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http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20010306/3113657s.htm

Page 14A=20


Despite latest shooting, school safety is improving=20

In the worst school shooting since the 1999 massacre at Columbine High =
School, two were killed and 13 wounded Monday by a 15-year-old freshman =
in a high school just north of San Diego. This is the sort of tragedy =
that is almost impossible to eliminate in a society awash with firearms =
and saturated with violent imagery, much of it aimed at an age group =
renowned for peer-group cruelties. Yet it is also the type of tragedy =
that has already inspired new approaches to school-associated violence =
and, by extension, youth violence, though with mixed results.=20

On the one hand, the dreadful Columbine slaughter, in which 15 people =
died including two student gunmen, prompted school districts across the =
country to adopt ill-considered zero-tolerance campaigns. Under these =
laws, students can be punished, expelled or prosecuted for such trivial =
acts as giving aspirin to a friend with a headache or carrying a nail =
file in a backpack. The American Bar Association condemned the policies =
just two weeks ago as unfair and inappropriate for children, and the =
National School Safety Center notes that administrative support for such =
rules is also dwindling.=20

Another form of zero tolerance, however, has proved both popular and =
effective. Across the country, school districts have worked to encourage =
students to report any threat of violence by any other student. In the =
past six weeks alone, student reports have helped authorities avert at =
least four ''Columbine-style'' attacks.=20

In New York last month, a senior at Southside High in Elmira was =
arrested on weapons charges after fellow students reported that he had =
brought guns to school. Authorities also found 18 bombs. A week earlier =
in Fort Collins, Colo., three students were charged with planning to =
''redo Columbine'' after classmates reported their threats. Two days =
before that, three high school boys in Hoyt, Kan., were charged with =
planning an attack after classmates reported them through a safety =
hotline.=20

The success of that tactic makes plain that schools should do more to =
promote it. And so, sadly, does Monday's shooting. The student charged =
in the killings gave off multiple signs of his pending attack, and at =
least one other student took him seriously enough to check his backpack =
for weapons. Yet apparently no one mentioned his threats or his talk of =
guns to authorities, concluding instead that he was only joking.=20

Mass shootings of any kind are fluky and hard to predict. But schools =
remain among the safest places for a child. School-associated violent =
deaths have fallen steadily in recent years, dropping almost 70% between =
the 1992-1993 school year and 1999-2000.=20

The safety net is far from foolproof, as Monday's tragedy horribly =
illustrates. But in its aftermath, fresh clarity of purpose should =
permit lawmakers and administrators to review youth anti-violence =
strategies and improve them. Imprinting a strict new set of gun-related =
values on the nation is one such step. Enhancing student, teacher and =
parental alertness to the signs of threat is another.=20

=A9 Copyright 2001 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.


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<DIV><FONT size=3D2><A=20
href=3D"http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20010306/3113657s.htm">http://=
www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20010306/3113657s.htm</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>
<P>Page <!-- Begin PageNumber -->14A<!-- End PageNumber -->=20
<P>
<H1><FONT size=3D+5><FONT size=3D+2><!-- Begin Headline -->Despite =
latest shooting,=20
school safety is improving<!-- End HeadLine --> </FONT></FONT></H1>
<P><!-- Begin ByLine --><!-- End ByLine -->
<P><!-- Begin Story -->In the worst school shooting since the 1999 =
massacre at=20
Columbine High School, two were killed and 13 wounded Monday by a =
15-year-old=20
freshman in a high school just north of San Diego. This is the sort of =
tragedy=20
that is almost impossible to eliminate in a society awash with firearms =
and=20
saturated with violent imagery, much of it aimed at an age group =
renowned for=20
peer-group cruelties. Yet it is also the type of tragedy that has =
already=20
inspired new approaches to school-associated violence and, by extension, =
youth=20
violence, though with mixed results.=20
<P>On the one hand, the dreadful Columbine slaughter, in which 15 people =
died=20
including two student gunmen, prompted school districts across the =
country to=20
adopt ill-considered zero-tolerance campaigns. Under these laws, =
students can be=20
punished, expelled or prosecuted for such trivial acts as giving aspirin =
to a=20
friend with a headache or carrying a nail file in a backpack. The =
American Bar=20
Association condemned the policies just two weeks ago as unfair and=20
inappropriate for children, and the National School Safety Center notes =
that=20
administrative support for such rules is also dwindling.=20
<P>Another form of zero tolerance, however, has proved both popular and=20
effective. Across the country, school districts have worked to encourage =

students to report any threat of violence by any other student. In the =
past six=20
weeks alone, student reports have helped authorities avert at least four =

''Columbine-style'' attacks.=20
<P>In New York last month, a senior at Southside High in Elmira was =
arrested on=20
weapons charges after fellow students reported that he had brought guns =
to=20
school. Authorities also found 18 bombs. A week earlier in Fort Collins, =
Colo.,=20
three students were charged with planning to ''redo Columbine'' after =
classmates=20
reported their threats. Two days before that, three high school boys in =
Hoyt,=20
Kan., were charged with planning an attack after classmates reported =
them=20
through a safety hotline.=20
<P>The success of that tactic makes plain that schools should do more to =
promote=20
it. And so, sadly, does Monday's shooting. The student charged in the =
killings=20
gave off multiple signs of his pending attack, and at least one other =
student=20
took him seriously enough to check his backpack for weapons. Yet =
apparently no=20
one mentioned his threats or his talk of guns to authorities, concluding =
instead=20
that he was only joking.=20
<P>Mass shootings of any kind are fluky and hard to predict. But schools =
remain=20
among the safest places for a child. School-associated violent deaths =
have=20
fallen steadily in recent years, dropping almost 70% between the =
1992-1993=20
school year and 1999-2000.=20
<P>The safety net is far from foolproof, as Monday's tragedy horribly=20
illustrates. But in its aftermath, fresh clarity of purpose should =
permit=20
lawmakers and administrators to review youth anti-violence strategies =
and=20
improve them. Imprinting a strict new set of gun-related values on the =
nation is=20
one such step. Enhancing student, teacher and parental alertness to the =
signs of=20
threat is another. </P>
<DIV class=3Dcopyright>=A9 Copyright 2001 USA TODAY, a division of =
Gannett Co.=20
Inc.</DIV>
<DIV class=3Dcopyright>&nbsp;</DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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