The Impact of School Fencing on Public Health and the Community 12 June 2009 [Originally written by Rory Berry]
Protecting children is a fundamental goal of society and one critical to the wellbeing of the community. However, the actual methods of protection are not immediately obvious and can be controversial. While many people feel that installing fences around schools can greatly enhance safety, this concept has not been thoroughly examined. In fact, school fences may be detrimental to overall health when all elements are taken into account. Hence it is worth examining the effects of fencing on protecting students from outside danger, preventing truancy, traffic around the schools, and interaction with the community. Protecting students from danger is primary justification given for the erection of fences around schools. Keeping young children safe from predators and keeping older children safe from violent crime are valid reasons and hard to disregard. Even when a student is not a victim, the threat of violence or an unsafe environment can have damaging effects on learning and socialization (Scheckner et al. 2002). Thus, it seems almost immediately intuitive that it would be a
good idea to put up a fence around a school to keep out the undesirables. In citing last year‟s decision to add fences to all the county‟s schools, Tom Tull, an administrator for Putnam County schools in West Virginia said “We're just trying to take a proactive stance on keeping kids safe.”1 Accordingly, 41 percent of schools nationwide now have monitored or controlled gates (Dinkes, et al, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2009).
Yet, there is little statistical evidence to support the claim that fences alone reduce school crime. This is in part because fences are usually installed at the same time as closed-circuit television, ID cards, uniforms, or other similar security measures and it is difficult to tell which
1
From the Herald Dispatch (Huntington, WV). “Fencing Project Aims to Improve School Safety”, Cynthia Soto, August 8, 2008. Available at: http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/x214752992/Fencing-project-aims-to-improveschool-safety
measure reduces crime. Additionally, the majority of crimes committed in schools are perpetrated by students or other people who would already have access.2 Hence it has been very difficult to find any strong evidence of the efficacy of fences. It is noteworthy that the Center for Disease Control (CDC), in commentary on using environmental design to prevent school violence, does not mention using fences as a recommended method. The Center mentions “Access Management” as one of their five principles for reducing crime through design, but their example is “landscaping that reduces access to unsupervised locations on the school grounds.”3 The statement appears to give no indication that a fence would be a suitable improvement, and certainly does not elevate fences about the use of natural hedges or swales. Megan Glover, a teacher at Lansing Middle School in Lansing, Kansas, noted4 that her worries about the children‟s safety at her school would not be alleviated by the installation of a fence. Even the close proximity of the school to Leavenworth is less concerning to her than the fact that the school employs convicts on work release in landscaping and janitorial roles, roles that would allow them inside of a fence anyway. She feels that her school is entirely safe without the addition of a fence, and did not think adding a fence would improve safety. While the fence may be well intentioned, it does come with tangible costs. The installat