THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Friday, February 17, 1995              TAG: 9502170533
SECTION: LOCAL                    PAGE: B7   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY VANEE VINES, STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: SUFFOLK                            LENGTH: Short :   49 lines

ENDING SCHOOL VIOLENCE BECOMES COMMONWEALTH'S ATTORNEY'S GOAL

Commonwealth's Attorney C. Phillips Ferguson said Thursday that his office would be more accessible to local educators dealing with school violence.

The help could range from some staffers being available to explain legal matters to teachers, parents and students, to others who would take calls directly from principals seeking information on criminal law.

The office also could help create crime-prevention and education programs, he said.

The goal is to deter school crime and assure educators that the office is there to back them up - all the way to court, if necessary, Ferguson explained.

Ferguson called an afternoon news conference to describe his ``Suffolk Commonwealth's Attorney Crime-Free Schools Program.''

While the initiative calls for increased support and assistance, as well as a more aggressive stance on school crime, it doesn't involve any grant money or new security equipment for schools.

Ferguson said his staff simply would ``work harder'' to handle additional inquiries from educators or misdemeanor and felony cases involving school crime.

Suffolk Schools Superintendent Beverly B. Cox III and Douglas C. Naismith, president of Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, were on hand to add their support for the idea.

The move, Cox said, is part of a local push to unite government agencies concerned about school safety.

At Nansemond River High last October, Suffolk reported the first incident in five years involving a gun on school property.

In early November, two John F. Kennedy Middle School eighth-graders were charged with possession of a gun on school property.

School safety is a priority among educators across the country.

Norfolk and Portsmouth school officials learned earlier this month that their cities were among a handful nationwide that will share in a federal grant to create safer schools. ILLUSTRATION: Photo

C. Phillips Ferguson's office will work closely with Suffolk

schools.

by CNB