Global Interrelated Problems of Vandalism and Safety Issues at Schools and the Ways to Solve Them

What is Vandalism? Vandalism is an action involving the intentional destruction of or damage to public or private property. What are Safety Issues? Safety Issue means any information suggesting an emerging safety concern or possible change in the risk-benefit. It also an issue that encompasses one or more contributing factors and/or other unsafe conditions.

Vandalism in schools, colleges, and universities may take serious forms, from writing in and or on public books to writing on desks or chairs, blemishing walls to breaking and destroying the properties that do not belong to us. An example would be the graffiti stickers that have been placed on the i-CATS bus and the signboards within the campus building.

Vandalism costs the school’s money that could otherwise be used for educational purposes or school activities. The existence of vandalized property at schools degrades the campus environment.

Most individuals that commit vandalism just want to release their anger and to meet certain satisfactions, when the individuals still do perform the same act, again and again, the problems persist. This will indirectly lead to worse case scenarios such as getting involved with other related crimes.

Vandalism is often overlooked and underestimated by the local community. Most of us just turn a blind eye while vandalism occurs in front of us. As a consequence, these heinous activities will be ongoing, and the community will suffer from it. Take for example, if we were to wash our hands after using the bathroom but the person before us broke the tap, and therefore, we are left without hands dirty and this raises hygiene issues. In most instant cases, vandalism commonly takes place in public toilets, and these acts encourage the younger generation to emulate these bad habits. It doesn’t only affect our public image, but the school’s image as well. A small step at every level if at first, we start at home, and then in school, lastly it would be and other public places and this could affect the entire state because we as a nation would like to show cleanliness and tidiness within our country. This would not only encourage tourists to visit but they will leave us with good remarks. Countries like Singapore have very strict policies against littering, vandalism, etc. and yet millions of visitors make their way there, boosting the economy and enriching the country. If we can do the same, with just one small step in i-CATS, we can do so with our country.

What can we do to prevent vandalism from taking place?

• Talk with your students about caring for others’ property. Your students may need some guidance about the importance of caring for the property that belongs to another person or the school. Talk with them about what to do if they lose or damage property that is not theirs, including replacing it or compensating the person. Consider asking them what they would expect to happen if another student damaged their property. Discuss how school property also needs to be treated with respect so it can be enjoyed by other students.
• Examine the student’s motivation. Understanding why the student damaged or destroyed property may help you figure out how to keep him from repeating the act. Try to identify the student’s motivation by observing him carefully, taking note of what triggers the behavior. While it is important to address these underlying concerns, this does not lessen the importance of holding the student accountable for the vandalism.
• Be sure of a student’s guilt before you accuse him. Do not accuse a student of vandalism unless you have convincing evidence that he was responsible. If you suspect him of having done it but have no proof, tell him in private of the problem and ask if he has any knowledge of what happened. If he denies it, don’t pursue it any further with him. If you falsely accuse him of having engaged in vandalism, you risk alienating him and perhaps incurring his wrath.
• Inform the parents other than minor incidents. You will be more effective in preventing future acts of vandalism if you have parent support. Whether you contact parents for a particular incident should depend on the extent of the damage. If the student has put gum under his desk or written in a book, you can handle this matter without informing the parents. If the incident is more serious, especially if it requires that the school be compensated in some way, parents must be notified.
• Model respect for school property. Demonstrate to your students how you value school property through your actions. You can do this by treating items in your room with care, whether by the way you have arranged books on the shelves or the attention you have paid to decorate the room.
• Recognize students who treat the property with care. Praise students when you see them handling materials carefully. This not only conveys the message that care of school property is an important value but also suggests to students that treat classroom materials respectfully will gain attention from you.
• Have the student write down what he did. Have an older student describe what he did on paper and ask him to discuss the possible consequences of school vandalism. Tell him that you will put this paper in his school file and remove it at the end of the year if there are no further incidents of vandalism. You might also send his written statement to his parents while telling the student you are doing this.
• Eliminate evidence of school vandalism immediately. By showing students that the defacing of school property will not only be punished but also will be of short duration, you will discourage others from engaging in vandalism.
• Give the student a sense of belonging in school. He will be less likely to damage school property if he feels a sense of ownership and pride in the school. Involve him in activities that give him a good feeling about school so that he is more likely to care for it than vandalize it. Some possible activities: planting a garden; decorating one of the school’s walls; and painting walls that have been defaced.
• Help the student understand the consequences of vandalism. Find out from the principal the cost of repairs for the previous year for vandalism. Have students figure out how many pizza parties the school could have had if there was no vandalism.
• Make the student responsible for specific school property. Surprise the student who has engaged in vandalism by showing trust in his ability to care for school property. You might, for example, have him help you with audio-visual or athletic equipment. Tell him that you are confident he can handle this task in a responsible manner. He will not want to disappoint you.
• If you see anyone committing vandalism, report it to the police.

