- --=====================_131865781==_

Pubdate: Tue, 23 May 2006
Source: Patriot Ledger, The  (MA)
Section: Crime in Schools, a Patriot Ledger Special Report
Copyright: 2006 The Patriot Ledger
Contact:  http://ledger.southofboston.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1619
Author: Karen Eschbacher

HOW VIOLENT IS YOUR KID'S SCHOOL?

Fights, Attacks And Weapons Are Threats Even In The Suburbs

First Of Two Parts

Fifth period had just let out at Plymouth South High School when a 
fight erupted in a hallway between two trash-talking teenagers. By 
the time teachers could pull them apart, one of the boys was a mess. 
He was taken to the hospital with a gash on his face and a possible 
broken nose.

The other wound up in court, charged with aggravated assault and battery.

The April 12 incident in Plymouth is just one of hundreds of fights 
and other acts of violence that take place every year at schools on 
the South Shore.

A Patriot Ledger review of data submitted by 29 local school 
districts about violent or criminal offenses on school property 
during the 2004-2005 academic year found:

* 681 fights involving 1,394 students * 544 physical attacks or 
assaults and 280 threats of physical attack * 113 weapons offenses * 
Five sexual assaults and 51 cases of sexual harassment

The number of students involved in such incidents represents a 
fraction of the school-aged population, and parents, students and 
administrators interviewed for this story said South Shore kids have 
little cause for concern when it comes to school safety.

Still, experts say even minor altercations - the kinds viewed by some 
as "kids being kids" - can have a chilling effect on learning and in 
some cases can escalate into more dangerous episodes if not handled properly.

When fights are allowed to take place on the campus, it diminishes 
the ability of teachers to provide a safe and welcoming environment 
for students," said Ronald Stephens, executive director of the 
National School Safety Center. "It's just hard to learn. If you have 
to watch your backside, it's hard to concentrate on algebra and geometry."

Every Grade Level

Violent incidents occurred at schools up and down the South Shore, at 
every grade level. The offenses can be anything from shoving between 
elementary school students during recess to blows exchanged between 
older students over relationship drama.

Among high schools, the highest reported rate of physical violence 
was at Holbrook Junior-Senior High School, which tallied 29 fights, 
attacks or assaults last school year. That's one offense for every 20 students.

One of those students involved was Mike, a sophomore who admitted 
getting into a "crazy fight" after another student snitched to police 
about trouble he caused outside of school.

I hit his head off the wall in the bathroom," he said.

Mike, who would not allow his last name to be used, said he was never 
caught for the restroom brawl, but was slapped with a three-day 
suspension when he tangled with the student's friend the next day.

Such stories notwithstanding, several Holbrook students said violence 
is not a big problem at the school.

You see your occasional fight, but we have a good group of faculty 
and staff, and they handle it well and take action very quickly," 
said Brian Stone, a 17-year-old senior.

Added Jenna Mumme, another senior: "There's more verbal fights than 
anything else. They get handled quickly."

 From Scuffles To Brawls

While some fights or attacks end with injuries - like the one earlier 
this year at Plymouth South - the overwhelming majority do not, 
administrators said.

Mary Dorey, a nurse at Weymouth High School, said fights seldom 
require medical attention, and even then it's typically for a bloody 
nose or scratches.

In fact, some incidents are so minor they barely qualify as physical 
altercations, said Rockland High Principal Stephen Sangster.

If someone throws a pencil and hits the kid we call it an assault," 
said Sangster, whose school reported 11 fights and 36 attacks or 
assaults last year. "It doesn't mean the pencil hit the kid and hurt 
the kid. ... An assault is whenever someone does something to another person."

- ------------
[Inset box]

Crime In The Corridor

During the 2004-2005 school year, 29 South Shore schools districts reported

1,225 Fights, attacks or assaults
280 Threats of physical attack
197 Incidents of property crime, such as theft or vandalism
113 Weapons offenses
51 Incidents of sexual harassment
5 Sexual assaults
Source: Department of Education
- ------------

Rockland High senior Christine Patterson said fights in school are 
rare. When students do tangle, she said, it's often girls doing the 
fighting, as was the case with one recent dustup.

