Recently in many Canadian schools, escalated violence presents an evident threat. Rates of severe youth violence are considerably lower than sensational media coverage would have people believe, but at the same time, many young people, as well as adults, do not feel safe, respected, or constructively engaged as they should be. While schools cannot independently resolve the major social problems that are embedded in communities, they can do their part by functioning as safer havens that contribute to resolution, learning, and transformation. Sustainably peaceful schools create continual opportunities to learn nonviolent problem solving, through both individual learning (explicit lessons) and institutionalized patterns of activity (implicit lessons), in order to prevent the next tragedy long before it starts. This article discusses the preventative, restorative, and educative approaches to preventing escalation of school violence. (Contains 10 notes.)