Panels Find Need for Classes on Resolving Conflict

Two days of talks on multicultural issues among 75 administrators, teachers, counselors, parents and students from 10 Long Beach middle schools ended with the laying of plans to teach conflict resolution courses in the schools next year.

Coordinated by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Community Relations Service, the talks last week identified ethnic slurs and racial and ethnic self-grouping by students as key problems--even more than gangs--in the middle schools, grades six through eight.

But there also were references to such problems as tolerance of drug sales, failure to discipline sexual harassment, lack of safety for children walking home after staying late at school and alleged difficulties at a special program for a boys club at one school.

Administrators said they were not surprised when students and teachers said drug sales on or near campuses are tolerated and that thefts in locker rooms are commonplace. They expressed gratification, however, that some participants said violence in the middle schools had decreased this school year compared to last.

A reporter was allowed to attend the sensitive discussions at the Signal Hill Community Center on condition that no one would be identified.

“This is the first time I can remember in three years as an assistant principal that I was able to sit and dialogue with students and faculty members for four hours,” one administrator said.

An emotional moment occurred when a girl told the assembly that when she reported that boys were touching her sexually, nothing had been done about it. Her comments generated considerable discussion later.

Some participants said a boys club at Franklin Middle School, paid for by an Irvine Foundation grant, had become unruly and disruptive. When the Long Beach Unified School District was approached about revamping it, they contended, the officials initially refused to do anything because it might offend the foundation.

However, the boys club recently got a new director, they said, and there is now some hope of improvement. The incident was cited as an example of how well-meaning efforts can go awry in a tense environment and how adjustments must be made.

The talks were one of a series of more than 50 workshops held in recent years in California school districts under the auspices of the Community Relations Service, which has mediated racial disputes in conflict situations nationwide since 1964.

Julian Klugman, the regional director for the Community Relations Service, said the service is trying to build relationships and initiate discussions before a crisis occurs.

At the end of last week’s discussions, a Long Beach school district official called on the school contingents to meet with their principals, “tinker with the structures” and submit school plans to district headquarters by the end of February.

She said the district will train personnel on March 13, and the nine-week conflict resolution courses will begin later, probably as electives.

One characteristic of the discussions was the participants’ willingness to concede that their own group’s attitudes do contribute to tensions.

Some participants expressed concern about a tendency by members of each ethnic or racial group to stick together.

“They group no matter what,” said one administrator. “If a black becomes friendly with a white, he’s characterized by others and there is pressure to move back to a black group.”

Intramural sports competition, however, is one way to break the isolation, some participants said.

Each group that met the first day was asked to prepare a priority list of problems.

Among the problems noted by teachers was that “kids are putting each other down with racial slurs,” “teachers are not sensitive to cultural issues,” “parents’ instructions to kids reflect bias,” “there is a lack of minority student achievement,” and there is “a need for minority teacher recruitment.”

Among the problems listed by students were “violence at home,” “pressure to join gangs,” “staying after school and walking home alone creates danger,” “weapons on campus,” “teachers picking on students,” and “sexual harassment.”

For each problem, the participants tried to come up with a solution. One solution for sexual harassment was, “Tell that person to stop and that you don’t like it. If that person doesn’t stop, tell the teachers, principals and counselors right away before it’s too late.”