MARCH 2005
School Violence Prevention News Summaries
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UPCOMING CONFERENCES & CALL FOR PAPERS Persistently Safe Schools, the National Conference of the Hamilton Fish Institute HAMILTON FISH INSTITUTE NEWS Interested in conducting this study? Call or e-mail Lori McGee at (202) 496-8346 or Ruth Marshall at (202) 496-8487. New publications available from HFI The Hamilton Fish Institute is also pleased to announce it has posted its primer: The 411 on Bullying. The 40-page primer is available as a PDF download from the HFI Web site and provides an overview of the problem of bullying, as well as current research updates and many resources for parents, teachers and students. NEWS SUMMARIES FOR MARCH 2005 KUDOS Eight students from Suncoast Community High School in Riviera Beach have formed a group called Alter8tion and recorded a CD called "Stop the Violence," an album speaking out against gun violence. They challenged radio stations and schools across the country to unite against gun violence by playing the album's first track, "Touch Your Mind," at noon on March 15. At least 60 stations nationwide agreed to do so. Aldric Marshall, a behavior specialist at Suncoast High, produced the album for the students, paying $7,000 of his own money, he said. Marshall ordered 1,000 CDs, 600 of which he gave away or sent to radio stations. Students at the school are embracing Alter8tion's message, Marshall said. Some are clamoring to get their own lyrics included in a future song, or to help the group produce another music video. Others are asking how they can join Suncoast's Safe Schools Ambassadors, the peer mediation group that Marshall oversees. (Article no longer available online. Please contact Allison Seale at aseale@hamfish.org for more information.)
Ending Violence, Reducing Greed, Ending Poverty and Prejudice are Student Goals Expressed in Essay Contest Sponsored by Holt in Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Winners were announced this week for textbook publisher Holt, Rinehart and Winston's second annual "I Also Have a Dream" essay contest. This year's essay contest asked California social studies students in grades six to eight to study Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous speech and then share their dream for a better society. Students wrote about an aspect of their school, neighborhood, city, or world that they believe needs reform. The contest also included a category for English Language Learners. High schoolers battle bullying The Student Empowerment group, from Roaring Fork High School, produced a presentation on cliques and bullying called “Subconscious Actions with Unknown Reactions.” The group performed two skits typical of bullying at Roaring Fork. In one, a girl approached two others, was called sexually derogatory names and insulted about her clothes. In another, a group of guys, all friends, call each other “fags” and tease one boy in particular for not knowing the outcome of a Nuggets game. Student Empowerment hoped to show that even names and insults can be harmful. Their hope is to “just get (students) to think about the words they use before they use them,” said Matt Riley. POLICY ISSUES Critics say South Carolina public schools' zero tolerance policies for students who break rules could be making the state's poor high school graduation rate worse. In most cases, students are expelled automatically when they break rules banning alcohol, drugs and weapons from school grounds. Violent behavior and a history of insubordination also can be grounds for banishment. Parents can appeal expulsions to the school board, and expelled students are usually allowed to attend alternative schools in the district. But some educators, attorneys and parents say it's time to rethink punishment that could be driving some students out of the system. Columbia attorney Jay Elliott said too many innocent children are being forced out of school or are being punished unfairly for inadvertent infractions. Are schools arresting youth needlessly? Advancement Project, a national racial justice organization, released its second report last week examining the over use of zero-tolerance school discipline policies and the growing reliance on police and juvenile courts as disciplinarians-Education on Lockdown: The Schoolhouse to Jailhouse Track. According to the report, school districts across the U.S. have teamed up with law enforcement to create this "schoolhouse to jailhouse track" by imposing a "double dose" of punishment - suspensions or expulsions and a trip to the juvenile court - for misconduct that often does not threaten school safety. Why tolerance is fading for zero tolerance More than a dozen bills that try to bring a less rigid approach to school discipline have been introduced in the Texas legislature this session, including one that requires school officials to consider a student's intent. The bill is currently moving through the House of Representatives. "We have seen a number of states toy with the idea of scaling back or trying to make the process of school discipline more rational," says Bob Schwartz, executive director of the Juvenile Law Center in Philadelphia. "But Texas is ahead of the curve at this point." Indiana, Mississippi, and Pennsylvania are also weighing the issue at the legislative level this year, with the introduction of several bills aimed at softening strict school-discipline policies.
