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Incivility, a growing challenge in higher education institutions, interferes with and disrupts the learning process. This study examined faculty members' experiences of students' incivilities in institutions of higher education in Afghanistan. A survey questionnaire was used to collect data from 289 faculty members who were teaching in various higher education institutions across Afghanistan. Descriptive and inferential statistics and thematic analysis were used to analyze the data. The findings showed that faculty members experienced varying degrees of a wide range of incivilities in and outside the classroom, including conversing loudly in the class, interruption, and harassment. They also experienced a variety of incivilities related to assessment and grading. A small number of them experienced more serious forms of incivilities including beating, stabbing, and death threats. The findings also revealed that there were not significant differences between participants' experiences of student incivility by their gender, but there were significant differences between faculty members' experience by their level of education and years of teaching experience. The study recommends faculty members and higher education institutions take practical measures to address incivilities inside and outside the classroom in order to create a safe learning environment for faculty members and students.

This study aims to examine the opinions of Religious Culture and Ethics Teachers (RCET) on mobbing in the workplace. The research focuses on RCET's definition of mobbing, the reasons for mobbing, the results of mobbing, and the suggestions of RCET to prevent mobbing. This study used the phenomenological method, one of the qualitative research methods. The data obtained from the interview forms were analyzed by the content analysis method. The findings were organized and presented under themes and sub-themes. The study group of the research was determined by a systematic sampling technique, one of the probability-based sampling methods. The study group of the research consisted of 35 RCET working in the middle schools of Mersin central districts in the 2023-2024 academic years. Findings revealed that participants defined the concept of mobbing using terms such as pressure, violence, distress, attack, discomfort, implication, and exposure. It was found that participants expressed reasons for mobbing, such as establishing dominance, jealousy, inadequacy, and conflict of interest. It was determined that participants indicated the results of mobbing, such as asynchrony, inefficiency, failure, resignation, reluctance, and fear-anxiety. The participants suggested solutions such as support, awareness activities, relationships and communication, knowledge of legislation and laws, equality, responsibility, trust, problem identification, solution orientation, and providing education. [Note: The page range (73-90) shown on the PDF is incorrect. The correct page range is 73-91.]

In the wake of collective trauma and tragedy, artists may be called upon as "second responders" to facilitate healing and grief for a community. In this article, we explain the artists-as-second-responders discourse, including the messaging of artists feeling useful, art as diversion, and art as healing. Then, using an example of student-artists compelled to make sure "the show must go on" at Michigan State University in the days after a mass school shooting, we critique the second-responder discourse by arguing that such messaging may cause more harm to artists and facilitate problematic escapism. We also challenge the "call to serve" and offer recommendations for how, on days after, institutions can respond in more trauma-informed and supportive ways. In doing so, we argue that, in fact, the show must not always go on.

The present pilot study explores pre-service teachers' experiences related to active shooter preparedness and perceptions of preparedness of active shooter training and drills. A survey was conducted among pre-service teachers (N = 97) regarding (a) previous experiences with active shooter response drills, (b) perceptions of preparedness for active shooter response training, and (c) preparedness to address the psychological needs of future K-12 students after an active shooter response drill. The participants who were full time interns in schools felt underprepared to navigate shooter drills in a school setting and desired additional training at the pre-service level than they currently received. Furthermore, these pre-service teachers desired preparation that transcends safety protocol to encompass the physical and mental health needs of children.

