Safe Schools: A Guide For Action

One of those very nicely filmed but ultimately confusing philanthropic videos, Safe Schools features actor Pat Morita raising the very real and pressing problems of crime, drugs, gangs, and prejudice in our schools and then promptly forgetting about all of these topics. In stead, the program argues for promoting multiculturalism (not necessarily a bad thing; just a little wide of the topic here though) and the importance of having a well-balanced diversified staff that can "interface" with the community. This is followed by segments on the importance of having a clean school environment, a healthy social environment (get kids involved with lots of committees), and a healthy cultural environment (which, for some reason, means recognizing and rewarding students, and having a clear school policy). Produced by the California Attorney General's Office, Safe Schools has all the depth of a public service announcement, and doesn't really address the issue it's meant to. In fact, viewers will get the distinct impression that a) our school safety problems are minimal and b) easy to fix. Not recommended. (See HOW TO REPAIR YOUR CREDIT for availability.)