Technology Many school districts are turning to global-positioning-satellite and radio-frequency tracking systems to follow the movements of their buses. But while the systems have strong boosters, the potential abuses of such technologies—especially when they are used to monitor individual students—are raising serious concerns. Schools in as many as 35 states are outfitting their bus fleets with GPS and radio-frequency identification devices in order to construct better busing routes, track where and when students enter and exit buses, and respond more quickly to accidents and breakdowns. A 7th grader from Brittan Elementary School in Sutter, Calif., poses in her home, wearing the radio-frequency identification tag that the school had required students to use in January. Last month, however, parent objections to the tags led the manufacturer of the technology to pull the pilot identification program from the school. Education department tracks growth in distance learning Students in one-third of the nation’s public school districts took distance education courses in the 2002-03 school year, illustrating such classes’ growing popularity, says a report released last week by the National Center for Education Statistics. The report—which the NCES says is the federal government’s first-ever survey of distance learning in K-12 schools—found thousands of students enrolled in courses that are conducted via the Internet or through video- or audio-conferencing, with the teacher and student in separate places. Nearly one of every 10 public schools in the country had students enrolled in such courses, the survey found. Schools surveyed reported that they usually choose to offer courses online because they are otherwise not available to students at school, citing such examples as Advanced Placement courses. The report also notes that the availability of distance education courses allows students to reduce scheduling conflicts they might have with other courses or school activities. Cyber bullying growing Cyber bullying, when kids pick on other kids on the Internet, is a very real phenomenon. A recent study found more than 40 percent of students claim to have been bullied online. While cyber-bullying is increasing exponentially, so are efforts to stem the problem. Ron Anderson is the vice president of Connect With Kids, one of a number of organizations working with schools, parents and kids to prevent online harassment. (Article no longer available online. Please contact Allison Seale at aseale@hamfish.org for more information.) School Security Police officers are usually first on the scene of an emergency, but they typically feel helpless in a medical situation. Two LaFayette police officers decided to change that dilemma. Officers Stacey Meeks and Jason Steadman have undergone cross-training in medical skills. The two officers completed their national certification for emergency medical technician training more than two weeks ago. They are the only LaFayette police officers with EMT certification and may also be in an elite group of cross-trained school resource officers nationwide. Schools Rely on People to Prevent Violence News of a school shooting in Northern Minnesota begs the question, what can schools do to prevent the violence? Police say a Minnesota teen killed himself after taking the lives of several people at a local high school. "There's 110 doors onto this building. Kids are very welcoming," principal Jerry Movrich says. But greeting a visitor to Stoughton High School serves a dual purpose. "If they see a stranger or a person they don't know, they're supposed to confront them and ask them what they're doing," safety coordinator Dennis Barkenhagen says. Because a school's best safety plan is its people. Movrich says, "In a school here of almost 1,200 students, we're constantly assessing how can we personalize the environment to break it down into smaller units. So if a student is having a problem, our support people can deal with that effectively." That philosophy makes communication key to preventing violence. Shootings spur school building design changes With the push of a button, Clackamas High School staff can put the almost 2,000-student school in lockdown. Teachers also can lock themselves and students inside classrooms in an emergency. Clear lines of sight throughout the building allow monitoring of large swaths of interior space. The North Clackamas School District designed the school from the ground up to help administrators maintain control, said Dave Church, director of the physical plant department of the high school, which opened in 2002. High-profile shootings during the past decade have prompted fundamental changes in school architecture. Schools in the area and nationally are being built or retrofitted with a greater emphasis on student safety, using design and technology to help avert tragedies. (Article no longer available online. Please contact Allison Seale at aseale@hamfish.org for more information.) School resource officers try to help students, ensure safety Tiffany Maner patrols the hallways of Culbreth Middle School dressed in a black fatigue-like uniform armed with a gun, baton, police radio and handcuffs. There's no doubt in anyone's mind she's a police officer. But odds are she'll spend her time talking with students about their problems rather than enforcing the law. Maner is one of five school resource officers who work at the two high schools and three middle schools