DATE: Friday, September 26, 1997            TAG: 9709260791

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY DENISE WATSON, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: NORFOLK                           LENGTH:   66 lines

SCHOOL BOARD DELAYS ACTION ON HANDCUFFS FOR GUARDS SOME BOARD MEMBERS WANT TO HEAR MORE FROM PARENTS, STUDENTS

The School Board voted Thursday night to delay a decision that would allow security officers to use handcuffs to restrain violent individuals who pose a threat to themselves or others.

While the majority of board members seemed to support the restraints as a last resort, several said they wanted to hear from more parents and students before voting.

``I don't think we have a crisis in our schools,'' said board member James Herndon. ``To move hastily might send the message we can't wait 30 days to make a decision. . . . This gives (the residents) the opportunity to voice their views on the matter.''

The board will meet again on Thursday, Oct. 23.

The vote to delay came after several supporters, including Norfolk Police Chief Melvin High, representatives of the district's two teacher organizations and two school principals, spoke.

High talked with the board during an informal session of the meeting, prior to the vote, to answer questions about the use of handcuffs. The chief, who was asked to speak, said the restraints are valuable with proper training.

But parent Linda Horsey told the board later that she was ``horrified'' by the idea of officers using handcuffs.

``When I send my children to school, I expect them to be protected from harm, abuse and neglect,'' Horsey said. ``This protection also extends to their not being exposed to adults treating children as criminals, handcuffed and dragged through school.''

Norfolk is the only local school district that doesn't have any personnel carrying handcuffs. All other South Hampton Roads school systems have police officers in high schools and in some middle schools who carry guns and handcuffs. But, if approved, Norfolk would be the only district with security officers with the handcuffs.

Under the proposal, the handcuffs would be used after verbal and physical controls have failed. The district's coordinator of security would monitor handcuff use to ensure proper procedures were followed.

The handcuff issue has produced a myriad of concerns from board members and the public: handcuffing students might appear too aggressive to other students and incite riots. Security officers, though trained by the Norfolk Police Department, don't receive the rigorous training that police officers do nor are they paid as much to perform such duties.

The security officers are sworn in through the courts, however, and do have arrest powers and police authority on school grounds.

The security officers have requested the use of handcuffs for years. They say the restraints can quickly end volatile situations. When security officers have to physically detain students, they risk hurting themselves and the student, and are then too busy to handle any other emergencies.

Handcuffs might be easier than using pepper spray, some officers said, since the spray can spread and create disorder.

Joseph G. O'Brien, Norfolk's coordinator of security, surveyed the district's lead security officers at the five high schools and eight middle schools, asking them how often guards could have used handcuffs last year. The survey revealed five incidents in which the officers said the restraints might have been used.

School safety has been a well-debated topic for the past year as the system has been questioned about student property searches to deter drugs and weapons from being taken to school. The district has been challenged and will go to court in November to defend its random search policy. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic

THE BOARD WILL MEET AGAIN ON THURSDAY, OCT. 23.

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