By — Leah Clapman Leah Clapman Leave a comment 0comments Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/education/new-safe-stories-frontlines-school-safety Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter The New Safe: Stories from the frontlines of school safety Education Apr 7, 2015 6:29 PM EDT What does it mean to feel safe and be safe at school? This month marks the anniversaries of the tragedies at Columbine and Virginia Tech. And while the continuous news cycle can make school shootings seem like an epidemic, below the surface, school communities are changing and rethinking ways to protect students. PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs and the Student Television Network asked scholastic broadcast journalism programs across the United States to tell their own stories. The students investigated how social media threats affect school culture, the shifting roles of armed guards, metal detectors and new entry procedures, how administrators are using technology as a safety tool, and evolving ideas about safe spaces in architecture, including the new design for Sandy Hook elementary school. Finding a balance between school security and a comfortable learning environment is a challenge many schools face. Stay tuned as more youth reporters file stories from around the country and continue the conversation at #thenewsafe. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now By — Leah Clapman Leah Clapman Leah Clapman is Executive Director, PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs (SRL) and Education. She created SRL in 2009 as an experiment to engage middle and high school students with current events and the public media mission to educate and inform. The program has engaged over 35,000 students and won numerous awards including the 2022 Edward R Murrow for the "On Our Minds" youth mental health podcast. Leah manages partnerships with local stations, national and international organizations to bring diverse youth voices into newsrooms, events and digital content innovation initiatives. @lclap
What does it mean to feel safe and be safe at school? This month marks the anniversaries of the tragedies at Columbine and Virginia Tech. And while the continuous news cycle can make school shootings seem like an epidemic, below the surface, school communities are changing and rethinking ways to protect students. PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs and the Student Television Network asked scholastic broadcast journalism programs across the United States to tell their own stories. The students investigated how social media threats affect school culture, the shifting roles of armed guards, metal detectors and new entry procedures, how administrators are using technology as a safety tool, and evolving ideas about safe spaces in architecture, including the new design for Sandy Hook elementary school. Finding a balance between school security and a comfortable learning environment is a challenge many schools face. Stay tuned as more youth reporters file stories from around the country and continue the conversation at #thenewsafe. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now