After the first 4-5 years, schools become the second home for our little ones. This makes it really important for parents as well as school authorities to ensure that the children are kept with utmost care and safety. Till a few decades ago, parents were not required to think much about their children’s safety when in school.

However, with an increasing number of accidents and crimes in schools, precautionary and safety measures have become a serious concern for schools as well as parents. It must be noted that the harm does not limit itself to physical damages only. There are various facets of safety measures which are needed to be taken to ensure the overall safety of kids.

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Disaster Management in Schools

It is very important for schools to be adequately equipped to handle sudden and unforeseen circumstances. There exists a very strong need of disaster management in schools to ensure that students are safe under all circumstance.

While it is important for schools to abide by the rules set for the construction of school buildings without compromising on expenditure, it is also important to take precautious of earthquake, fire accidents etc. Every corner of school should have fire extinguisher and there are should be special mock trainings to combat fire disasters and earthquakes in addition to first aid training. The schools can also make use environment-friendly technologies to be better prepared.

Safety against assaults

Unfortunately, even schools are not left from crimes like sexual assaults and harassment. Till a few years back, only dark nights were considered to be the time for assaults. However, the time is here where heinous crimes see no place and time and are being committed even in schools and on such young innocent kids.

In such cases, it is very important for schools to ensure that they are implementing enough safety measures so that no student goes through the trauma of an assault. Parents hold equal responsibility. They must tell children that they are most precious and they will always be trusted and heard, no matter what. There must be an open conversation about everything so that children do not hesitate in approaching their teachers to discuss anything.

Ensuring Mental Health

The times we are living in have seen a remarkable increase in cases pertaining to mental health and it is prominent among kids as well. There is a wide array of reasons behind this and hence, it is very important for schools to ensure the mental safety of their students too.

Children who experience any sort of violence, either in school or at home, often undergo depression, helplessness, dearth of emotional intelligence, or not knowing how to show emotions. Sometimes they turn out to be very aggressive and turn into bullies perpetuating violence on their peers. While students should be trained to keep an active eye on the actions and behaviour of students, there should be an open conversation between teachers and students so that kids can confide in them.

Other than these, schools must also invest in CCTV monitoring regularly to be aware of the ongoing activities in the school. There should be a regular check on the guards and school transportation staff so that the safety remains intact at all times.

The writer is the Director at Lancers International School, Gurgaon