Schools Lax on Campus Weapons, Report Says

Ventura County schools aren’t doing enough to reduce the number of weapons on campus or to increase school safety, the grand jury reported Wednesday.

During the 1997-98 school year, 130 incidents of weapons possession and 13 assaults involving weapons occurred on campuses throughout the county, according to the report. In addition, 30% of students from six randomly chosen schools said they had seen a weapon on campus or heard comments about students bringing them to school.

Although the number of weapons possessions in the county dropped 11% over the last three school years, there was no change in the number of weapons assaults.

In addition to criticizing schools for having inadequate safety plans, the grand jury recommended that schools increase the number of psychologists and counselors to help identify troubled students. And they urged districts to evaluate their day and nighttime security.

The highest number of weapons possessions, 38, took place in the Oxnard Union High School District, followed by 24 in Ventura Unified.

The report did not give details about the incidents. But several districts said very few involved guns. In Conejo Valley, 15 of 16 incidents were with knives, and one was with a BB gun off campus. In Ventura, 23 incidents involved knives and one involved a gun.