Violence Prevention
Human connection is the key to violence prevention. Although much attention is placed on the academic curriculum, the human curriculum that is practiced daily through thought, word, and action cannot be ignored. Many schools have formalized this curriculum through classroom instruction in anger management, conflict resolution, bullying prevention, and leadership training. Personal and social skills training beginning in the early years of a child’s education and articulated throughout his/her school experience can provide an integrated, holistic foundation for building trust and mutual respect and preventing social alienation and violence. This is the Office of Prevention’s goal.
Planting Seeds of Prevention
NEW FOR 2012-13! The ‘Planting Seeds of Prevention’ Curriculum Book was created by OPP to serve as a teaching tool and one stop shop for all your prevention needs. The prevention curriculum is organized into the 4 strands of prevention: Violence Prevention, Instructional Strategies, Health and Wellness, and Substance Abuse Prevention. Within each strand there are specialized lessons related to each area of prevention for both primary and secondary grades. Click on the cover to access the Violence Prevention section.
Are you tired of the violence?
Join us and be part of the solution! The Broward County Youth Anti-Violence Coalition brings together elected officials, students, law enforcement, faith-based leaders, the business community, charitable foundations, institutions of learning, the media, judges and other stakeholders committed to county-wide change through the implantation of local solutions. Our goal is to bridge Broward County youth development partners, our youth, and community members to work together to choose peace and stop the violence. Lean more! Want to be inspired? View this video of what Broward County Schools are doing to celebrate peace!
BCPS Steps Up “Silence Hurts” Campaign
You Have the Power to Make a Difference! You – students, parents, teachers and community members have the power – speak up! Silence is no longer an option. That’s the message behind Broward County Public Schools “You Have the Power to Make a Difference” campaign. You can act ANONYMOUSLY anywhere, anytime to prevent student violence by using the District’s anonymous tip line (754-321-0911), Web site (www.broward.k12.fl.us/siu/tips), E-mail address (school911@browardschools.com) or by texting ‘SBBC’ plus the message to CRIMES (274637). Tips are received immediately by the District’s Special Investigative Unit/Professional Standards Department, staffed seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Names and contact information need not be given and remain confidential.
See also our related webpages on:
- Anti-Bullying
- Anti-Bullying Classroom Activities
- Anti-Bullying Links and Resources
- Anti-Bullying Policy 5.9
- Bullying Prevention & Positive School Culture
- Choose Peace Stop Violence
- Cyberbullying
- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (LGBTQ) Resources
- Health and Wellness
- Olweus Bullying Prevention Program
- Positive Parenting
- Reality Avenue’s “Bullying: Who Holds the REAL Power?”
- Support Group Method
Resources and Links
“If it’s FREE, it’s for ME!”: Look for this downloadable PDF as you scroll down the Resource page – is is an extensive list of FREE prevention resources!
Please Note: A program or website being mentioned here does not imply endorsement by the School Board of Broward County and does not necessarily reflect its views. Please contact the program developers directly for the most current information.
• Best Practices of Youth Violence Prevention. This document describes the effectiveness of specific violence prevention practices in four key areas: parents and families; home visiting; social and conflict resolution skills; and mentoring. It includes practical suggestions from professionals and advocates who have successfully started these programs in their communities.
• Bullying Awareness Week, November 15 – 21, 2009 Theme: “Stand Up! (to bullying)”
• Bullying prevention activities from the National Crime Prevention Council
• Crisis Preparedness and Response webpage: Crisis preparedness is the responsibility of every school, community, and state. Preparedness involves planning how to respond when an emergency or disaster occurs and working to marshal the resources needed to respond efficiently and effectively. Schools and education agencies cannot prevent natural disasters or even many man-made crises, such as terrorist events. However, should an event or threat occur or be suspected, every staff member should know how to respond based on protocols, or community-based plans, established in advance in collaboration with public health and first responder agencies. The webpage includes resources sub-divided by preparedness, response, and recovery.
• Dennis D. Embry, Ph.D. PAXIS Institute. 1‐877‐GO‐PAXIS
• Division of Violence Prevention’s website highlighting resources for school violence. This site includes a number of resources including fact sheets, tips for coping with stress, data resources, prevention resources, and current CDC research on youth interpersonal violence.
