Safety makes sense: a program to prevent unintentional injuries in New York City public schools

Estimates suggesting that 10% to 25% of unintentional injuries to school-aged children occur in and around American schools are alarming. Information from the National Health Information Survey indicates as many as 3.7 million children are injured in schools annually. To address these concerns, The New York Academy of Medicine and the Board of Education of the City of New York in 1998 launched Safety Makes Sense, a multidimensional school-based, injury prevention initiative. The Safety Makes Sense program integrates unintentional injury prevention into comprehensive school health education in elementary and middle school classrooms and is implemented by interdisciplinary teams within a coordinated school health program. The multifaceted program also integrates safety and music education, and includes development of a handbook for teachers and staff, student booklets, staff development training workshops, and evaluation.