United States Attorney Booth Goodwin has released a comprehensive report and a set of recommendations resulting from the Summit on West Virginia Safe Schools that was held in February.

The report features an agenda of ten items for preparedness and response that should be implemented as soon as possible: 1) Establish a single, locked point of entry for every school. 2) Install classroom doors that lock quickly from inside the classroom – or keep doors locked all the time. 3) Install emergency buttons that sound a school-wide alarm and automatically call the police. 4) Explore the use of shatter-resistant materials on glass windows and door panels in schools. 5) Establish a Prevention Resource Officer Corps to place more law enforcement officers in schools as prevention resource officers. 6) Bring together local police and educators to develop closer ties between law enforcement and schools. 7) Conduct active-shooter drills in every school at least annually. 8) Develop a statewide program to identify potentially violent students early and intervene immediately. 9) Introduce a proven anti-bullying program in every school. 10) Implement a communication system to immediately disseminate information about violent or disruptive incidents to parents, other schools and child care facilities.  

The report’s prevention strategies include developing a concerted effort to address bullying; identifying and intervening with troubled children early; placing a greater emphasis on school climate; developing a system to comprehensively collect information about students with behavior issues; and expanding the number and role of school counselors and prevention resource officers.    

The report can be found at http://www.wvsafeschools.org/.