By the end of it they were both on the floor," Patterson, 18, said. 
There were teachers trying to separate them. One of the girls got 
loose and smacked the other in the face with her purse."

Still, serious incidents occasionally occur.

At Randolph High School, for example, a series of fights broke out 
inside and outside of school one day this past February, apparently 
over a stolen iPod. Six people - including three students - were 
arrested, and police say a billy club and box cutter were used as weapons.

In another incident at Randolph High earlier this school year, four 
girls allegedly attacked a 16-year-old female student in the hallway, 
leaving the victim with a laceration that took more than two dozen 
stitches to close.

Weapons In Schools

Weapons also make their way into South Shore schools.

Local administrators reported 83 offenses involving knives or cutting 
weapons on school property last academic year, including four in 
elementary schools and 21 in middle schools or junior high schools.

Plymouth North High School reported the most weapons offenses: nine 
involving knives and one involving what was classified as "other firearm."

As with assaults, administrators stressed that students were not 
necessarily in danger as a result of the incidents.

Cathy MacLeod, the principal of Bryantville Elementary School in 
Pembroke, said her school reported a case in which a boy accidentally 
brought a knife to school after using it while fishing. The boy 
notified his teacher as soon as he realized the mistake.

No one was ever in harm's way, but the school still treated the 
incident seriously, MacLeod said.

There is zero tolerance for possession of anything that could be 
perceived as a weapon," she said.

Violence And Learning

Although the number of violent incidents at South Shore schools is 
not altogether alarming, experts say the presence of fights and 
weapons on campus - no matter how minor or infrequent - is always 
cause for concern.

In some cases, fears of being bullied or injured are enough to keep 
kids away from the classroom. In 2003, the most recent year for which 
data was available, 5 percent of Massachusetts high school students 
said they skipped school in the previous 30 days because they felt 
unsafe, according to a state survey.

Even when kids do make it to class, students who get mixed up in 
fights or other violent episodes take an academic hit.

Roughly 73 percent of high school students involved in a fight on 
school property received grades of C or better, the 2003 survey 
found. By comparison, 89 percent of students who weren't involved in 
school scuffles earned marks in that range.

Similar trends were true of students who were bullied at school six 
or more times, or who were threatened or injured with a weapon at school.

Until such problem behavior is addressed, there will always be 
students who suffer academically and emotionally, experts said.

You want a classroom and a school where everyone feels safe," said 
Thomas Cottle, an education professor at Boston University. "Nobody 
does well in an unsafe environment.

School after school I visit, it is near the top of the lists of 
counselors, principals, assistant principals," he added. "People are 
deeply concerned about it."

[Sidebar]

 From Peer Mediation To Increased Security, Schools Use Variety Of 
Ways To Keep Kids Safe

Two students at Holbrook Junior-Senior High School were exchanging 
words recently when their disagreement turned physical.

Afterwards, they were brought together to patch things up.

But rather than hash out their problems with administrators, the 
students' peace-making session was led by high school classmates.

Holbrook this year became the latest school to offer peer mediation 
as a way to prevent verbal spats from boiling over.

"Since we're high school kids we might be going through the same 
thing or we experienced it before, so we can be on the same page," 
said Abdoul Dyfan, a sophomore who was among a group of students 
trained as mediators.

Whether it's peer mediation, increased security or tough discipline 
policies, South Shore administrators say they use a host of 
approaches to keep schools safe.

At Weymouth High School, Michael Salvi patrols the halls along with 
three other security staff members. In addition to keeping kids 
moving in the hallway and stopping students who aren't where they're 
supposed to be, the security team tries to head off fights and 
responds when a problem breaks out.

"If we get a call, it takes - tops - 10 to 15 seconds to get to that 
location," said Salvi, the school district's security liaison.

The school also has 128 cameras mounted inside and outside the 
building, allowing officials to review any incidents that might take place.

