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 March/April 2004 |
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IN THIS ISSUE:
The Hamilton Fish Institute on School and Community Violence provides information, research, and support to make schools safer for high achievement.
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Anniversaries of major events always tend to make us introspective. For those of us who work in the field of school violence prevention, we tend to mark time B.C. and A.C.-- Before Columbine and After Columbine. It was five years ago today that two students-- Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold-- went on a rampage, murdering 12 classmates and one teacher and wounding 23 others before killing themselves. Many changes have occurred in schools in the wake of Columbine. More schools are installing surveillance cameras to monitor hallways, metal detectors to prevent weapons-carrying by students in school and hiring school resource officers and other types of security personnel to greet students and try to prevent violence. But what, if anything, have we really learned in the aftermath of Columbine? In addition to selected articles published in March 2004 related to school violence, the following articles offer various perspectives on this tragic anniversary. Doubts and contradictions: Questions remain about tragedy, but the truth is slowly rising to the surface The scene unfolded on a crisp, clear morning 10 days after two teenagers went on a shooting rampage at Columbine High: a phalanx of microphones, a top sheriff's official, explanations and justifications. Columbine High Five Years Later A few weeks before the fifth anniversary of the Columbine High School shootings, Principal Frank DeAngelis settled into his office chair to reflect on how his school has changed over the past five years. Columbine: A Recurring Nightmare After an unprecedented five- year push to better secure the nation's schools, security experts and education officials agree on a disquieting answer to the question: Could Columbine happen again? Memory of Columbine still haunts schools Five years after the deadly Columbine school shootings in Littleton, Colo., its impact is still being felt across the nation. Schools have been transformed into high-security fortresses, complete with surveillance cameras, remote-controlled door locks, and some with armed police officers patrolling the hallways. Ready for Crisis It became harder to walk into a school and wander the hallways unnoticed after April 20, 1999. Doors closed and eyes were opened after two Columbine High School students shot and killed 12 students and a teacher in Littleton, Colo., on that day. Five years later, Central Illinois school officials say signs of the fallout from the massacre are apparent every day. Without high profile violence some fear school safety gets short shrift Ever since two teenagers walked into Columbine High School five years ago with guns, knives and bombs and killed 12 students and a teacher before killing themselves, schools across the nation have adopted violence prevention and response programs. They have also worked more closely with law enforcement - a relationship that came under scrutiny in the aftermath of the Columbine attack. Schools spending more on security Since the tragedy at Columbine High School, school officials and law enforcement agencies nationwide have been put to the task of ensuring that the tragedy of April 20, 1999, isn't repeated. In Oklahoma, 541 school districts spent about $11.5 million on security last year, up from $7.6 million in 1999. Columbine 5 Years Later: Hearbreak, Hope Sean Graves knows how he will observe Tuesday's fifth anniversary of the Columbine High massacre: He will rise early, head to the school before the crowds and find the spot where he fell after he was shot four times and paralyzed from the waist down.
The following articles appeared in publication or broadcasts during the month of March 2004, one of the most violent months in what has already shaped up to be a very violent year in our nation’s schools. In addition to some of the incidents reported, we’ve also included several articles that deal with various policy issues which may be of interest to school administrators, educators, parents, students, researchers and policymakers. Those chosen for this summary represent topics which visitors to the Hamilton Fish Institute Web site have indicated they would like more information. SCHOOL VIOLENCE NEWS
Two Students Wounded in Alleged Drive-by Shooting A 16-year-old boy was shot in the back, and a 17-year-old girl was struck in the leg when a gunman opened fire on a group of 20 students gathered in front of a South Los Angeles charter school students. Police said the boy was the target of the shooting, which may have been gang-related. Student wounded in Fortuna shooting A high school student was shot twice in the legs Tuesday afternoon in a dispute between two teenagers. Police have one person in custody and the victim was treated at Redwood Memorial Hospital and released. Student shoots himself at school in Washington State A 13-year-old boy shot and killed himself in front of about 20 classmates in a small Olympic Peninsula town, sheriff's officers said. Clallam County Undersheriff Fred DeFrang told radio station KONP-AM that the boy arrived on campus at about 10 