This week's safe schools snippets

Suspect in Columbine anniversary bomb scare arrested

The man suspected of placing a failed explosive device inside a Jefferson County mall last week will make his first appearance in federal court tomorrow afternoon.

Earl Albert Moore, 65, was arrested this morning in Boulder after someone spotted him drinking coffee at Starbucks inside a King Soopers, sources said. Read more in the Denver Post.

Fight between Denver middle school students caught on tape

DENVER – Administrators at one of the city’s at-risk middle schools were handed a new challenge Monday. A 55-second video posted on YouTube shows what appears to be Lake Middle School students engaged in a violent fight near campus. The video was posted on Jan. 20, 2011 and had been viewed 686 times as of Monday night. Watch this report on 9NEWS.

Jeffco band teacher arrested in attempted unlawful sexual contact case

JEFFERSON COUNTY –  Investigators in Jefferson County arrested a high school band teacher on Friday. Matthew James Taylor, 39, was arrested for suspicion of attempted unlawful sexual contact case. Watch the CBS4 report.

Substitute teacher, day care worker arrested in child sex assaults

LITTLETON – A substitute teacher for Denver Public Schools and the Jefferson County School District has been arrested, accused of sexual assault on children at a day care in Littleton, where he is the lead teacher. Check out the 7News report.

E-470 grant boosts local safe-driving workshops for teens

Aurora – A local hospital program designed train teens to be safer drivers and passengers will receive $2,500 in grants from the E-470 Transportation Safety Foundation. Learn more in the Aurora Sentinel.

The Children’s Hospital “Countdown2Drive” workshops are designed to reduce risks for 13- and 14-year-olds riding in cars with other teens and to prepare them to be safe drivers after they earn their licenses. The E-470 Transportation Safety Foundation recently awarded one of four, $2,500 grants to the Aurora-based initiative.

Teachers get bullied, too, UK study says

Children who are bullied are often told to confide in a teacher or parent. But what’s a teacher to do when he’s the one being bullied? A new teacher’s union survey has found one in four teachers in the U.K. have been the targets of bullying by students, parents or colleagues, the Daily Mail reports. And senior staff are the worst offenders. Read more in the Globe and Mail.

Suicide risk jumps for gay teens in “unsupportive” counties

Being young and gay can be deadly, especially if you are raised in the wrong place. That’s the conclusion of a new study out of Columbia University which found self-identified gay, lesbian and bisexual teens were five times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual counterparts. Read more at CBS News Healthwatch.

Girls’ behavior ‘deteriorating’ in schools

Girls’ behaviour in the classroom seems to be deteriorating as much as their male classmates, a British survey of teaching staff suggests. Makes you wonder if it’s happening in the U.S. Read more in BBC News.

Surveying school safety, 12 years after Columbine

GRAND JUNCTION – It’s been twelve years to the day since the shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. Twelve students and a teacher were shot and killed by two very disturbed teenagers, who stormed the school with guns. Watch this KKCO 11News report.

Police look at how Houston kindergartner got gun

Police are trying to determine how a Houston kindergartener got a loaded gun that he brought to an elementary school, where officials say it accidentally fired when it fell from his pocket as he sat down for lunch, wounding himself and two other students. Read more in the Associated Press.

Teen Tragedy: 14-year-old girls carry out apparent suicide pact

Following a sleepover, two 14-year-old friends were found hanged last weekend. The families were left puzzling over cryptic notes and Facebook posts, trying to figure out if they had missed the signals — and if bullying was the catalyst. Read this TIME magazine piece.

School bullying linked to family violence, study finds

While bullies and their victims traffic in threats, taunts and fights in the schoolyard, a report on Thursday showed those on both sides are also more likely to live with violence at home. Read more in the Huffington Post.

School safety expert discusses Columbine and crisis communications

Denver – Colorado State Senator Steve King announced the forthcoming free release of a presentation by international school safety expert Michael Dorn on lessons learned from Columbine and other school tragedies.Read more.

School bus safety company releases training module on bullying prevention

CLEVELAND – The School Bus Safety Company (SBSC) announced today that the company has completed the development of a completely new course – “Bullying Prevention on the School Bus.” Bullying Prevention on the School Bus is the first-ever professionally-developed curriculum created specifically to address the challenges school bus drivers face. Read more in School Transportation News.

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