Principals and school administrators sometimes have a thankless job. For one thing, they have to balance their responsibilities to their students, teachers, non-teaching employees and parents as well. On top of that, they have to answer to the school superintendent and school board. Just a small example of their responsibilities include:

a. Make sure students are safe
b. Be understanding and/or tolerant towards the different home situations that students may have which can inform their behavior in school
c. Help develop action plans with teachers regarding student’s behavior
d. Make sure that school grounds are clean and secure

There are many other responsibilities, but looking at the above examples, one will realize that to be a principal, one has to do a very delicate juggling act regarding how to manage the concerns of the students, the teachers, employees and parents. No matter how diverse the responsibilities of a principal or administrator, the one area that he or she can do without much resistance from everyone is in the area of school security.

The need for a secure school environment cannot be understated. For all intents and purposes, a school serves as a child’s second home, so making sure that one is safe in them is very important.

The spate of campus violence notwithstanding, it is good to know that children are safer in schools than outside them. In fact, while still tragic, less than 1% of the 55.6 million students in the 2007 to 2008 school year were reported to have died from school violence.

Still, it never hurts to increase school safety especially if it is relatively affordable to do so, especially if it is your job to make sure of these things. One good and relatively inexpensive way of increasing school safety is to install the proper school signs in and around a campus.

There are many kinds of school signs on the market for a variety of safety issues. Signs that warn motorists of the presence of student crosswalks are an example of a sign that, when placed properly, can go a long way in helping to reduce the incidence of traffic accidents involving students. Because traffic accidents in school areas happen, making sure that motorists are properly warned of the presence of a student crosswalk is a necessity.

Another type of school sign is one that can help in controlling dangerous substances and items. An example of such a sign is those which warn individuals of policies towards carrying firearms and illegal drug possession. No parent wants to send his or her child to a school where there is a presence of firearms and illegal drugs. Signs warning individuals to cease and desist having these items on their person will also greatly help in creating a safer and more secure campus.

Typically, one must choose a school sign that’s made of aluminum as this material is rust free. This means many years of service for you and your campus. Also, when choosing a sign for your campus crosswalk, choose one that is MUTCD compliant. These MUTCD signs feature highly reflective surfaces making them more visible at night.

When making sure that school grounds are safe and secure, the proper school signs can certainly help a lot in creating such an environment. School signs inform individuals of everything from road dangers to the behavior expected of them. If you are a principal or school administrator, consider putting up a school sign in and around your campus. Everyone will appreciate the gesture.