Gangs, guns, and school violence.

• Author: Stephens, Ronald D.
• Position: The Young Desperadoes - Cover Story

READING, WRITING, and retaliation have become common themes on many of the nation's campuses. Far too often, this retaliation involves the ducking of bullets or other serious violent situations. Students are willing to risk bringing a weapon to school for protection, to show off, or to intimidate others. Fistfights are being replaced by gunfights. Fire drills are being replaced by crisis, bullet, and drive-by shooting drills.

Impulse often plays a deadly role in school violence. The easy availability of guns, coupled with community gang activity and the influence of drugs or alcohol, spells trouble. The issue of weapons in schools can not be addressed adequately without considering the impact of gangs and drugs; they are inseparable.

School crime and violence are not merely a big-city problem. They plague rural, suburban, and urban communities alike. Nearly 3,000,000 thefts and violent crimes occur on or near school campuses every year, according to the National Crime Survey. That is almost 16,000 incidents per school day or one every six seconds. About half of all violent crimes against youths 12-19 occur in school buildings, on school property, or on adjacent streets. Twelve percent of the violent crimes in school buildings involve an offender with a weapon. In comparison, three times as many violent street crimes (37%) involve a weapon. However, the National Crime Survey, released in May, 1991, found that, in other respects, violent crimes committed on the street and at school are similar in severity.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the presence of a handgun on a school campus increases the "likelihood that a lethal event would result from a violent altercation." CDC also cites compelling statistics from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey. From a sample of 11,631 high school students from throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, 19.6% had carried a weapon during the preceding 30 days. Although students were not asked specifically if they had taken the weapons to school, the sample is of sufficient size to validate parents' concerns regarding safety at school.

Fifteen percent of students report gangs present at their school. Of these, 35% feared attack at school and 24% going to or from school, according to the 1991 National Crime Victimization Survey Report, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Department of Justice.

The problems of school crime and violence are clear, but what to do about them is more difficult to determine. School officials, parents, students, and community leaders can take a variety of strategies and approaches to address the issue. There is no magic formula or silver bullet. Developing a comprehensive and systematic response to school safety is a complex and difficult task. With that in mind, here is a starting point for communities:

* Develop a safe schools plan supported by an ongoing, meaningful process. School safety must be placed at the top of the educational agenda on each campus and within each community. Programs should be developed collaboratively with parents, students, educators, law enforcers, probation officers, the courts, social service workers, and religious, corporate, and other community leaders who represent the racial and ethnic balance of the community. Plans must be supported interactively by a vibrant interagency process. Strategies should be established that focus not merely on security and supervision options, but also on education options, including community and corporate support. Plans should be reviewed, updated, and disseminated broadly to students, parents, and staff annually.

* Create a positive school climate. This involves more than metal detectors; it means focusing on strategies that generate a safe and welcoming atmosphere. The safe school plan is an essential element for supporting this purpose. Every employee must become a participating partner in the safety operation.

* Establish a uniform crime-tracking and record-keeping procedure. The types of crimes, time, location, circumstances, and other pertinent data should be maintained. Data should be analyzed to identify trends, types of individuals involved, and any emerging patterns or connection with other crime. This information should be shared among state agencies, law enforcement officials, and educators to increase the effectiveness of other crime suppression efforts. Once this analysis is made, bring together a select group of educational authorities and experts to develop a series of response strategies geared to the needs of each school and the surrounding community.

* Establish an Emergency Operation Communications Center utilizing the latest technology that allows site administrators to be in immediate contact with central school safety and law enforcement personnel.

* Target youngsters who bring weapons to school. Provide special counseling, support, and referral to appropriate community...