Research on violence in schools has been dominated by 'bullying' discourse and methodologies that place individualised pathos at the centre of problematic behaviours. This focus has resulted in the neglect of broader structures of power such as gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, and class in the violence enacted and encountered by young people. As a result, institutional solutions to school violence have often failed to acknowledge and respond to the ways that gender and sexuality might operate in the lives of young people, instead offering simplistic strategies to reduce ubiquitous forms of 'bullying'. Simultaneously, political discourses and research challenges further prohibit young people from contributing to targeted and critical interventions into the socio-cultural practices of gender- and sexuality-making in schools. As outsiders to these nuanced, complex, and dynamic spaces, university-based researchers often lack vocabulary and literacy, especially in relation to always-shifting meanings around gender and sexuality. In this paper, I argue for the need to actively include young people in research praxis to co-investigate school cultures of gender and sexuality using a Community-Led Research (CLR) approach. Reporting on work with ten student co-researchers that formed two groups in two schools in Australia, the paper details some of the ways that they impacted and benefitted the early phases of a three-year project, including through impacting methods, participant engagement, data analysis and the implementation of new strategies to improve school cultures of gender and sexuality. This article also illustrates some of the challenges and opportunities that CLR methodologies produce when working in less structured settings, including ethical and social challenges that emerge in iterative research praxis. Findings argue for the rights of young people to exert their hopes for their school cultures that relate to gender and sexuality, particularly through research-based empowerment. While often slower and more difficult, co-researching with young people can produce opportunities for transformation and change not only of research processes, but also of researchers and their communities.

Sexual violence is common on US college campuses and can result in negative health and academic outcomes. Credit-bearing courses are a possible innovative intervention, but few have been studied, and little is known about enrolled students' experiences. Our institution, located in the Southern United States, developed a semester-long class as a curricular intervention after our institutional climate survey results showed high rates of sexual violence among undergraduate students. Students enrolled in the course wrote a final reflection paper on what they found meaningful about the class (N = 62). Qualitative conventional content analysis was used to examine what students found most salient. Three overarching categories emerged: course content, course delivery and course impact, each with multiple themes. For course content, students wrote about 22 different topics from the class. For course delivery, students discussed the open forum to discuss sexuality, the importance of taking the course in their first year of college and the course structure. For course impact, students discussed gaining new knowledge, questioning prior assumptions, experiencing personal transformation and feeling empowered to act. Results indicated that students had a powerful class experience and that this kind of educational intervention has the potential to positively impact enrolled students.

The objectives of this study were to establish the frequency of violent behaviors present in primary education (PE), to determine differences based on students' grade and gender, and to assess the evolution of behaviors between the fourth and sixth grades of PE. The research design was a cohort longitudinal ex post facto study with three measures. Data was collected at three different moments across fourth, fifth, and sixth grades of PE. The sample was composed of all the students of three public centers located in three localities of Autonomous Community of Navarra (Northern Spain). The centers had to present similar characteristics to each other and to the population of Navarra. The first three centers contacted agreed to participate. The sample was composed of 236 students (110 girls) in PE. Students completed the instrument School Violence Questionnaire-Revised. A descriptive analysis, a bivariate analysis, and a logistic regression model were performed. A gradual increase in the perception of different violent behaviors with differences between boys and girls was found. In fourth grade, there was hardly any perception of information and communication technology-related violence; it then increased until sixth grade. Boys perceived more violence from teachers toward students and among peers. Girls perceived more violent behavior between fourth and fifth grade. Preventive interventions targeting digital violence should be developed at this stage. Considering the differences found according to gender and age, it is highlighted the need to train the educative community in different areas, such as emotional competencies, school coexistence, and the detection and prevention of violent behavior.

Various scholars have confirmed that teacher safety against learner victimization is a growing concern worldwide, and this problem is exacerbated by a lack of understanding and readiness to implement policies to address this matter. In this regard, policy implementation by middle leaders (MLs) in creating safe school environments has attracted much less interest as a possible way of addressing issues of teacher safety and the prevention of learner victimization. MLs are regarded as individuals who have the potential to lead, plan, inspire and persuade, and in so doing, they are in an ideal position to translate policy into practice. As such, this paper provides a qualitative policy document analysis of The National School Safety Framework (NSSF) premised on the theory that every individual in the school experiences safety in dissimilar ways and has unique safety needs. The NSSF is endorsed by the Department of Basic Education to guide in addressing issues of violence and safety in South African schools. Underpinned by the rational choice theory and utilizing policy document analysis, texts in the NSSF were analysed and interpreted to propose transformative policy strategies that can assist MLs in managing teachers' safety at schools more effectively. The findings suggest that administrative duties and a lack of time make it difficult for MLs to create a safe and supportive learning environment in schools. Another finding was that there is no clear plan outlined in the NSSF to guide MLs to pursue teacher safety against learner victimization in schools. To assist MLs, this paper proposes transformative policy strategies that can assist them in promoting teacher safety and preventing learner victimization in schools. The paper recommends that more explicit interpretation and implementation strategies be communicated with schools to assist them in fighting the war against violence in schools.

