Keeping our Schools Safe

Keeping our children safe from violence in schools

When parents walk their children to the bus stop each morning, they trust that their children will be in good hands at school. Hardy Myers has been working hard to make sure that Oregon's schools are safe, so students can focus their attention on learning and not be distracted by worries about school violence.

In 2000, Hardy Myers convened a school and community safety coalition that analyzed the status of school safety in Oregon, compiled a resource guide for prevention, education, policy and program materials, and provided a forum for educators and community leaders to put their heads together and collaborate on the issue of school safety. The coalition made a series of recommendations to reduce bullying and harassment, establish a Center for School Safety (which was created in the subsequent legislative session), encourage school-wide discipline and safety programs, and teach educators how to identify potential problem students before they threaten the safety of their peers.

The 2001 Legislature also authorized the Attorney General to establish and operate, with gifts, grants and donations, a School Safety Hotline that would give students a way to report anonymously situations the student believes are or may be a threat to school safety. With the invaluable assistance of Senator Ron Wyden, a United States Department of Education grant was obtained for the Hotline, and it will shortly begin operating on a statewide basis.