of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools. (Article no longer available online. Please contact Allison Seale at aseale@hamfish.org for more information.) Dogs could be part of school security Dogs could be called in to tighten school security, Clayton County schools Superintendent Barbara Pulliam announced as one option under consideration in response to a series of recent school safety concerns. Three Forest Park High School students were arrested after a math teacher was beaten at school last week, and two students were arrested when a gun was found at Jonesboro High School a week earlier, capping a string of school violence. A dog specifically trained to detect guns and bombs could cost from $8,000 to $12,000 for a dog with no experience, said Clayton County Police Det. Pete Thompson, the department's senior K-9 handler and training coordinator. School shooting preparedness plan in place School shootings, like the one that occurred in Red Lake, MN, have led to the development of a school shooting response plan for county emergency units. The plan, produced in cooperation with the county school district, includes photos of the county’s primary, elementary, middle and high schools, all in close proximity on the Marion Road campus. Aerial photos of the school complex were provided by AirEvac, and ground photos documenting each entrance to each school were supplied by the Times Leader, the sheriff said. Having those entrances identified will make it easier for law officers and emergency personnel to coordinate their response efforts. The plan utilizes the QUAD (Quick Action Deployment) concept, developed by Columbus, Ohio, officers after the Columbine High shootings in April 1999. The philosophy is simple: stopping a shooter as quickly as possible to minimize other loss of life.
RESEARCH NEWS The first scientific study of peer support programs has found they are reducing the amount of bullying in schools. The research from the University of Western Sydney has also found almost three quarters of students made new friends during the program. Col Harrison from the Peer Support Foundation says the study has confirmed what a lot of anecdotal evidence has been saying for years. Violence at home breeds bullying Children who receive harsh and erratic discipline at home are more likely to be violent at school and bully others in the playground. The largest survey yet on school violence found that parents who applied rules only when it suited them or encouraged violence were most likely to produce problem children. The new Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research study contradicts the assumption that the causes of school violence lie within the educational environment. The survey of 2616 students, including in-depth interviews with 41 students involved in school violence, also found that poorly supervised boys from sole-parent families, or whose mothers were under 35, were more likely to attack someone at school. (Article no longer available online. Please contact Allison Seale at aseale@hamfish.org for more information.) Study looks at school bullying California researchers have conducted the first study that looks at middle-school bullying and students' emotional reactions to being targets and witnesses. A team from the University of California-Los Angeles found that almost half of sixth-graders in city schools reported that they had been targets of harassment, with the most common forms being called names and physical attacks like kicking and shoving. The researchers questioned two groups of 97 students each on randomly chosen days during a two-week period. They asked the students about their current mood and about recent incidents of harassment. The study, published in the March/April 2005 issue of the journal Child Development, found that the most common types of harassment were public insults (e.g., name calling) and physical aggression (e.g., kicking, shoving). TOPICS Johnson Elementary School may soon have a new weapon against bullying: a box where students can discreetly drop anonymous complaints. Anonymity would protect kids from being seen as tattletales, students say. A committee of parents and staff at Johnson has proposed the “bully box” for the next school year. It's another in a slew of tactics schools are using to combat the problem of kids picking on kids. Kids Lose Recess to Address Bullying at a Layton Elementary School Second graders at Vae View Elementary school in Layton kids got their recess privilege taken away for a few days. Instead of recess they're spending their time learning to be kind and show respect. The reason? Bullying on the playground has gone too far. State may charge boys accused of bullying student A Volusia County middle school student says bullying at his school is out of control and he's a victim. The State Attorney's Office is now considering formal charges against three teenagers accused of bullying the boy. The victim and the accused are all 8th graders at Galaxy Middle School in Deltona. Those accused of acting like bullies could soon face simple battery charges for what Eli Jernigan says they did to him. The Department of Juvenile Justice already recommended the state attorney move forward with charges against one child. The case of the other two children accused of simple battery is still being analyzed. "If I do defend myself, I get in trouble. If not, I get bullied. I'm in a hard position I can't get out of," Jernigan said.