In recent years, the South African basic and higher education departments have been besieged by egregious forms of violence. Although this has been a worrisome phenomenon dating back to time immemorial, of late, violence is at a very concerning and alarming level. The profusion of violence serves as an indictment to various stakeholders including the sitting government, which seems to have done very little, if not nothing, to mitigate the issue. Several media houses and numerous media platforms have, on a daily basis, tracked bullying which has advanced to the gruesome murder of learners and teachers alike. Very often, societies wake up to new and traumatising experiences that have since endorsed schools and higher education institutions as war zones where bloodbaths have become commonplace. This article drew its data from extensive reviews of news items, scholarly articles, and social media news. The study sought to highlight how much violence has ravaged schools, colleges, and universities. After tracing different versions of violence experienced in the aforementioned institutions, the study established that institutions had experienced a deluge of violent incidents. Several institutions have lost educators, principals, ancillary staff, and students through violent death. The study further suggested ways through which violence may be mitigated in the institutions. Active stakeholder involvement, re-skilling of teachers in handling 21st-century learners/students and introduction of modules on teachers' soft skills in dealing with recalcitrant learners are some of the recommendations that resulted from the findings of this study.

School violence is a global concern (UNESCO, 2022) with prolific consequences due to its lifelong psychological impact. Violence will continue to afflict human populations due to its underlying psychology, but this can be tempered by culture and other environmental factors. Violence is part of human nature and has an evolutionary basis rooted in our biology and is expressed psychologically through behaviour, thinking, and emotional expression (Buss, 2019; Zhang-James, et al., 2018). There are many forms, including physical and sexual assault, bullying and cyberbullying, public shaming, sexual harassment, suicidality, verbal and emotional abuse, and property theft. Although violence is ubiquitous, it is distributed disproportionally, as is obvious when considering demographics such as age, race, ethnicity, geographic location, socioeconomic status, gender, and environmental disparities (e.g., pollution, noise, and access to essentials). A prime example of environmental disparities is the current crisis affecting South Africa's electrical grid and its effects on behavior (Khumalo, 2023). These facts reveal challenges that can be addressed in order to reduce violence overall and in specific settings, and concomitantly reduce disparities and enhance social justice (Khumalo, 2019). We address these issues and provide recommendations for amelioration in the context of school violence in South Africa. While school violence is an increasing problem and challenge for all stakeholders (Le Mottee & Kelly, 2017; Ngidi & Kaye, 2022), Nelson Mandela reminds us that "We owe our children -- the most vulnerable citizens in any society - a life free from violence and fear."

School violence perpetrated against teachers is becoming a scourge in South African schools, and as a result, teachers feel stressed, depressed, unsafe and demotivated to continue teaching. This problem, which has had a severely negative impact on the quality of teaching and learning, has also permeated the entire educational system in South Africa. Hence, the emergence of this study, which applied the routine activity theory also to investigate factors influencing perpetrators (learners) to target their victims (teachers) in the absence of capable guardians. This qualitative study adopted a phenomenological case study design to establish teachers' lived experiences of school violence and their coping strategies to improve teaching experiences. The sample size comprised eight purposively selected high school teachers who had experienced at least one form of violence at a school in the Free State Province. Data were collected via audio recordings during face-to-face semi-structured interviews, which were then transcribed and analysed following Braune and Clarke's thematic analysis approach. The findings indicate that the teachers interviewed were emotionally stressed and demotivated by their experiences of school violence. Additionally, data revealed that the teachers in the study expressed strong feelings of insecurity and disappointment with the teaching profession. Regarding teachers' coping strategies, the findings indicate that school-based counselling services and sharing experiences with colleagues help to alleviate the influences of school violence. It is recommended that incidents of school violence experienced by teachers be reduced or even eliminated if all relevant stakeholders consider the coping strategies.