• Eyes on Bullying Education Development Center
• First Call for Help, 211 Broward – “Help is Just a Phone Call Away!” A 24-hour, free, confidential telephone Helpline for crisis/suicide counseling, empathetic listening and community information and referrals for health and human services resources in Broward County. Just Dial 2-1-1 or (954) 537-0211 or access the directory online
• Florida Department of Education
• Florida Gay Straight Alliance
• Florida Missing Endangered Persons Information Clearinghouse – As part of the MEPIC’s services, a toll-free telephone line (1-888-FL MISSING) is available twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week. Additional services provided by the MEPIC include a directory of resources available for additional assistance in locating a child; emergency flyers requested by law enforcement agencies containing descriptors of missing children believed to be in immediate danger; training for law enforcement agencies and public/private organizations regarding the operations of the MEPIC; and a child safety guide which includes a list of precautions which outlines programs to insure our children’s safety.
• FRANK C. SACCO, PHD, Back Off Bully
• Health Education Curriculum Analysis Tool (HECAT): The Health Education Curriculum Analysis Tool (HECAT) can help school districts, schools, and others conduct a clear, complete, and consistent analysis of health education curricula based on the National Health Education Standards and CDC’s Characteristics of Effective Health Education Curricula. The HECAT results can help schools select or develop appropriate and effective health education curricula and improve the delivery of health education. The HECAT can be customized to meet local community needs and conform to the curriculum requirements of the state or school district.
• Human Trafficking
oAnti-Slavery International (ASI)
o If you think you have encountered a victim of human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, 1-888-373-7888, open 24 hours a day/7 days a week – interpreters available. In cases of emergency, call 911.
o If you suspect child trafficking, call 1-800-96-ABUSE
o National Human Trafficking Resource Center
o US Dept of Health and Human Services, The Administration for Children and Families (ACF)
• Indicators of School Crime and Safety Report, 2010: presents the most recent data available on school crime and student safety
• Internet Related Violence Prevention: Cyberbullying, Predators
o Florida Missing Endangered Persons Information Clearinghouse. As part of the MEPIC’s services, a toll-free telephone line (1-888-356-4774) is available twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week. Additional services provided by the MEPIC include a directory of resources available for additional assistance in locating a child; emergency flyers requested by law enforcement agencies containing descriptors of missing children believed to be in immediate danger; training for law enforcement agencies and public/private organizations regarding the operations of the MEPIC; and a child safety guide which includes a list of precautions which outlines programs to insure our children’s safety.
o Internet Safety Awareness and Education
• Measuring Violence-Related Attitudes, Behaviors, and Influences Among Youths: A Compendium of Assessment Tools – Second Edition. This compendium provides researchers and prevention specialists with a set of tools to assess violence-related beliefs, behaviors, and influences, as well as to evaluate programs to prevent youth violence. It contains more than 170 measures. This document includes measures focused on individual violence-related attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors which may be useful if you are evaluating a school-based curriculum or a community-based program designed to reduce violence among youths. Several measures to assess peer, family, and community influences are also included. Most of the measures in this compendium are intended for use with youths between the ages of 11 and 24 years, to assess such factors as serious violent and delinquent behavior, conflict resolution strategies, social and emotional competencies, peer influences, parental monitoring and supervision, family relationships, exposure to violence, collective efficacy, and neighborhood characteristics.
• National Resource Center for Safe Schools, The Safety Zone
• New Zealand guidelines for safe and bully‐free schools
• No Blame Approach. Bristol, BS8 2UW, United Kingdom. Phone/Fax +44 117 973 2881
• No Name Calling Week, Educational Activities against Name Calling
• Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
• Olweus Bullying Prevention Program
• PFLAG – promotes the health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons, their families and friends through: support, to cope with an adverse society; education, to enlighten an ill-informed public; and advocacy, to end discrimination and to secure equal civil rights. Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays provides opportunity for dialogue about sexual orientation and gender identity, and acts to create a society that is healthy and respectful of human diversity.
• Peace Corps lesson plans on peace and culture
• Recovery Connection: dedicated to providing addicts, alcoholics, and their loved ones with answers to addiction and treatment questions, and in locating an alcohol and drug treatment center.
• Registries of Programs Effective in Reducing Youth Risk Behaviors: Various federal agencies have identified youth-related programs that they consider worthy of recommendation based on expert opinion or a review of design and research evidence. These programs focus on different health topics, risk behaviors, and settings including violence.
• Safe Schools South Florida: Safe Schools South Florida is the only organization in South Florida comprised of professional educators committed to training education professionals to recognize and intervene in harassment and bullying of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) students and the children of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) parents.
• School Health Guidelines (CDC) to Prevent Unintentional Injuries and Violence. Students have the right to learn in a safe and protective school environment. These guidelines were designed to help education agencies and schools promote safety and make schools safe places for students to learn.
