Making Our Schools Demilitarized Zones : * Wage a Multi-Front War Against Armed Students

Once students carried books in their book bags. Too often these days, some pack a gun or a knife as well. It’s a problem that demands increased attention and solutions.

Last year more than 400 Orange County students were expelled from school for weapons possession, an alarmingly high number. So far this fall, 50 students have been caught carrying weapons in their public schools. A sampling of recent items:

* A 13-year-old Huntington Beach junior high school student was alleged to have planned to hold an entire classroom hostage, using a machete, a knife and two guns stored in his backpack.

* A 15-year-old Westminster High School student was arrested Nov. 4 with a knife and loaded gun on a Huntington Beach high school campus, police said.

* An Irvine high school junior was arrested in October when he accidentally fired a shot from his father’s Beretta into the floor of his classroom, according to police. He allegedly had brought the gun to school on a dare. All the students involved have been or may be expelled.

One teen-ager told a Times reporter this month that adults think of school as a peaceful place, “but if you go there, it’s not.” His comments unfortunately were echoed by a Fullerton police sergeant, who told more than 200 teachers and school workers that they must take it seriously when students talk about being afraid and threatened.

The teachers and employees from three schools met at Fullerton High School recently to discuss gang prevention. The police sergeant told them that schools can be the scene of gang activity and that he counts on school workers to be “my eyes and ears.” Besides discussing gangs, the teachers talked about how to improve relations among students and encourage them to turn their energies toward school, athletics and church rather than weapons.

Such discussions can help in other schools too. Many already have adopted a “zero-tolerance” policy, in which a student caught with a weapon is expelled and, if not jailed, is referred to an “alternative education” school. Those expelled keep getting younger and increasing in number.

One official correctly noted that it’s a problem that stretches across Orange County: Last year students were caught with weapons on campuses in the Saddleback Valley and Newport-Mesa school districts, as well as Santa Ana and Anaheim. One reason is that many students are so accustomed to guns at home and in the neighborhood that carrying one to school is no big deal. That is an attitude that has to change.

One viewpoint holds that most teen-agers who bring guns to school don’t intend to use them. They carry weapons to impress their peers or to make themselves feel safer. But of course the presence of weapons increases the danger, rather than lessening it.

Santa Ana has had good results by putting city police on the high school campuses. That cuts down on students bringing weapons, deters unwanted visitors and minimizes gang conflicts. It’s more expensive than a school district having its own force, but other communities may have to seriously consider copying the program if they have sufficiently serious problems. The schools, and police, must also hold parents responsible if their children bring weapons to class. Any family that lets teen-agers get access to guns in the house should be held accountable. Taking responsibility for your actions is a concept that has to be taught at home. Schools can reinforce it, but it’s parents who have to be the primary teachers.