This fifth volume continues the objective of the previous volumes in providing an update of innovative and groundbreaking solutions to the persistent problems of violence, bullying, security breaches, gang tensions, and social media abuse in the Nation's schools.
Specifically, this volume presents a new compilation of the past year's 18 articles posted on the website SchoolSafetyInfo.org, which is managed by the U.S. Justice Department's Justice Technology Information Center (JTIC). One article describes a program that trains school bus drivers in communications skills and situational awareness. A second article profiles a free video on how to handle bomb threats at a school. A third article describes a program installed in a rural school in Alabama that consists of a simple reverse checkout procedure that ensures the identification of parents or authorized others who leave the school with a student. A fourth article describes a bullying prevention program that was developed by a group of concerned students. Other articles discuss or describe best practices for school resource officers (SROs); a systematic approach to school safety planning; and a free mobile phone app that tracks an owner's location, sends alarms, and records data.