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Annual Report on School Safety--October 1998
The Comprehensive Weapons Reduction Initiative, for grades K-12, is a promising model. The key components include a clear and consistently reinforced code of conduct aimed at preventing teasing and small fights, which tend to lead to weapons assaults. Environmental controls make it difficult to bring weapons to school and increase students' perceived safety (so that they do not feel the need to bring weapons). The environmental controls include random searches conducted by police, routine checks of areas where weapons may be hidden, home searches to recover firearms and explosives before they are brought to school, visual screening techniques that enable police and school staff to spot students who are concealing weapons, and strictly enforced sanctions for weapons violations. Students who have brought weapons to school can complete the academic year at an alternative school. Staff reported that student weapons violations have decreased by 70 percent.
Contact: Bibb County Campus Police, 2444 Roff Avenue, Macon, GA 31204, 912-746-6114, Fax: 912-751-6706
Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), for grades K-12, is a promising model for preventing violence by applying architectural design and space management concepts to the school building and grounds. The goals are to provide access control, surveillance through physical design and mechanical devices, congestion reduction, defensible space, psychological deterrents to violence, user monitoring, and territorial identity. Several of the design issues are focused on reducing the presence of weapons in the school and eliminating dark or hidden spaces where crimes can occur. CPTED reduced a school's reported crime rate by 86 percent over a four year period.
Contact: National Crime Prevention Institute, School of Justice Administration, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, 502-852-6987, Fax: 502-852-6990
The Self Enhancement Program, for children ages 7-18, is a demonstrated strategy based on a relationship model. Appropriate behavior is taught through classroom education using conflict resolution and anger management techniques that uphold six standards of conduct. In addition, exposure education through trips to hospital trauma centers and juvenile detention facilities are part of the program. General anti-violence campaigns and continuous mentoring by program staff through a youth's pre-adolescent and adolescent years are also included. This program has been found effective in decreasing handgun (and other weapon) carrying and fighting.
Contact: Self Enhancement, Inc., 3920 North Kerby Avenue, Portland, OR 97227, 503-249-1712,
Fax: 503-249- 1955
The School Resource Officers (SRO) Program, for grades K-12, is a promising model for effectively using law enforcement officers in the schools. Sworn law enforcement officers (who are already well prepared to deal with weapons and violent behavior) are trained to counsel students on law-related problems and support services, teach classes on the law, and serve as role models for students. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the rising numbers of school resource officers in North Carolina has contributed to the falling numbers of firearms reported at school.
Contact: Pam Riley, Director, Center for the Prevention of School Violence, 20 Enterprise Street, Suite 2, Raleigh, NC 27607-7375, 800-299-6054 or 919-515-9397,
Fax: 919-515-9561
Straight Talk About Risks (STAR), for grades pre-K through 12, is a promising model for preventing gun-related violence among students. There are four curricula (pre-K to grade 2, grades 3 to 5, grades 6 to 8, and grades 9 to 12), and English and Spanish versions of all curricula are available. For the younger children, the focus is on obeying rules, staying safe, and learning that guns are not toys. In the middle grades, students explore media violence, reasons why people are violent, and strategies for coping with conflict. The high school curriculum fosters discussions on the consequences of handgun violence, on gun violence and youth, and on stress as a potential cause of violence. Students in grades 9-12 who have participated in STAR indicate that they are less likely to use a gun under a variety of circumstances.
Contact: Center to Prevent Handgun Violence,
1225 Eye Street NW., Suite 1100, Washington, DC 20005,
202-289-7319
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Kennedy Middle School
Demographic Information:
Contact Information: Web site: www.4j.lane.edu/schools/middle/kennedy.html A few years ago, staff members at Kennedy Middle School started noticing an increase in the number of office referrals and in anti-social and aggressive behavior among its students. In response, they held several meetings to establish goals for addressing the needs of at-risk students and the rest of the school population. Staff members deliberately selected and implemented programs that had been carefully evaluated and were likely to reduce aggressive behavior while increasing pro-social behavior. First the school implemented Second Step, a curriculum designed for schoolwide use. (For more information about Second Step, refer to chapter 3, Model Programs .) The Second Step Program addresses violence prevention through the development of empathy skills, problem-solving skills, and anger-management techniques. Then the school adopted the Effective Behavior Support Program, an intensive intervention program that addresses the needs of students with chronic behavior problems. (The Effective Behavior Support Program is a regional program developed by a local university in coordination with the school district.) Plans for long-term implementation focused on establishing a priority for change; implementing team-based collaboration; creating visible administrative leadership and support; including all school staff and students in the implementation process; and providing intensive training for all school staff. In addition, administrative procedures have been clarified for students and staff. The data are encouraging. In the first year of the program, 33 percent of students report using Second Step strategies in their lives. Disciplinary referrals have decreased by 25 percent. Staff members confirm these changes in student behaviors and attitudes, and they report an increase in using problem-solving approaches to solving conflicts. |
[Chapter 4: Resources]