Teacher Els from group 8 finds Damian, one of her students, tense and quiet lately. When she asks him about it, he avoids her. Els sees Damians older brothers hanging around the schoolyard more often. She doesnt trust it. Fortunately, she can now rely on the School Safety Covenant. What is this covenant and how does it help?
The School Safety Covenant outlines agreements on how schools, police, youth workers, and others work together to ensure safety in and around schools. For example, when there is a fight or violence in the classroom. Or when there are weapons or drugs at school. The covenant contains rules and agreements on when to discuss the situation with the neighborhood officer, the parents, or the municipality.
Peer Pressure
These agreements were already made in 2023 with secondary (special) education and vocational education. It is new that primary schools are now also participating. Caspar van Rijn, education policy advisor of the municipality, worked on this. I am very happy that primary schools are now also involved. Because situations like peer pressure, bad friends, and aggression also occur there. Especially in groups 7 and 8, teachers are increasingly facing these issues. It is important to intervene in time. Then you might prevent things from getting worse once students move on to secondary school.
Knives
Van Rijns colleague Shalita Sardjoepersad was involved in 2023 in the covenant with schools for secondary (special) education and vocational education. Sardjoepersad: All parties want one thing: that all students in Rotterdam feel safe at school. There have already been great results. We have established short lines of communication with each other, and schools are happy with the arrival of school safety directors from the municipality. They have been around for almost 2 years and have established contacts with the schools. They identify problems that arise on or around schools. Not only schools but also others know how to find them. For example, there was once a business owner near a school who saw students carrying knives. When he reported this to the school safety director, they could discuss the situation with the school and the neighborhood officer.
Short Lines
Van Rijn continues: Now that primary schools are joining the School Safety Covenant, almost all Rotterdam schools are participating, which is wonderful. School should be a place where you can learn safely and be yourself. Without fear. Thanks to the covenant, organizations in Rotterdam are working even better together to make this possible. They can find each other faster. Due to the short lines and fixed contacts, incidents are addressed and prevented more quickly.
Teacher Els knows what to do. She informs the school management, but also the neighborhood officer and a youth worker. Together they decide that extra enforcement officers will patrol the school and that youth workers will reach out to the students of group 8. The situation remains a topic of discussion in regular meetings. Another step in the right direction.
View the full Covenant School Safety.. Link opens an external page (PDF)