Gangs Principal John Scozzaro has seen older students amble across Passaic Avenue to Lincoln Middle School with the intention of recruiting new gang members. Intervention in the form of school resource officer Diane Ortiz is Scozzaro's only hope to keep at-risk teenagers from courting younger peers. "I've seen the difference the resource officers make," he said. "They're here every day." The proposed federal budget suggests a policy shift away from intervention and toward prosecution of gang crimes. Yet those who work with at-risk youth say they have never seen adequate focus or funding directed toward intervention to prevent youth from joining gangs in the first place. Officials target gangs in schools In the wake of rioting between Asian and Hispanic students at Woodrow Wilson High School, district leaders and officials from the city, state and federal government began to map a strategy for quelling gang activity. Gang activity has been reported in at least two district middle schools, as well as at Woodrow Wilson and Camden high schools, board member Luis Lopez said. "It appears to be spreading," Lopez said, adding that black, Hispanic and Asian gangs have surfaced in the district. Police said one of 19 people arrested after melees in Woodrow Wilson High School last week was an adult who had no business in the building and that weapons including a baseball bat and brass knuckles were used. (Article no longer available online. Please contact Allison Seale at aseale@hamfish.org for more information.) Seventh-graders off to a G.R.E.A.T. start Patrolman Rodger Blades introduced the Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) program to seventh-graders at Ocean Springs Middle School (OSMS). He will present the program again today to students of teacher Maryann Oberhofer, who along with the students of instructor Meredith Blades will participate in the 13-week intervention designed to help them handle such problems as bullying and peer pressure. OSMS will serve as the pilot for G.R.E.A.T. About 76 students are expected to participate this spring. Assistant Superintendent Mark Peresich said that if the program goes well it would include all seventh-graders next school year. He said G.R.E.A.T. is a partnership between the district and police, and funded through a grant from Safe and Drug-free Schools, or Title IV. It has been in Harrison County for 10 years. Paramount to share gang success For years, the success of the city's most innovative anti-gang program, Gang Resistance is Paramount, or GRIP, has stayed mainly within the town's borders. But next month, GRIP will be shared with a national law enforcement audience. Paramount is one of four cities chosen to participate in a panel at the National Executive Session on Gangs, which gathers law enforcement officials to share effective methods for curbing gang violence. Implementation of the 22-year-old program which shows schoolchildren as young as second-graders the fatal consequences of gang involvement has contributed to a 43 percent drop in Part I crimes (which include murder, rape, burglary and robbery), a decrease from six major gangs to three and a decline in the city's general gang population by almost half, said Vince Torres of the city of Paramount. The front line against youth recruitment: parents and schools The Police Department plays a key role in fighting gang violence, but the first lines of defense to combat gang recruitment are parents, schools and community groups. "If the parents aren’t involved, then it becomes extremely difficult to crack this nut," said Lt. Daniel Racine, commander of the Community Policing Division. The Bristol County Sheriff’s Department is also actively working in the schools on various different programs aimed at curbing gang recruitment rates in the area. "Prevention and education are a key component to dealing with this problem," said Sheriff, Thomas M. Hodgson. "We have a number of different anti-gang programs in the school and offer talks to prevent future recruitment, in addition to our bullying programs."
School Bus Safety Approximately 24 million students ride school buses every day in this country. A number of private and nonprofit groups believe they've found a way to help make their trips safer. At least one school bus in Baltimore is equipped with surveillance cameras and plenty of high-tech equipment. The bus is part of a new national project that combines technology with homeland security efforts. "The unit that we have is a digital video recorder that records video up to two or three weeks and -- wirelessly, remotely using a Nextel server -- we can connect any point at any time using the Internet," said Amin Ansari, a technology officer for Securtex Digital. Mind your manners even on bus A district-issued report shows that bad behavior on school buses is the most common discipline problem among elementary students. Bad bus behavior, especially not staying seated, plagues middle school students, too, making up nearly 13 percent of 9,467 student referrals to the principal’s office in the first semester. Middle schools’ biggest discipline problem is disobedience; high schools grapple with a truancy rate that is four times the state average. The discipline report shows an expulsion rate that by the end of the first semester was nearly twice that of the 2003-04 school year and a high number of repeat offenders — backing up Superintendent Dennis Thompson’s call for an alternative school for problem students.
