Classroom safety is understandably a huge priority for teachers and school districts alike. If you find yourself managing a classroom, then you could feel powerless about protecting your students, especially if facilities are inadequate.

In the following article, we’re going to dispel that myth and show you that you have what it takes to keep your students safe, happy, and learning. But before we get into the six steps you should be taking right now to ensure that happens, let’s look at the major threats you face in the modern school environment.

Major Threats Affecting Classroom Safety

The most obvious threat that comes to mind centers around school shootings. It seems like we’re getting a new tragic report every month or so. And one is too much.

We’ll delve into that danger more in a moment. But there’s a lot more at play when it comes to keeping students safe. Let’s look at some other contributory factors, such as the following.

How Students Behave

There are numerous undesirable student behaviors that can put the safety of your classroom at-risk. Students may call each other derogatory names or pick at one another’s socioeconomic status or any known family issues. Bullying takes many forms.

From delinquent behaviors to unchecked bullying of other students, it’s enough to make your classroom feel unsafe to anyone who enters it. Keep your eyes peeled for possible behavioral issues. Take proactive measures if you see any of these behaviors surface.

Students Suffering from a Mental Condition or Disorder

These days, teachers have an inordinate amount of pressure on them to be both teachers and mental health professionals. Many in-service hours are spent each year discussing behavioral modifications and trying to reach students with mild to severe learning disabilities.

Smaller districts are particularly under pressure due to a lack of resources. You can only do what you can do. But try to stay on top of de-escalation measures like the following:

• Empathizing
• Giving a student the space they need to calm down
• Avoiding combative or gruff behavior
• Refusing to challenge the student
• Affirming their feelings

You may not be able to cure the student of what they’re going through. But you can bring them through the manic episodes with knowledge and the right approach.

Outside Intruders Seeking to Do Your Students Harm

School shooters generally fall into one of two camps. They’re either students who bring guns to school to enact revenge for some perceived wrong, or they’re mentally ill outside intruders who see an easy target. Both can be extremely deadly and are not meant to be dismissed.

More schools are moving to SROs, or school resource officers, who can help to keep the peace. But you’ve got to assume that no method is foolproof when it comes to protecting your classroom.

Think of ways that you can lock down the room and barricade entrances in case the worst happens and the outside safety measures fail. What you come up with could ultimately prevent a tragedy or at least mitigate the damages.

Poorly Kept and Underfunded Facilities

Don’t think that all threats are coming from human factors. Some schools are severely dilapidated to the point of being health hazards.

In the next section, we’ll get into some of the environmental threats you need to be aware of. But for now, just know that your school may be harboring some pretty dangerous bacteria or structural hazards.

Knowing where these weaknesses are is important. But you’ll also need a plan to reduce exposure to them inside of your classroom.

Lack of Emphasis on Safety and Security

Finally, a major threat that teachers and their students face is a lack of emphasis on safety. If a school district doesn’t prioritize it, then it can be difficult for a teacher to know where the vulnerability points are. If a teacher is not emphasizing it, then students won’t know what to do in the event of an emergency.

Sit down at the start of each school year and see if you can brainstorm some crisis scenarios that are relevant to your specific environment. If the worst happens, what measures would you put in place to save as many lives as you can?

Now that we know what the threats are, let’s see how we can stand to benefit by taking steps for a safer classroom. Read on!

Main Benefits of Making Your Classroom Safe

Hosting a safe classroom can open up several benefits for your students. But, if you’re the teacher, it can serve you as well. Let’s look at how you and your pupils can stand to benefit, shall we?

Peace of Mind for You

What is peace of mind? Peace of mind is that feeling of knowing that things will work out as needed.

Having peace of mind as a teacher isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s essential. Teachers are under an unheard-of amount of pressure to teach to the test, “parent” students when their actual parents won’t, and be protectors should any harm come a student’s way.

They’re also expected to recognize the signs of abuse and intervene as needed. Do we put too much pressure on them? You bet, we do.

But that’s not changing any time soon. And with everything that is expected, the least we can do is give them a safe environment in which to do their jobs.

School safety should not be the teacher’s sole responsibility. But if they can make life easier on themselves, they should. Taking steps toward a safer classroom will accomplish just that!

Students Will Feel Freer to Express Themselves

Students are at a crucial development point in their lives, especially in high school. They need to feel free to express themselves and open up to new ideas. If the environment doesn’t allow that, it can stunt their growth and development.

