NCJ Number
146481
Journal
Updating School Board Policies Volume: 24 Issue: 4 Dated: (1993) Pages: 11- 13
Date Published
1993
Length
3 pages
Annotation
After a discussion of school-safety issues and overcoming obstacles to effective school safety programs, this article describes a model program for dealing with the influence of gangs in schools.
Abstract
School safety concerns are in the general areas of youth violence, student drug abuse, student weapon possession, and gang behavior. Some obstacles to the development of effective school safety strategies are denial by school officials that a problem exists, insufficient understanding of the problem, and the failure of many educational systems to view school security as a profession. The model program described in this article features a Youth Gang Unit in the Division of Safety and Security of the school district. The five-officer team conducts gang investigations and enforcement, dispute mediation, and rumor control. Officers train school staff and parents in gang awareness, identification, and intervention techniques, as well as antigang classroom and assembly presentations. Unit personnel participate in communitywide networking to develop programs and strategies to reduce gang activity. The school Youth Gang Unit works closely with the Cleveland Police Department's Youth/Gang Unit to target chronic problems and share intelligence.