BACKGROUND Approximately

two-thirds of all deaths among children and adolescents aged five to 19 years result from injury-related causes: motor vehicle occupants and pedestrians (32%), all other unintentional injuries (14%), homicide (13%), and suicide (10%) (CDC, 2000). Between 10 % and 25 % of child and adolescent injuries occur on school property (Passamore et al., 1989; Rivara et al., 1989; Scheidt et al., 1995; Danseco et al., 2000). Schools have a respon-sibility to prevent injuries from occurring on school property and at school-sponsored events. In addition, schools can teach stu-dents the skills needed to promote safety and prevent unintentional injuries, vio-lence, and suicide while at home, at work, at play, and in the community, and through-out their lives. These guidelines are designed to be part of a coordinated school health program, which is “an integrated set of planned, sequential, and school-affiliated strategies, activities, and services designed to promote the optimal physical, emotional, social, and educational development of students. A coordinated school health program involves and is supportive of fami-lies and is determined by the local commu-nity based on community needs, resources