Pubdate: Mon, 27 Dec 2004
Source: Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO)
Copyright: 2004, Denver Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.rockymountainnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/371
Author: Holly Yettick

STUDENT VIOLATIONS ON THE RISE

Officials cite 'less tolerance in schools' for higher numbers

Colorado pupils got caught more often last year smoking, taking drugs,
carrying weapons and being habitually disruptive at school.

But they drank and fought less, according to a Rocky Mountain News analysis
of 2003-2004 School Accountability Report data released earlier this month.

The total number of discipline violations in all categories increased 4.7
percent to 118,044 over the year before.

The biggest increase - 6 percent - was in the "other" category, which
includes such violations as willful disobedience, defacement of school
property and stealing. The number of fights and assaults dropped 20 percent,
more than any other category.

The overall increases outstripped enrollment growth, which increased 0.8
percent last year.

That doesn't necessarily mean the state's schools are more drug-ridden or
dangerous, educators said.

"Generally speaking, since Columbine, there's been a heightened awareness of
the dangers of, certainly, bullying," said Dave Smith, director of
prevention initiatives for the Colorado Department of Education. "What
happens as school personnel become more sensitive to certain kinds of issues
is that they identify it more readily. It's a surveillance issue.

"There's less tolerance in schools."

Smith hadn't yet reviewed the School Accountability Report's discipline
data, but he noted that suspension and expulsion data in recent years tell a
different story.

The percentage of students suspended last year decreased slightly to 15.6
percent, while the percentage of students expelled has held steady for the
past three years at 0.3 percent.

"At each school, in each situation, we want to look behind the numbers and
see what's going on," said Mark Stevens, spokesman for Denver Public
Schools. "If there's anything really indicating serious violence, we're
going to take it seriously.

"But the numbers alone don't tell the story."

Strict weapons searches

The News analysis measured the rate of violations per 1,000 students in
schools across Colorado with at least 100 students.

Gove Middle School at 14th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard in Denver had the
state's second-highest rate of weapons violations. Henry Middle School in
southwest Denver and McGlone Elementary School in northeast Denver tied for
third.

But when Stevens examined the numbers, he discovered that "dangerous
weapons" found at Henry included a Gothic finger ornament, a BB gun fired on
the way home from school, and a utility knife containing scissors and a
corkscrew.

McGlone's "weapons" included firecrackers and a fingernail clipper.

All, however, fit the state's definition of a dangerous weapons, which
includes toy guns and "any object, device, instrument, material or substance
that could be used or intended to be used to inflict death or serious bodily
injury."

"The conscientious schools, in terms of public relations, will appear to get
burned by this," Stevens said. "But they're the ones following the law to
the letter. The appearance may be damaging to their image, but they're doing
the right thing."

The Keating Continuing Education Center in Pueblo had the state's highest
rate of weapons violations. But during his six years at the school,
Principal Greg Millard said no student has been caught carrying a gun or
threatening anyone with a knife.

That's despite the fact that the school houses expelled middle and high
school students from neighborhoods dominated by rival gangs.

Millard says all of his school's weapons violations involve knives, most
found during the mandatory searches students must undergo if they sneak off
campus during the day then return.

"I'm a parent," Millard said. "I have a son who's 11 years old. I bought him
his first pocket knife. It scares me so much that he might leave it in his
pocket and bring it to school.

"I've been on him and on him and on him. A lot of these parents are single
parents, working parents, so the kid puts the knife in his pocket and goes
to school."

Vigilant about alcohol, drugs

When West End Schools Superintendent Duane Benny looks behind his numbers,
he does see a problem.

"We feel, overall, that we have an alcohol problem in the community," Benny
said.

Nucla High School in his rural western Colorado district had the state's
highest rate of drug and alcohol violations.

Benny said almost all of the 16 violations stemmed from drinking at two
weekend parties. West End students who participate in extracurricular
activities or sports get in trouble at school even if they drink off campus,
Benny said.

The state's definition of drug and alcohol abuse extends only to
"school-sanctioned events."

At the two metro-area schools with the highest rates of drug and alcohol
violations, most of the incidents involved marijuana, not booze. Principals
at both schools said their rates signified not a problem, but a
zero-tolerance policy.

"My five campus supervisors have had formal training for recognizing
students who are high," said Kerry Moynihan, principal of Thornton High
School, which also had the highest overall number of drug violations in the
state.

"They are highly vigilant. This has been an area of focus for our school. We
are trying to increase our academic scores and we can't do that if students
don't take their education seriously."

Katie Myers, assistant head of Compass Secondary Montessori charter school
in Golden, said her school's small, close-knit community makes it difficult
for students to hide drug use.

"We create an environment where the students feel very comfortable coming
forward," she said. "I think anybody who chooses to use drugs doesn't like
going to school here because we find out."

Horseplay, fights, assaults

At Rangely Middle School in rural northwestern Colorado, Principal Shelly
Cowell holds herself partially responsible for her school having the highest
rate of fights and assaults measured by the News.

"I was a new principal here last year," she said. "My interpretation of what
was classified as an assault might have been different than what other
people do."

The state defines assault as "student behavior on school grounds that, if
committed by an adult, would be considered (first-or second-degree) criminal
assault."

Cowell said she defined assault as any unprovoked act of physical
aggression.

She said parents wanted a more clear-cut approach that was even stricter. So
this year, Rangely instituted a "hands-off" policy that punishes any act of
aggression with after-school detention, even if the kids say they were just
playing around.

Cowell said horseplay during the first weeks of school resulted in a broken
leg and neck muscles pulled badly enough to require a neck brace. Those
involved were punished.

For the past month and a half, Cowell said she's had no violations.

"It has taken the first nine to 12 weeks to understand hands off is hands
off," she said.

Jefferson County middle schools dominated the list of metro-area schools
with high rates of assaults.

Jeffco spokesman Rick Kaufman says that jibes with district figures showing
expulsions increased last year, especially at the middle school level.

"It's very difficult to really find a rational reason for why students are
assaulting other students," he said. "At every level, we see trending where
students feel safer."
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