Boys have been identified as the main perpetrators of school violence and bullying, evoking debates on masculinities. However, boys are not always the active producers of violence. This article examines the ways in which primary school boys who otherwise denounce violence explain their participation in it. The data draw from a more extensive qualitative study that focuses on the experiences of school violence among boys at a primary school in KwaZulu-Natal. The study sample comprised a group of thirteen Grade 7 boys. The primary method of data production was through semi-structured individual interviews. The study draws on theories of masculinities that regard them as multiple, fluid and socially constructed. The findings show that although the boys in the study condemned school violence, many could not escape being part of it. As boys, they felt compelled to protect and defend themselves, their families, girls and their friends. In their efforts to resist and mediate violence, they often resorted to violent methods as part and parcel of their masculine constructions. This article argues that it is necessary to focus on boys' perspectives and to shift the focus on violence from problematic individual behaviour to an understanding of the complex social and cultural contexts within which they navigate the everyday world of school. Towards this end, the conflicting implicit and explicit demands on boys sustained through social and institutional structures must be reworked.

School-related gender-based violence (SRGBV) is a major obstacle to universal schooling and the right to education for girls. Inequitable gender norms and stereotypes, based on hierarchies and forms of subordination, amplify and contribute to the SRGBV. Extensive literature on gender-based violence in South African schools exists, and much of it explains the connection between masculinity and gender-based violence. There is a paucity of studies on the SRGBV in South Africa that focus on implicit nature of GBV. This paper draws upon semi-structured individual interviews and focus group interviews with girls, boys and educators at two South African township schools to examine implicit nature of GBV. The findings revealed that boys were the main perpetrators of implicit gender-based violence. The analysis showed that implicit violence took the form of joking, teasing, social bullying, alienation and spreading rumours. While in most cases, the perpetrators of the violence were boys and the victims were girls, we gained a far more comprehensive picture of how GBV was perpetrated at schools. The participants provided us with fresh insights into the complexities of GBV and highlighted the extent to which sociocultural factors have an impact on SRGBV. An important conclusion from this study is that there are multiple and qualitatively different pathways to the enactment of GBV, and it is important to understand these dynamics if school violence prevention interventions are to be effective. This study recommends an integrated, comprehensive approach by all stakeholders in the form of educational intervention programmes towards the eradication of school gender-based violence. It is vital to include boys in these programmes for them to understand the importance of healthy relationships and to break free from harmful stereotypes. Parents, educators, coaches and policymakers play a role in challenging the belief that boys and mens violence is normal.

The safety of teachers has been researched in South Africa, but less is known about education law that regulates functionaries' duty to act to ensure teachers' right to safety from violence in public schools. Section 12(1)(c) of the Constitution of 1996 provides that "(1) [e]veryone has the right to freedom and security of the person, which includes the right ... (c) to be free from all forms of violence from either public or private sources" (RSA, 1996a). This study focused on teachers' right to safety from violence when they are on duty in public schools. The study aimed to identify and discuss various South African laws that regulate the duty to act to protect teachers' right to safety from violence in public schools and to investigate how these laws are applied in practice by asking three research questions. The study employed a qualitative research approach grounded in an interpretive paradigm, underpinned by a theory of social safety that recognises the importance of teachers feeling secure in their interactions with others. Qualitative data were collected employing document analysis of education law and previous empirical studies (secondary data from 2013 to 2023). The findings revealed that there is sufficient provision of education law in South Africa that regulates functionaries' duty to act to protect teachers' right to safety from violence in public schools. However, the challenge lies in the insufficient understanding and implementation of the provisions outlined in education laws. It is recommended that functionaries be trained on the duty to act to protect teachers' right to safety from violence. The attainment of teachers' safety from violence hinges on the understanding and application of the existing provisions within education law that governs the duty to act.

