NCJ Number
216324
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 33 Issue: 10 Dated: October 2006 Pages: 22,24,28
Date Published
October 2006
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article summarizes findings from "The State of School Safety in American Schools" (2006), which presents assessments of school safety based on information provided by approximately 1,200 teachers, 320 school administrators, and 925 law enforcement officers in rural, suburban, and urban districts across America.
Abstract
According to the leader of the team that conducted the study, truancy is at the root of all school safety problems. Where truancy abounds there is a greater chance of gang activity and school dropouts, who are at risk for criminal behavior. Truancy must be systematically addressed by schools, police, and social services. Sexual aggression is becoming a significant behavioral problem among elementary school kids. Group behaviors of youth have become sexually oriented. Gang initiations for girls have become gang rape, and cliques of girls engage in the hazing of other girls through violent and homosexual attacks. A number of sexually transmitted diseases among students have become epidemic. Causes of this epidemic include multiple sex partners, the popularity of oral sex in middle schools, and an increase in homosexual sex acts. The accessibility of Internet pornography is another influence that has introduced kids to sexual behavior at younger ages. School safety pertains to the management of student and staff behavior, and law enforcement officers in partnership with school staff must view this as a primary responsibility. For each school district, this involves a joint analysis of the types of problem behaviors that require the most attention, followed by the development of strategies for prevention and intervention.