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Town Hall Meeting: "Community Strategies To Promote Safety in Schools"

NCJ Number
181159
Date Published
September 1996
Length
59 pages
Annotation
This is the public testimony on concerns about and effective programs related to school safety presented at the Town Hall Meeting held in the 25th Senatorial District (California) on September 23, 1996.
Abstract
A panel of elected officials, policymakers, researchers, and individuals from the public and private sectors heard testimony from children, educators, and families impacted by violence in schools. One witness -- the principal of Figueroa Elementary School, a school that experienced the gunshot wounding of a teacher -- describes the safety program in place at that school. The program is called "Responsible Education Training." It is a program in which students learn to be responsible self-managers. Two students from the school describe the operation and impact of the program. A member of the Los Angeles Board of Education describes school safety programs implemented by the Los Angeles County Office of Education. One feature is school safety training, which is provided in 237 schools throughout Los Angeles County. Other prevention components of school safety programs in Los Angeles County are gang prevention training seminars and crisis response intervention. A representative of the United Teachers of Los Angeles testifies about a program sponsored by this teachers union. The program is called "Responsibility, Respect, and Results -- Lessons for Life." It is a program that establishes and enforces standards for conduct and academic achievement. Other witnesses describe juvenile diversion programs that are designed to divert misbehaving juveniles from formal juvenile justice processing to programs designed to modify their antisocial behavior and prevent recidivism. Other testimony addresses programs designed to address and prevent antisocial juvenile gang association and behavior.