• School Health Index: The School Health Index can help schools implement school health guidelines and related strategies. This self-assessment and planning tool enables schools to identify the strengths and weaknesses of health promotion policies and programs (including violence prevention) and assists schools in developing an action plan for improving the school environment.
• School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS): The School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS) is a national survey periodically conducted to assess school health policies and practices at the state, district, school, and classroom levels. SHPPS was most recently conducted in 2006. SHPPS also was conducted in 2000 and 1994; the next SHPPS is planned for 2012. State level summaries are available on-line (the Healthy and Safe Environment and the Mental Health and Social Services sections are probably the most relevant) and as a state report card, here is the link for Florida
• Schools Anti -Bullying Web Gateway
• SERAPH Problem Solving Company, School Safety in America
• Sexual and Gender Minorities Work Group (CDC) Since 2003 CDC Sexual and Gender Minorities Work Group has been in official operation at CDC/ATSDR. The group focuses on issues in the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (GLBTQ). The mission of the work-group is to explore health-related issues in the GLBTQ community and serve as a resource to others engaging in similar research and activities. Please visit their website for more information.
Silence Hurts: If you know of plans to commit violence in our schools, speak up! You can act ANONYMOUSLY anywhere, anytime toprevent student violence by using the District’s anonymous tip line (754-321-0911), Web site (www.broward.k12.fl.us/siu/tips), E-mail address (school911@browardschools.com) or by texting ‘SBBC’ plus the message to CRIMES (274637). Tips are received immediately by the District’s Special Investigative Unit/Professional Standards Department, staffed seven days a week, 24 hours a day.
• STRYVE website: Striving to Reduce Youth Violence Everywhere, led by the CDC, takes a public health approach to preventing youth violence before it starts by providing communities with the knowledge and resources to be successful in preventing youth violence.
• Student Support Services Project
• Surgeon General’s report on youth violence. This report uses a public health approach to examine the issue of youth interpersonal violence. It examines the factors that lead young people to gravitate toward violence, reviews the factors that protect youth from perpetrating violence and identifies 27 effective research-based preventive strategies.
• Switchboard of Miami, (305) 358-HELP (4357)
• TEACH-VIP E-Learning: an online self-paced free curriculum in violence and injury prevention. You can choose from 20 lessons to create a learning experience appropriate to your needs and schedule. Each lesson can be completed in approximately one hour – although optional activities and readings are available that can add to the time needed to complete a lesson.
• Teen Space 211: an interactive website for teens looking for information, support, and resources to help cope with today’s tough teen issues. It is a confidential outlet for teens to feel free to ask anything, speak their minds, and help themselves and each other. Teens can post their questions or comments on our message boards or call our hotline anytime at 2-1-1 or 954-567-8336(TEEN).
• UK Department for Children, Schools and Families
• Veto Violence: Violence education (all types) tools online.
• Wayne Sakamoto, California School Resource Officers’ Association
• The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS): YRBSS monitors priority health-risk behaviors among youth in grades 9-12 in public and private schools through the United States. The YRBSS includes a national school-based survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state, territorial, tribal, and local surveys conducted by state, territorial, and local education and health agencies and tribal governments. Violence-related behaviors captured by YRBSS include getting in a fight (on and off of school property), carrying a weapon (on or off of school property), carrying a gun (off of school property), being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property, feeling unsafe on the way to or from school, being the victim of forced sex, and being the victim of dating violence. CDC provides access to the data through an on-line system; OPP facilitates the administration of the YRBS every year, please go to OPP YRBS to find out more.
Journal Articles & Books
- Bullying Behaviors Among US Youth: Prevalence and Association With Psychosocial Adjustment. Nansel, T.R., Overpeck, M., Pilla, R.S., Ruan, W.J., Simons‐Morton, B., & Scheidt, P. (2001). Journal of the American Medical Association, 285(16), 2094‐2100
- Olweus, D. (1993). Bullying at school: What we know and what we can do. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers. www.virtual.clemson.edu/groups/ncrf/pdfs/bullying
- Pikas, A. The Common Concern Method for the treatment of mobbing. In Roland, E., and Munthe, E. (1989) Bullying ‐ An International Perspective. London: David Fulton
- Preventing Bullying: A Manual for Schools and Communities. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of Education, 1998.
- Rigby, K. (1996) Bullying in Schools and what we can do about it. Melbourne ACER.
- Set Special; Students at Risk, October 1996. NZCER, PO Box 3237, Wellington.
- Sharp, S., & Smith, P. (1994) Tackling Bullying in Your School London: Routledge