Adolescence is a critical phase that can cause a problem, one of which is violence. This condition is detrimental to the dynamics of school academic activities. School counselors are one of the parties who have a central role in developing peace-loving characters to suppress student violence. This research is a systematic literature review that describes the role of counselors as agents of peace whose primary focus is to build peace in students in the school environment through social sensitization strategies based on the teachings of KH Ahmad Dahlan. Systematic literature review searches and reviews various articles using search engines of reputable article journals. The study reviewed ten articles with the following procedure steps: identification, screening, eligibility, and included. The data analysis of this research used data extraction. The results showed that the counselor could use a social sensitization strategy containing the teachings of KH Ahmad Dahlan. The peace values of KH Ahmad Dahlan include sincerity, humility, critical thinking, tolerance, and compassion. This paper discusses the operational description of a social sensitization strategy based on the teachings of KH Ahmad Dahlan that consists of four phases (sensitivity to security, sensitivity to the surrounding environment, sensitivity to discrimination, and sensitivity to victims of violence). This study recommends further research to identify the effectiveness of the social sensitization strategy containing the teachings of KH Ahmad Dahlan to achieve peace among students at school.

We presented a 4-hour training program designed to enhance school counselors' self-efficacy in handling school crises, with a specific focus on school shootings. Employing a pretest-posttest research design using the School Counselor Response to Violent Crisis Questionnaire, we found that the training was effective in improving the self-efficacy of participants (n = 35) in crisis handling. We discovered, in our pilot study, that crisis training specifically tailored to school counselors can be effective in enhancing their self-efficacy in crisis handling. We discuss our study's implications for school counselors, workshop leaders, school leaders, and researchers.

From Colorado and Connecticut to Florida and Texas, school shootings have struck the U.S. education system. In response, there has been a proliferation of policies, programs, and practices to make schools safer. We term this phenomenon the fortification of schools. Fortification entails prioritizing and instituting various structures, resources, and routines that militarize schools; defines "safety" as a function of the school building; and positions educators as responders to gun violence. Thus, fortification asks educational administrators, teachers, and staff to work in new ways. To expose and better understand the policies, resources, and practices associated with fortification, we apply theories of structuration and racialized organizations. In so doing, we illuminate how fortification is continually shaped by systemic racism. Our discussion of fortification explains racialized dimensions of school safety policy implementation, operationalizes facets of structure-agency theory, and provides recommendations for practitioners and scholars concerned with responses to school shootings.

Teacher-directed violence has been acknowledged as a major issue in research over the past decade. Teacher-directed violence is the over-arching term used to describe teachers' experiences with physical violence and aggression (i.e., harassment, intimidation, verbal threats). This study is the first to quantitatively compare general education and special education teachers' experiences with violence from a variety of aggressors, including students, parents, colleagues, and administrators. Understanding the unique experiences of special and general educators is needed to inform intervention and prevention efforts focused on teacher-directed violence. Data from 2363 teachers who participated in a national study in the United States examining teachers' experiences with violence and aggression were analyzed using multiple logistic regression. Comparisons of special and general educators revealed special educators were more likely to report experiencing aggression in the current or past year. Special educators were also more likely to report violence by student aggressors, while general educators were more likely to report violence by parent aggressors. Further, teacher demographic characteristics (i.e., age, gender, race/ethnicity, years of experience) and school setting (i.e., rural, urban, suburban) influenced experiences of teacher-directed violence for both general and special educators. Findings suggest the need for future longitudinal and mixed-methods studies, providing more educators, training, and supports in special education settings, and incorporating all school stakeholders in school-wide interventions.