By making your classroom safer, you can ensure that students feel safe in their environment. And safe students feed off each other. They also help you shoulder the burden of creating a safe and welcoming environment for others.

Safety Enhances Education

When you don’t have to worry about safety, you can focus on the actual classroom instruction part of your job. That means being able to implement innovative tactics or do what comes naturally without having to constantly look over your shoulder.

Stronger Relationship Between Teachers and Parents

Teachers who make safety a priority will have the support of their students, yes. But they’ll also have the support of their students’ parents, and that makes it much easier to get involved in the personal development and success of each and every pupil under their care.

Most parents who see that a teacher is trying to reach their children will want to be partners in their child’s education. They’ll meet the teacher halfway.

Calling Attention to Issues That Need Addressed

Last but not least, a major benefit of striving for a safer classroom is being able to pinpoint other issues that may need to be addressed. These include some of the environmental issues that you might find in smaller, under-funded schools or students who are feeling ostracized by their peers or the overall environment.

Top 6 Classroom Safety Tips

Now you know the threats and you know what stands to be gained from implementing strategies for a safer classroom. It’s time to make these ideas a reality. Here are the six steps you should take, starting right now.

1. Learn the Policies and Procedures

There are, or should be, two sets of safety rules and procedures for every teacher to follow: the kind they’re given from the school and the kind they develop for their own classrooms.

If you are a teacher, no one will know the security and the vulnerabilities of your classroom more than you do. And while your school likely has safety procedures in place, they are all-encompassing. They don’t take into effect the uniqueness of the class, the room, or any other immediate factors.

Examine the environment in which you’re teaching. Take note of anything within your control that can be addressed. Furthermore, involve your students in the process.

Keep rules and standards posted and review them often to ensure safety in the classroom. You might also create a digest form of these procedures in a bulleted list near the entryway of your classroom. That way, the class can review them regularly.

2. Address Safety Hazards

How many safety hazards are hiding in your classroom? Things that have nothing to do with school shooters or bullying or anything else human-related?

Some schools haven’t been updated in quite some time. They fight for funding but never get the voter-approval they need to keep millage rates up-to-date. As a result, hazards like black mold or outdated equipment can put students in jeopardy.

As a teacher, things like this are certainly beyond your control. But you can still take certain actions like repositioning the desks or increasing supervision among ill-trained students as they use questionable equipment. Incorporate into your classroom safety rules, doing what it takes until you can convince the powers-that-be of your needs.

3. Maintain Communication Links with the Outside World

It’s always a good idea to keep a working phone or Internet connection handy, even though it may get in the way of instruction from time to time. You never know what kind of threats you and your students will face during a normal school day, and maintaining that outside link to the proper authorities can make a world of difference for a safe classroom.

4. Establish Barricades

Study the entrances and exits to your classroom. Where are you your most vulnerable? Beyond that, what tools do you have at your disposal that will help cut off these vulnerabilities?

There may be some options that are unique to you — a bookcase or safe that can be rolled in front of a doorway in the event of a school shooting, for instance. Or, you may wish to buy a special piece of equipment like this blockade from a company like Fighting Chance Solutions. Whether it’s additional locks or some other form of reinforcement, make it a part of your classroom safety procedures.

5. Handle the Emotional Threats

Not every threat that you face will be physical or environmental. Some are emotional, and they can plant the seeds that lead to more physical dangers.

As you establish your safe classroom environment, beware of bullies or any form of teasing or exclusion that makes others feel poorly about themselves. If you notice students who are suffering from mental health issues, report it to your administration so they get the proper help they need.

Know the warning signs. Don’t take chances by letting questionable behavior go. If you see something, say something, and you may end up saving a life.

6. Build Rapport with Your Students

The last thing you need to remember when ensuring classroom safety is that vulnerability is important. You should monitor it, encourage it, and build an environment of support no matter what a student may be going through.

This type of proactive stance toward school safety will build a sense of camaraderie among your students. Instead of seeing in each other someone they can target and bully, they’ll be more likely to connect with one another as equals. Whatever you can do to encourage that will make the overall environment a safer one.

Classroom Safety Requires Multiple Approaches

As you set about making classroom safety a priority, make sure you’re addressing the issues on every front. Take note of environmental issues that could pose problems for health and wellness. But also consider the human factor.

Encourage an environment of acceptance, but be vigilant to existing and outside threats. Doing so could save a life.