SCHOOL VIOLENCE A 14-year-old student who had reportedly been turned in by his school bus driver for using smokeless tobacco was charged with fatally shooting her on March 2 as she stopped to pick him up on her route. Joyce Gregory was shot and killed, but none of the 24 students on the bus, ranging from kindergarten to the 12th grade, were hurt. Teen arrested in New Orleans school shooting A 15-year-old teen was arrested in connection with a shooting at a high school that left one student wounded in the leg. The unidentified youth was booked with aggravated battery and with shooting a gun in a school zone, police said. The shooting took place on March 17 at O. Perry Walker High School. Police said the shooting resulted from an ongoing dispute among students. (Article no longer available online. Please contact Allison Seale at aseale@hamfish.org for more information.) Details of Minnesota School Shooting Emerge A teenage gunman who shot and killed five fellow students, a security guard, and a teacher in rural Minnesota was armed with three guns and multiple rounds of ammunition and was wearing a bullet-proof vest owned by his grandfather, a police officer, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said March 22. To learn more about this tragedy, visit:
To learn more about special resources available for preventing and responding to school crises, violence, suicide, visit the following links on the Hamilton Fish Institute Web site: Student dies after South LA school shooting A 15-year-old girl who was shot in the head outside a South Los Angeles high school on March clung to life for a week before dying of her injuries. Authorities said the student was hit by a stray bullet in a gang-related attack about 50 steps from the entrance of Locke High School after classes ended. INTERNATIONAL SCENE Teachers in a northern Quebec community are refusing to go back to school following a shooting in a classroom. Last Friday, a student shot his French teacher before turning the gun on himself as the whole class watched. The 18-year-old shooter was expelled from school three weeks ago. Ex-cops to fight school violence The government plans to use retired policemen to patrol schools in Busan, the country's major port and second largest city, in a pilot program aimed at tackling school violence nationwide. The school police program will be introduced from May in Busan for three months and will be gradually extended to other areas after evaluations on its effectiveness, education officials said. According to the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency, one out of five students in the area suffered because of unruly students - compared to a nationwide average of five percent. Former police officers - possibly two in each school - will be placed at 10 schools in Busan, patrolling the area, counseling and guiding disruptive students, according to the plan. (Article no longer available online. Please contact Allison Seale at aseale@hamfish.org for more information.) Anti bullying plan to focus on mobiles Students will soon need a permission slip from their parents to bring mobile phones to school as part of a crackdown on cyber bullying in public schools. Fears that mobile phone text messages were being used to intimidate students have prompted NSW Premier Bob Carr to today announce an anti-bullying plan in schools. Delays make bullying worse Students have pleaded with teachers not to delay acting on reports of bullying because of the risk of problems spiraling out of control. Year 11 State Student Representative Council member Alison O'Dwyer urged teachers to take action when approached by students with concerns – or the consequences could be serious. She told The Daily Telegraph's Speak Up Day anti-bullying forum that student problems could get out of hand if not promptly addressed. The forum, chaired by University of Technology Dean of Education Shirley Alexander and attended by more than 50 leading educators, academics and welfare chiefs, examined a range of methods used to handle bullying incidents in schools. (Article no longer available online. Please contact Allison Seale at aseale@hamfish.org for more information.) One in three teacher absences due to stress The Association of Secondary Teachers has said stress is the main occupational hazard for its members and accounts for one-third of all teacher absences in Irish secondary schools. The association said a survey it conducted in 270 schools found indiscipline, overcrowding and inadequate health and safety procedures were creating huge problems for teachers. The survey found just one-in-10 schools had written policies on sexual harassment and bullying of staff. It also found that one-in-five had no safety statement in place and 80 percent of teachers had received no training or advice on stress management in the past year. (Article appears in its entirety.) |
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The Hamilton Fish Institute on School and Community Violence provides information, research, and support to make schools safer for high achievement.
You are receiving this communication either because you participated in a past conference or you have signed up to keep informed of news and information from the Hamilton Fish Institute. The Hamilton Fish Institute Monthly 411 is a monthly news service. The Institute, The George Washington University, and the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention do not endorse the programs or materials that appeared in the original stories and that are referenced herein. This information is provided for educational purposes only.
Page Updated: April 26, 2005