Many people make the mistake of thinking that acts of vandalism are “too small” to report to the police. This is false. Always remember large or small reports it all. The police are charged with protecting law-abiding citizens from criminals. When crimes are committed, they are responsible for capturing the suspects for them to answer for their violation of the law. Crime prevention is important. However, making criminals pay a price for their crimes is also important. The police can only respond to crimes that are reported. Promptly reporting the act can result in the vandal’s arrest. At a minimum, timely reporting can allow the police to increase presence in the area to protect your neighbors and prevent your location from being hit again.

• Support community programs that give young people something to do.

Boredom is the fuel that drives the engine that propels vandalism. Eliminate the fuel and the engine will not start. Supporting programs that provide young people with safe alternatives to criminal mischief provides the dual benefit of preventing vandalism and make a positive impression on the life of a young person. Young people who are busy doing activities have no time for committing crimes. Your support can manifest in any combination of ways. You could start your program from the ground up, donate money, volunteer, or get involved in some other way. This is the type of crime prevention that makes people feel good. The choice is yours.

• Install Video Surveillance

While ineffective against professional criminals, surveillance cameras can be effective against amateur criminals who commit acts of vandalism. The presence of cameras is a deterrent. In cases where they do not prevent the crime, cameras can provide information that can assist police in their investigation. Video surveillance can be an effective solution for preventing vandalism. However, buyers should be mindful of their budgets. In many cases, the costs exceed the benefit of using the cameras. if you want to learn more about how to use cameras, you may want to read this article.

Other than vandalism we have safety issues in our workplace, schools, colleges, etc. that have been overlooked from time to time such as an uncovered manhole whereby it may be infested with mosquitoes and larvae’s and this could bring up health concerns and hazards like dengue or Aedes. Smoking is another form of concern as more and more young adults are exposed to vaping and smoking, second-hand smokers who may have asthma or other health issues will be affected by these students who prefer not to smoke at the given designated smoking area but instead smoke within the campus, therefore not complying with the rules of management.

So, what are the underlying health issues, and what are causes? As to name a few, a few have been listed below

1. Lack of accurate understanding of Safety Issues - Many schools and school districts have performed poor assessments of their school safety as it relates to everyday management of the schools. Schools have security audits performed which focus on physical security such as cameras and emergency plans.
2. Reaction, not a prediction. Many schools and school districts have policies against student aggression and criminal behavior but fail to develop clear management procedures to assist staff and administrators in predicting and preventing these problems. 'Because schools generally do not have effective school safety management plans, they resort to a crisis with reaction rather than preventing a crisis from happening.'.
3. Poor management of Schools - Management issues in school generally fall into several categories: Poor use of technology to handle the mundane tasks. 'There is a complete lack of understanding of how technology can be utilized to assure that administrator and teacher time is spent on educating students. Lack of effective on-going interactive community-wide communications. 'School officials must actively and regularly interact with parents and the community in general.'
4. Lack of effective plans to combat Truancy and Lateness - School districts do not seem to be willing to engage local, state, and federal social service agencies as real partners in assisting them with truancy and tardiness. 'A formal plan of action with local courts, social services, and law enforcement is critical to reducing and controlling this serious problem.'
5. Poor Emergency Management - Many schools have emergency plans but fail to train their staff members in the management of an emergency. An example of the problem is the lack of training for school staff members in the handling of special needs children.

Safety Issues are important within the place we study because it is always best to follow the saying ‘Prevention is better than cure’ and this is because it is easier to stop something happening in the first place than to repair the damage after it has happened. Assaults, bullying, victimization, theft, classroom disorder, fights, use of weapons, violent crime, unmaintained sanitation, and hygiene concerns, exposed wires, and sockets are all common issues that take place within our campuses.

How can we improve our health issues?