a.m., walked into a portable classroom and shot himself to death. (This article is no longer available online. For a copy of this article, e-mail aseale@hamfish.org ) Weapons Possessions & Incidents Averted Teens arrested for school violence plot Three 15-year-olds and one 14-year-old student were arrested for reportedly plotting an attack on a local high school that included the use of explosives. The arrests came as a result from a tip from another student. (This article is no longer available online. For a copy of this article, e-mail aseale@hamfish.org) Two Elementary School Students Had Weapons on Bus Two Greenfield (IN) kindergarteners were caught with weapons on their school buses. Both students attend J. B. Stephens Elementary School. One six-year-old kindergartener brought an unloaded gun to school on March 4. On March 1, another kindergartener took what officials described as "a large knife" on the Greenfield school bus. According to the WISH-TV report, at least two children told police the boy threatened to kill them. (This article is no longer available online. For a copy of this article, e-mail aseale@hamfish.org) Girl accused of taking gun to school A 15-year-old Anne Arundel County girl was charged with weapons violations this week for allegedly taking a .22-caliber handgun to Southern High School, the Baltimore Sun reported. Witnesses also said the teenager, who has been removed from the school, showed them a list of seven students she intended to harm. One student also reported seeing three bullets in the girl's purse. (This article is no longer available online. For a copy of this article, e-mail aseale@hamfish.org) Nine year old boy brings gun to school Officers were called after teachers at Audubon Elementary School found a .25-caliber handgun in a 9-year-old boy's school bag. According to the story, the boy claimed he needed the gun for protection. Gun Found in student locker A fellow student at International Studies Academy spied the 9mm handgun sitting in the 15-year-old's locker and alerted the school dean, who seized the weapon and detained the student until police arrived, school officials said. Three children arrested in school shooting plot Two 8-year-old boys and an 11-year-old schoolmate were arrested after they buried a loaded handgun in a playground sandbox and plotted to shoot and stab a third-grade girl during recess, authorities said Thursday. Sheriff Tim Fulton said the boys told investigators they intended to harm the young girl because she had teased two of them. The gun, a .22-caliber revolver, had two bullets in it, Hayworth said. School Superintendent Dave Shreeve said a box of bullets also was found nearby. Mother sues principal who held toy gun to son's neck A woman sued a middle school principal because he held a toy gun to her son's neck to teach him a lesson. In police interviews, Okeeheelee Middle School Principal David Samore, 49, said he wasn't trying to frighten the student but wanted to "illustrate to him that even toy guns scare people." Samore confronted the boy after there was a rumor that he had a real gun. Metal detectors back up at VINTA Metal detectors were put back in use Wednesday after a stabbing at the VINTA school. The school was not using metal detectors when the stabbing occurred. A 14-year-old was stabbed during a brawl at the school. Police believe the fight erupted out of gang rivalry. The victim suffered stab wounds to the upper right arm and both forearms. Tucson high student held after shot fired in stairwell A 16-year-old student of Tucson High Magnet School was for having a .22-caliber Magnum handgun in his pocket after school and was showing it to a friend in a stairwell in the Old Main building. The gun went off and hit a wall. No one was injured. Preparing for the worst A drill designed to simulate a school violence disaster was conducted during the afternoon of a school early release day. The mock crises involved the police, almost all school teachers and administrators, the fire department, three fire engines, three ambulances, a medivac helicopter, and a "staging point," to consummate the realism, and surrealism, of the exercise. 15 arrested as school gangs clash Gang fights in two secondary schools yesterday caused 15 students to be arrested and several others injured. As end of term examination came to an end violence broke out at the Marabella Junior Secondary School and at the newly opened Preysal Government High School. Playground violence hits new levels A study of young people in Glasgow last June revealed that 20% of young boys, including primary children, carried knives with them to protect themselves. Last year, 5,337 children were excluded from school nationwide because of violent behaviour against other children, compared to 4,529 in 1999. However, the figures do not measure the level of violence. Educators alarmed at increasing school violence A rising number of violent attacks on teachers is forcing schools across the country to crack down on child offenders. More pupils are being thrown out of school for assaults, according to new figures. The Ministry of Education figures for the 2002 year showed 537 teachers were physically assaulted by pupils. Anecdotal evidence suggested that number had increased significantly last year and would continue to rise unless schools took action, the Post Primary Teachers Association (PPTA) said.
