Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, August 4, 1994 TAG: 9408040066
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Harold Wright, executive director of the Virginia Crime Association, is helping school superintendents and police in the Roanoke Valley become better prepared to deal with safety problems in schools.
``Crime and violence in schools are not inevitable. They can be reduced by reducing the opportunity for crime and problems,'' he said.
Wright, who is in Roanoke conducting a two-day training course on school safety and security, said many school divisions are reluctant to acknowledge they have problems with drugs and violence. He compared their situation with that faced by public housing agencies.
For many years, public housing agencies refused to concede that some of their housing complexes were unsafe. After struggling with the issue, the agencies acknowledged they needed help, Wright said. Now crime has been reduced in many public housing communities.
Schools cannot reduce violence and related problems without the support of police, Wright said.
Because of changes in cultural and social conditions, the problems are more severe than they were a few years ago and require police assistance, he said.
All schools are subject to random acts of violence, he said, but some are plagued by frequent crime and related problems.
Wright said he admires school superintendents and principals who have to deal directly with the problems.
``There are four jobs I wouldn't have: a prison guard, school superintendent, school principal and assistant principal,'' Wright said. Superintendents and principals never know what the next day will bring, he said.
All three school superintendents in the Roanoke Valley - Wayne Harris, Roanoke; Deanna Gordon, Roanoke County; and Wayne Tripp, Salem - were present for part of the course Wednesday.
The course provides police and school administrators with practical and immediate steps to help ensure that schools are safe.
Participants are taught how to use hand-held metal detectors, conduct an assessment of school buildings to determine their security and review the physical and environmental security of schools in light of the surrounding neighborhood.
Many principals of schools that have few major problems now are worried about the future, said Jeff Steger, a school safety specialist who is one of the instructors in the course.
``Some of them are waiting for something to happen. They feel like they are sitting ducks,'' he said.
Steger said the number of fights in schools is increasing and the number of guns and other weapons brought to schools has risen rapidly in recent years.
Students in grades seven through nine are bringing the most weapons, Steger said.
In the 1992-93 school year, there were 404 incidents in Virginia when students in grades 10-12 had weapons on school property. There were 1,106 cases in grades seven through nine.
Some school systems have different criteria for reporting fights and other incidents, so the actual number may vary.
George Snead, director of public safety for Roanoke, said crime and violence should be a concern for the entire community. Everyone should get involved, he said.
The training course is being sponsored by the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce in cooperation with the three school systems. It is part of ``Goals 2000, A Roanoke Valley Schools Strategy.''
Bud Oakey, assistant director of the Chamber of Commerce, said businesses are concerned about the schools because they need a well educated work force.
``We must work to prevent violence in schools,'' Oakey said. ``This must be a public and private partnership between businesses and schools.''
reduce the opportunity for crime and related problems in schools.
by CNB