LANSING- During school safety week 735 students at Ojibwa Elementary School in Macomb took the initiative and signed the pledge.

“We already promote D.A.R.E,” said Principal John Rose.

The school’s liaison officer in charge of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program (D.A.R.E.) explained the importance of safety to grades 1-3, he said.

Ojibwa held assemblies on home safety and discussed overall safety in its morning announcements.

Representatives from the Children’s Hospital and St Joseph's Mercy Hospital in Clinton Township also came to the school and promoted home safety.

Rose said the safety pledge is voluntary. But most kids in the school like seeing their work hung up, so he posted the signatures on a bulletin board in the hall.

There are two safety pledges, one for elementary schools and the other for middle and high schools.

The elementary school pledge states that students will treat each other with respect, will not bully, tease or hurt anyone and will inform an adult if any bullying occurs.

The middle and high schools’ pledge states that students have the right to a safe environment, that intimidation, bullying or violence is unacceptable and that no weapons will be brought to school.

At Alpena’s Thunder Bay Junior High School, 750 students signed the pledge. “We had a very good turn out,” said Alpena County Deputy Sheriff Erik Smith. That’s more than 90 percent of the school.

Thunder Bay aimed its safety program toward anti-bullying, Smith said. For example, students were taught what to do if someone is harassing, threatening or verbally abusive toward them.

In the future, Smith said he will continue to educate students throughout the year to make sure they are kept informed.

By his presence and talking to them, he said, students will be aware of school safety.

Sgt. Trudy Rampy of the prevention services section of the State Police said officers were sent to all participating schools.

They talked about prevention of violence in school, and provided lessons plans on how to deal with violence so teachers can enhance the safety plan.

“There are four lesson plans,” Rampy said, “ranging from K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12.” Each includes a different method and amount of education on the importance of nonviolence and safety necessary for each grade level.

In addition to the lesson plans, teachers receive an anti-bullying policy and resources to research methods on how to prevent bullying.

“The program was successful and the responses were positive,” Rampy said, and the children became aware that violence in schools needed to stop.

Statewide, 77,000 students from 136 schools participated in School Safety Week, Nov. 4 to Nov. 10.