As state legislatures increasingly turn their gaze to education and school policy, one intervention that is particularly concerning is the proposal to arm civilian school personnel. Under the guise of school safety, these policies suggest that allowing teachers, who often have little if any training, to carry weapons on school grounds may deter a school shooter or allow the teacher to directly confront a shooter. There is currently no empirical evidence to support the effectiveness of arming teachers. Rather, what we know from studies on school discipline, racial bias amongst teachers, efficacy of school resource officers, as well as the growing number of incidents of carelessness with firearms in schools, suggests that arming teachers may have grave consequences, particularly for Black and Brown students who are already disproportionately targeted by school disciplinary practices. This commentary explores the contours of this urgent debate and considers the potential for disparate impact by arming teachers.

In this duoethnography, the co-authors share their experiences and reactions to trauma as student affairs practitioners in the wake of a car and knife attack at Ohio State University. Our goal in sharing these stories is for readers to join us as collegiate educators in this journey of exploring trauma and the healing process. We want to continue normalizing conversations about trauma, acknowledge the differences in trauma healing due to existing systems of oppression, and encourage readers to consider how we can better support trauma survivors in higher education. We offer considerations for practice moving forward and hope that others can find support and affirmation through the conversations in this study.

The issue of school safety has been interrogated as school shootings have occurred multiple times each year in the United States. This devastating reality has captured the attention of many throughout the United States. School leaders have implemented strategies to increase school safety, including the creation of practices to deter shooting incidences in schools. One such practice, the arming of school district employees, is the focus of this study. We sought to answer the following research questions: 1) How do superintendents describe their experiences implementing and leading the practice? and 2) What lessons have superintendents learned related to the practice? The data sources for this study included superintendent interviews, school district policies, and relevant documents. The findings included descriptions of the practice, the process of implementation, legal and policy guidelines, and advice for school leaders.

This article presents the "Readiness for Solutions to Lower Violence Model (ReSOLV)" a model generated from Elinor Ostrom's Institutional Analysis Framework, as an alternative approach for adopting equitable and evidence-based strategies to reduce violence in schools and communities. The article explores application of the model within the context of three unique study sites from a longitudinal study in California involving one large county urban school district and county, one small city and school district, and one rural city and school district. We review prevailing approaches for responding to school and public safety problems and examine relevant literature on individual, organizational and community readiness to change the status quo in favor of evidence-based solutions. Implications for school safety research and practice are discussed.

Immigration disparities are associated with strict school climates and juvenile justice. Place also matters concerning school strictness and disproportionate minority contact for minority youth. What remains unknown is the relationship between school strictness, immigration, and punishment along the Texas-Mexico border. Drawing from the Texas Education Agency's (TEA) Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS), we address two questions regarding the relationship between school strictness and juvenile justice referrals in border and non-border schools. First, do the relationships between school strictness and juvenile referrals differ between border and non-border schools? Second, does school strictness moderate the children of immigrants' juvenile justice referrals at border and non-border schools? Findings indicate border and non-border distinctions regarding both strict and lenient school disciplinary practices and the relationships with juvenile justice referrals. This study contributes to juvenile justice research by investigating potential links between school strictness, immigration, juvenile justice referrals, and place.

Currently, there is a national level debate on security-based school safety policies and practices, particularly in relation to the presence of police in schools. Decisions about school safety are discussed at the district level by administrators and board of education members who may not be aware of the importance of utilizing local data to ensure these decisions are data driven and beneficial to all the stakeholders they represent in diverse, urban districts. Research on security, policing, and social-emotional and school climate-based strategies are discussed, as is research on district-level decision-makers (boards of education and administrators) and decision making. This paper provides local school stakeholders, policy makers, and school safety researchers with a framework for collaborative work to ensure that evidence-based violence prevention programming and local data drive district-level decision making about school safety.

