Pubdate: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) Copyright: 2006 The Commercial Appeal Contact: http://www.commercialappeal.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/95 Author: Dakarai I. Aarons Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?225 (Students - United States) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) 751 OFFENSES RECORDED IN CITY SCHOOLS LAST YEAR Illegal drug possession was the most common offense recorded in Memphis City Schools last year, according to the district's behavior data. Possession accounted for a significant portion of the 751 reported incidents. Schools reported incidents under six categories, including possession of firearms, battery against teachers or staff, possession of weapons other than firearms and possession of alcohol. Northside High School led the way with 42 total incidents reported in 2005-06. Of those, 30 incidents were drug related. High schools reported the most incidents, a fact reflected in 51 of the 60 new campus monitors being sent to high schools. District officials cross-referenced last year's behavior data with initial incident numbers from the first few weeks of school to make the decision about where to put the new monitors, said chief academic officer Alfred Hall. Last school year was the first time the district collected such extensive records on violations as part of its Blue Ribbon behavior initiative. "Our reporting is better now than ever before," he said. "The power of the information we have now puts us in a place to isolate areas of major incidents and put effective strategies in place." Hall said the numbers don't provide a complete picture of what a school may look like today, but are a valuable reference in tailoring intervention programs to a school's specific needs. "We have the expectation that kind of behavior is not supported and will not be tolerated in Memphis City Schools," he said. "We think any incident is one too many." - --- MAP posted-by: Jackl