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UPCOMING CONFERENCES
Persistently Safe Schools Registration has opened for the Hamilton Fish Institute’s national conference Persistently Safe Schools. You can register for the conference online at http://www.hamfish.org/conference. A printable registration form is also available if you prefer to mail in your registration. KUDOS Bruno honors Columbia School Officials The New York state Senate passed a resolution honoring a Columbia High School teacher and assistant principal for their actions in disarming a student who entered the school with a shotgun on February 9. Kids lauded for patrolling hallways Youth Crime Watch of America, a national crime watch organization, recently recognized Cooper City’s Pioneer Middle School student security program as one of the most effective of its kind during an international conference in Arlington, Va. About 70 students in a youth crime watch program patrol the hallways and bathrooms and monitor security cameras. (This article is now stored in the Miami Herald Archives. For more information on this article, e-mail aseale@hamfish.org) Attorney General honors essay winners Louisiana Attorney General Charles Foti honored nine Grant Parish students for their essays written as part of a pilot anti-violence program. The high school and junior high school students offered their peers reasons and solutions to the problem of violence in schools. Students' Solution For School Bus Safety Wins First Place Fifth grade students at Quarles Elementary in Long Beach, Miss. have been searching for answers to the bus safety problem. The students entered a "Project Citizen" contest in which they had to study a problem in their community and find a solution. They chose to examine ways to improve the safety of their school busses. They considered installing seatbelts and assigning seats to students. Then the class came up with an answer - put high school seniors on board help the driver monitor students. Their project will also be entered in a national competition in Denver in July. (This article is no longer available online. For a copy of this article, e-mail aseale@hamfish.org )
BUILDING COLLABORATIONS Uniting to cut down on violence Anti-violence alliance forms PROGRAMS AND STRATEGIES On March 1, Federal health officials unveiled a campaign designed to cut down on bullying in American schools. The effort consists of new public service announcements and web sites encouraging kids, teachers, and parents help stop intimidating behavior. The article explains that research shows that children who are routinely bullied are more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, and even consider suicide. For more information on programs designed to prevent violence in schools: Creative program takes aim at bullying Zeeland Cityside Middle School drama students participated in a play designed to help students learn how to deal with bullying. The students presented three scenarios, each with a narrator shouting "play" and "stop" as if he were operating a VCR remote control, manipulating the students' actions on stage. The first part of a skit portrayed bad reactions to bullying, and the second part demonstrated the correct way to handle the situations at school. For more information on innovative programs like these:
After-school program helps girls build confidence An after-school program offered by The Girl Scouts was created specifically for middle-school girls in East San Jose -- many of whom come from poor families and face the very real threats of gang involvement and teen pregnancy. Quest is a free, after-school, healthy lifestyle program offered at three sites in the Alum Rock Union Elementary School District and is designed to help girls build self-confidence. For more information on helping girls avoid violence: Program teaches students to avoid negative choices Thousands of fifth-graders in Gwinnett public schools who were taught to avoid drugs, alcohol, smoking, gangs and violence in a program called ADVANCE sponsored by the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Department. In 1997, the department took over the old DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program which was taught in some local schools, revamped it and expanded it. Now ADVANCE, which stands for Avoiding Drugs, Violence and Negative Choices Early, is taught to fifth-graders in every public elementary school in Gwinnett. Silencing Student Speech -- And Even Artwork -- in the Post-Columbine Era David L. Hudson, Jr. explores zero tolerance policies in the post-Columbine era. He says that in some cases, public school officials have overreacted to the challenges of ensuring safe schools by violating students’ Constitutional rights. Later Best for Learning? Denver Public Schools is considering starting high schools at 9 a.m. instead of 7:30 a.m., ending the day at 4:15 p.m. Sleep researchers are urging school districts to start high school classes later to reduce the number of exhausted, cranky teens. Not getting enough sleep puts teens at risk for falling asleep behind the wheel, keeps them from concentrating in class and leaves them feeling depressed and irritable, researchers have found. "They're physically still asleep at 7:30 in the morning," said National Sleep Foundation program director Pat Britz, whose agency is encouraging the later school starts. "They're groggy. It's difficult to pay attention, to make good decisions. It affects every aspect of their lives when they don't get enough sleep." Author: Student violence influenced by school size Researchers have learned a lot about school violence in the five years since the Columbine High School shootings in Colorado: Schools should be smaller to foster a sense of community and prevent school violence. They say elementary schools should be built for about 400 students; middle schools and high schools should be built for 400 to 800 students. Mike Konsky, a researcher at the University of Illinois whose book Safety in Small Numbers will come out this fall, says he found that schools of 1,000 (students) had more than 10 times the number of reported violent incidents.
For questions or feedback regarding these news summaries, please contact Allison Seale. The Hamilton Fish Institute on School and Community Violence provides information, research, and support to make schools safer for high achievement.
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Page Updated: March 07, 2005
