior all they want. But in reality, people who break the rules, commit inappropriate acts, or break the law, know what they are doing. In general, there are usually early warning signs. Some may be subtle and some may be overt. The key is the vigilance of any incident that could represent security and protection problems. Staff and students must learn to be alert to improper relationships. This applies to actions that cross personal boundaries and potentially violate the rules of conduct. From subtle innuendos to violent acts, all personnel must be on their guard. On one level, this can apply to situations where teachers and students cross physical boundaries. Or look for opportunities to be alone with each other. Sometimes it may be about inappropriate contact or discussing sexual information that is not appropriate for academic interests. Intimate personal disclosures of one nature or another during conversations may be another indicator. These are early warning signs that should trigger further analysis.
As a team effort, school staff and students must openly embrace the realm of all real-world possibilities. Living and working in an academic environment must demand a high level of interpersonal trust. A comprehensive safety and security plan should include the full range of personal safety issues. Potential opportunity targets and areas of vulnerability must be carefully assessed. Schools can take advantage of current policies, procedures, and tactics that already exist. School security personnel and local law enforcement may assist in the design and implementation of the cooperative program. The development of countermeasures for crime prevention requires the full integration of thoughts and actions to keep people safe. Reducing victimization means that everyone contributes to the process. A crime prevention plan involves basic concepts. Resources are available to assist administrators and teachers in proactive efforts. There are at least seven main components that are essential to any safety and security plan: access controls, emergency procedures, training, communications, liaison with community partners, ongoing vulnerability assessments, mechanisms to address early warning indicators. Everyone should think about safety, security and relationships.
References:
1. Kingsbury, AA, An Introduction to Crime Prevention and Safety Surveys, (Springfield: Charles C. Thomas, Publisher, 1973), p. 6;
2. http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=11996
3. Turk, WL, School Crime and Policing, (Upper Saddle River: Pearson – Prentice Hall, 2004) page 63;
4. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/08/22/earlyshow/main789087.shtml