• Use a coordinated approach to develop, implement, and evaluate healthy eating and physical activity policies and practices. School officials, teachers, staff members, parents, and students should work together to maximize healthy lifestyle opportunities.
• Establish school environments that support healthy eating and physical activity. From the playground to the classroom, the entire school environment should encourage healthy choices.
• Provide a quality school meal program and ensure students have only appealing, healthy food and beverage choices offered outside of the school meal program. Vending machines, concessions stand, school stores, and after-school programs should all mimic the nutritional guidelines and offer balanced, healthy options.
• Implement a comprehensive physical activity program with quality physical education as the cornerstone.
• Implement health education that provides students the knowledge, attitudes, skills, and experiences needed for healthy eating and physical activity. Arming students with the knowledge they need in school prepares them to be healthy adults in the future.
• Provide students with health, mental health, and social services to address healthy eating, physical activity, and related chronic disease prevention. Resources should be readily available at schools – and to follow up – regarding the treatment of health conditions related to diet, physical activity, and weight status.
• Partner with families and community members in the development and implementation of healthy eating and physical activity policies, practices, and programs. Partnerships promote consistent messaging about healthy behaviors and available resources; they also motivate students to live healthy lives.
• Provide a school employee wellness program that includes healthy eating and physical activity services for all school staff members. Worksite wellness programs can improve staff productivity while decreasing absenteeism and employee health care costs.
• Employ qualified persons and provide professional development opportunities for school staff members and out-of-school-time programs. Offering regular professional development opportunities for staff helps them improve their current skills and acquire new ones.

We can co-relate vandalism with mental health issues, after all both problems arise from the same background. We can further improve on an individual’s lifestyle and livelihood by bringing awareness to it.

Mental health needs to be integrated into the school curriculum, which will help increase understanding and reduce stigma around issues. Without this, pupils may not be aware their mental health is deteriorating and feels silenced or shamed when seeking help.

If both pupils and teachers have more open discussions about mental health, issues will also be easier to identify early on, and this will help to build students’ knowledge and understanding of the subject.

Ideally, mental health needs to be talked about the same way physical education or healthy eating is because research has found that when schools adopt a comprehensive approach to discussing mental health it supports all pupils – including those who are experiencing mental health difficulties already.

• Create a safe space

Students do better in schools when they feel safe – this means ensuring that bullying incidents are low and addressed, including the rising incidents of cyberbullying.

The evidence also shows that when students feel a sense of belonging, have good peer and teacher relationships, and feel listened to when they raise concerns, also helps to support positive mental health in schools.

• Support for all

Everyone in schools from the teachers to the teaching assistants, the school lunch staff to the school nurse, all have a role to play in improving the school environment – and making it more open to discussions around mental health.

But they can do only do this if they are supported and healthy themselves. Looking out for the well-being of staff will itself have a positive impact on the students. And research shows that when staff is trained in mental health, they are more confident in supporting their students. The same research also showed that this additional mental health training even helped to boost the staff’s own resilience and job satisfaction.

• Making sure teachers know how to help

Headteachers should demand mental health training for all new teachers. And before a school takes on a new or trainee teacher, they should ask to see what mental health training they have. This could include an understanding of the risk and resilience factors for their students, how to spot the signs of mental ill-health, along with how to support and get help for students at risk.

This will ensure that all new teachers have a basic understanding of the mental health challenges they will face and will make it easier for them to help pupils in need.

• Recognise that it takes a community

Looking after children’s mental health isn’t just something that can be done on a small scale, it involves a shift in the way everyone not only works together but also communicates on issues.

Many schools have also introduced peer mentoring, where children are partnered up with older children who can look out for them. Running extracurricular social activities for pupils has also been shown to help have a positive impact on students, by providing a space for them to work through their emotions and develop strategies to address their challenges.

Conclusion

Both vandalism and safety issues are a real-world problem, however, we can always ease the situation if we bring awareness to it. If we can improve on ourselves by working on our own character and attitude, we can also do so with others. We should always take precautions when approaching others who are committing petty crimes and doing something they shouldn’t but it is better to advise and lend an ear rather than to turn a blind eye. After all, a small change and a small step towards progress is still progress. In i-CATS, we are all there as a community, and in a community – we show support. Lives are made better when we are there to comfort one another, instead of bashing on each other. Never neglect others, and always treat others with the respect that we would like to receive. In a harmonious and peaceful environment, is where all of us can thrive and seek for a better future. We can all work together to counter safety and health issues and vandalism itself and not only to depend on one person alone. Effectively, things work better and things happen faster when everyone works together.