Parent Patrol to the Rescue
By Karen Rogers, Director, Mayor's Office of Weed and Seed
The Vine City Parent Patrol.
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When fighting in schools got out of hand, the Parent Patrol put things right.
Last fall, Vine City, GA, launched a public safety program to keep its schoolchildren safe and to involve their parents in school activities. The Vine City Civic Association (VCCA) Public Safety Committee organized a small group of parents from the neighborhood—dubbed the Parent Patrol—to monitor student activity and intervene at the sight of misconduct.
The patrol was started with a public safety grant offered through Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. (formerly the Enterprise Foundation), an organization that supports affordable housing and community development by providing financial services to people with limited incomes. Volunteers were stationed around the perimeter of both John F. Kennedy Middle School and Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary. Now, residents say they have seen a drop in the occurrence of disorderly conduct committed by youth coming to and from school grounds.
"I have noticed many positive results with the presence of the Parent Patrol," said Hazel Gonzalez, Director of the New Horizons Senior Center located across from John F. Kennedy Middle School. "The decrease in confrontational activity, youth using profanity, and the overall improvement in student behavior is very noticeable. Parent Patrol has given me a sense of security when opening up the gates each morning."
Donald Harris, a Parent Patrol volunteer, also sees a change in the students."It's good that we're out here, because kids will calm down when they see somebody with a neon green vest on and a radio. They get scared and they won't fight," he said.
The Parent Patrol is not just a small project operating in a vacuum; the city also is instituting an overall safety initiative that is based on three strategies:
- Reduce the number of youth in the criminal justice system.
- Develop neighborhood sector leaders.
- Encourage community organizing and planning.
Currently, VCCA is working to fit the Parent Patrol program into a larger safety initiative at Kennedy Middle School. The association, with technical assistance from the Mayor's Office of Weed and Seed, is working closely with the school's principal, youth mentors, and the Atlanta Police Department and other agencies to create a dynamic program focused on better safety and crime prevention in schools. The Parent Patrol will play a key role in improving safety at the school.
Through revitalization, citizen participation, and neighborhood-based economic development, Vine City intends to return its Weed and Seed community to the safe and crime-free standard of living it once enjoyed.
"The Vine City Parent Patrol is the first step in creating a culture of safety," said VCCA's Executive Director Byron Amos. "We are appreciative and proud to have Parent Patrol volunteers who are dedicated, determined, and dependable."
In addition to wanting children to feel safe in all parts of the neighborhood—from the school to the parks to the stores—Amos wants the troublemakers to know the community is united in its effort to keep things safe.
"For the students who choose not to make good decisions, we want them to know that the community will hold them accountable, thereby reinforcing the culture of safety within Vine City."
For more information, contact:
Karen Rogers
Director, Mayor's Office of Weed and Seed
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