Senior Samantha Blair said the extra security makes a difference.

"When I was in eighth grade it was real bad," Blair, 18, said. "It's 
gotten so much better."

So far this year, there have been 16 assaults and batteries, 14 
"altercations" and 62 fights.

Pamela Gould, the principal at Whitman-Hanson Regional High School, 
said her school's strict discipline policies help dissuade students 
from throwing punches.

Any violent offense buys an automatic five-day suspension, longer for 
a second offense.

"We've made a decision that it is important to send the message that 
this is without a question inappropriate," she said.

In Holbrook, administrators and students agree peer mediation works.

Stephen Eshner, 17, a junior and one of the mediators, said he used 
to see fights, but now students are encouraged to sit down with 
mediators at the first hint of conflict.

As a result, he said, physical confrontations are rare.

"There have been a few where you can tell if we didn't stop it at 
that point ... it would escalate to a fight and they would be at risk 
of being suspended," Eshner said.

[Sidebar #2]

It Isn'T Just Textbooks That Get Lifted In School

Some local students apparently have sticky fingers.

South Shore schools reported 132 thefts of school, student or staff 
property during the 2004-2005 academic year.

Administrators said items were most often taken from unlocked 
lockers, and that everything from clothing to high-priced iPod music 
players went missing.

"The students here in Cohasset are extremely trusting," said Joel 
Antolini, principal of Cohasset Middle School-High School. "Many of 
them do not put a lock on their locker."

While students were the most frequent targets, teachers and other 
staff lost out, too. In fact, South Shore school personnel were the 
victims of theft 50 times last academic year, compared to 65 students.

At Cohasset Middle High School, 12 staff members had belongings 
taken. Antolini said he could not speak about what happened last year 
because he only took over the school's top job this school year.

All thefts are reported to police, he said.

At Hingham High School, which tallied 10 thefts last academic year, 
iPods are among the more commonly stolen items. The digital music 
players can cost as much as $400.

Principal Paula Girouard McCann said thefts are reported to police if 
it is "something of great value."

"We have a school resource officer who's very instrumental in 
recovering things," she said.

Aside from thefts, schools reported dozens of other cases of property 
crime: There were 56 vandalism offenses and nine incidents in which 
school property was destroyed by arson.

In January, a former Stoughton High School student was charged with 
driving a school van into the field house wall and tearing up the 
school's athletic field. Damage was estimated at $100,000.

Three juveniles were charged with vandalizing school buses at 
Chandler Elementary School in Duxbury last summer. Around the same 
time, Scituate schools endured a spate of vandalism, including a 
broken window at Cushing Elementary School and graffiti at two school 
buildings.

State Requires Reporting

The Department of Education requires schools to file a report with 
the state each time an incident involving drugs, violence or criminal 
activity takes place on school property.

There are 31 infractions that must be reported, from fighting and 
handgun possession to sexual harassment and marijuana use.

In response to a public records request, the Department of Education 
provided The Patriot Ledger with documents detailing offenses 
reported by every South Shore school during the 2004-2005 school 
year. Information about the number of victims and offenders involved 
was also supplied.

In some cases, a single incident could have been counted as an 
offense in more than one category. For example, a fight involving a 
knife could be recorded as both a physical fight and a weapons offense.

The state considers an event to have occurred on school property not 
only if it took place on the actual campus, but also on a school bus 
or at a place where a school-sponsored event was held.

The Patriot Ledger calculated rates for certain offenses based on a 
school's enrollment. To simplify the data, similar offenses were 
combined into one category. For instance, knife, gun and other 
weapons offenses were taken together to determine an overall rate for 
weapons violations.

Several administrators noted that schools that are particularly 
vigilant when dealing with and reporting violent or illegal behavior 
would show a higher offense rate than schools that are less 
aggressive in enforcing policies.

[]

- --=====================_131865781==_
 x-mac-type="4A504547"; x-mac-creator="4A565752"
Content-ID:  inline; filename="7d78cfb.jpg"
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- --=====================_131865781==_--
- ---
MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman