FULLERTON : School Workshop Tackles Gang Issues

More than 200 teachers and school workers met Wednesday at Fullerton High School to talk with police, probation officers and county officials about gang prevention.

“You are my eyes and ears,” Fullerton Police Sgt. Joe Klein told the school workers. “When you hear kids talk about being afraid and threatened, you have to take that seriously.”

Klein said the city schools are sometimes the scene of gang violence that endangers students and disrupts education.

Klein’s efforts to defeat gangs are part of a $450,000 yearly anti-gang state grant for programs at Nicolas Junior High School, Fullerton High School and La Vista High School.

The grant created a program called Community United for Fullerton Safety, or CUFFS, which involves local schools, the police department, probation department, district attorney’s office and many community organizations.

The one-day workshop was the first time people from all three schools had met to discuss strategies and learn about gang prevention, said Nina J. Winn of the county Department of Education. She said maintenance workers, secretaries, teachers and principals attended.

People at the one-day workshop shared their fears and hopes for a solution to gang violence.

“Encourage kids to do positive things--church, school, athletics,” urged Klein.

“It’s words and deeds and opportunities,” agreed Bob Taylor, the project CUFFS coordinator.

Barbara Clark, who teaches Spanish and journalism at Fullerton High, said she believes most of her students are not attracted to gangs. “If there’s a very strong family bond, especially from the father, there is no need to join a gang,” she said.

But county probation officer Leslie White warned there are about 275 gangs in the county, with almost 17,000 members.

Workshop participants broke into three groups and talked about specific strategies to help keep kids out of gangs, and how to improve relations among students.

Also, a Santa Ana police officer gave a presentation on verbal judo, a communication technique that could help teachers and administrators deal with confrontations and tense situations.