Devastating school shootings have spawned a cottage industry of untested responses to school violence. Some involve target hardening, or making schools less vulnerable to violent attacks. School administrators and community members can be quick to gravitate towards target hardening measures for preventing school violence. However, crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) is more consistent with best practices in school safety and may be linked to more positive student perceptions of school climate. The CPTED principle of natural surveillance implies that individuals will be less likely to commit crimes, infractions, and offenses if their behavior can be observed and reported. This involves having an open campus layout that provides clear sight lines to continually monitor shared spaces such as courtyards, playgrounds, cafeterias, and libraries. Based on the available research, CPTED school-based designs may offer some benefits without drawbacks. School psychologists can be involved in discussions about school design in multiple ways CPTED is an alternative approach to school safety that may evenly balance the need for physical safety with psychological comfort. Although school psychologists do not draft blueprints for school design, they can work with administrators, community stakeholders, and policy makers to advocate for ground-up strategies for healthy schools - not fortresses.

The Intergenerational Reflections technique was developed to bring together the voices of connected stakeholders of different ages and positions--in this case, students and teachers--to create recommendations that build on both groups' perspectives. This article describes its use and results as piloted in the "Time to Teach about Gender-Based Violence in Canada" project. The project gathered 11 teacher participants in a participatory workshop to mobilize teachers' reflections on student-produced cellphilms responding to the prompt: "What do you want your teachers to know when teaching about gender-based violence?" Framed using hooks' engaged pedagogy, analysis describes teachers' identification of potential pedagogical adaptations responding to student recommendations, demonstrating Intergenerational Reflections' value in getting teachers to actively listen to student messages in educational research and practice. Results identify the need to involve other educational stakeholders in Intergenerational Reflections, particularly in addressing a lack of multi-level institutional support to enhance pedagogy about gender-based violence.

Violence occurring in South African schools takes various forms and is a concern for all stakeholders. All forms of violence have negative effects, i.e. physical and psychological, educational damage and societal breakdown. The overall aim of the study reported on here was to explore the nature, causes and consequences of school violence, and then to design an effective intervention strategy to reduce it. In this study we used action research methodology in which stakeholders were empowered to interrupt the occurrence of violence, stop the spread of violence and change group/community norms regarding violence. This strategy of violence reduction was tested at 1 school in Umlazi, in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa, in 4 stages: initial data collection, formation of an action team, design and implementation of a strategy, and evaluation of its efficacy. The action team was composed of teachers, community members, parents and learners who developed a strategy entitled, We Care (WC). Initial from both schools data showed that schools were unsafe, with school violence caused by substance abuse, theft, vandalism, physical violence, religious discrimination, sexual violence, cyber bullying, gender-based violence and gambling. WC clustered abnormal behaviour patterns demonstrated by learners into categories: violent cases and behavioural indicators of physical, sexual, alcohol and drug abuse. WC assisted high risk learners who had decided to act non-violently, help victims and assist parents and community members who perpetrated violence. A preliminary evaluation was conducted 1 year later and WC reported that they had developed capacity to assist with these categories of violence, leading to a reduction in violent behaviour at the school.

The literature reports high levels of occupational stress for teachers, exacerbated by heavy loads of emotional labour in the classroom. We know less, however, about teacher mental health concerns as they relate to leaves of absences and returns to work, and the role gender may play related to leaves of absences and returns to work. Our pilot study aimed to address these gaps using a survey (n= 67) and follow up interviews (n = 8). We found that the stress teachers experienced at school often results from lack of support from administration, increased workload, lack of resources, violence, and isolation, which then impacts home lives. Over a quarter of teachers surveyed have taken a leave of absence from work, with the majority being women. Female teachers often used sick days to care for ill children. Stigma surrounding teacher mental health and leaves of absence were both perceived as prevalent within the profession.

The 2020 Texas Educators' Needs Assessment Regarding School Safety and Victims Services included responses from educators across the state of Texas regarding school safety. This needs assessment generated data that provided researchers with the unique opportunity to analyze the school safety issues in Texas (Fuller et al, 2020). The purpose of the study was to evaluate Texas K-12 educators responses to their school's preparedness for an active attack or shooter using data from that needs assessment. To build a strong analysis, the results were separated into three categories: educator role; Texas school regions; and urbanicity. Pearson chi square statistical analysis was used to create an understanding of the data. The results of this analysis revealed a trend that a majority of K-12 educators felt prepared for an active attack or shooter.