According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, safety must be satisfied in order to experience love, develop high self-esteem and achieve self-actualization. It is, therefore, imperative that high school students feel safe if they are to achieve academically.

As we continue our celebration of National Youth Violence Prevention Campaign Week, Counselor Companion offers high school counselors, administrators and teachers a few suggestions on how to increase the safety of their students on school property. Many of our recommendations come from the Guidance Channel Online.

Efforts to support safety on your school campus could include creating more positive school environments, establishing crisis response teams, increasing security measures and improving school/community collaboration. Considerable energy should also be devoted to developing a process to identify students at-risk of becoming violent before they cause harm.

Below are a few suggestions that can be implemented in your school to help support safety initiatives where you are.

Visit the web site for more information about the National Youth Violence Prevention Campaign Week. For more Support Safety programs and lesson plans, visit the National Youth Court web site.