Valley Perspective : Valley Voices: A FORUM FOR CONTEMPORARY ISSUES : Suggestions for Safer Schools

In June the Los Angeles Task Force for Safe Schools had its first public meeting and heard suggestions from area residents and administrators on how to prevent school violence.

The five-member task force released its report on school safety Wednesday and submitted it to the governor, state Legislature and Los Angeles Board of Education.

PAMELA DAVEGA CARR asked a student, a counselor, a principal and a parent for recommendations on improving school safety.

JENNIFER BANIAN

Junior class president, John Burroughs High School, Burbank

I think schools should have less tolerance for kids who are continually destructive or causing problems, especially when they are not respecting other students. Schools should be less tolerant of violence too, maybe by having harsher rules and kicking out the kids who do really bad things.

I think metal detectors are a good idea because they would catch weapons coming onto school grounds. I’m not too crazy about the idea of uniforms. One of my other schools tried it and personally I don’t think they helped anything.

TRACY HOLCOMB

Family counselor, LAPD Foothill Division Jeopardy program

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I have given this a lot of thought, and there are two main things I have thought of. First would be having volunteer parents out on the street, before and after school, to be there as deterrents. Another idea is something like a safe house. Ultimately, there would be a house every few blocks where kids could run to, from gangs or predators, and be safe.

Uniforms have their purpose. Kids can’t dress like a gang member, and there would be no self-esteem problems for poor kids who don’t have nice clothes or expensive tennis shoes. It would also be good because baggy pants are easier to hide weapons in.

I would also like to see more officers around during school hours, but not in their patrol cars. I would like to see them actually walking the streets. Officers, parents and anyone who is willing to help patrol, because visibility acts as a deterrent.

GERALD KLEINMAN

Principal, Birmingham High School, Van Nuys

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I think the most important thing would be better training of administrators, campus aides and people who have anything to do with campus safety. It would be great to have a curriculum instead of just on-the-job training. It would be good to look at a model school and see what they do and borrow from them. Things like metal detectors or see-through book bags are only physical things, and they help, but training is most important.

Here at Birmingham we have installed cameras throughout the campus. During the day, even though we are not there physically, we can see what’s going on around campus. I think it has helped. It also deters vandalism at night because people tend to stay away from a campus that they know has cameras.

MINA TRIBBLE

Manicurist, Granada Hills

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I have two kids who will be starting high school soon and I have several suggestions. I think uniforms are a great idea. It takes a lot of peer pressure off and it keeps the gang clothing out of school.

At [my children’s] last school, they had teen impact classes, where they discuss teen issues like sex, guns and racism. They learn to communicate with each other better, and I think those really help.

Schools should do things like periodic locker checks and search the cars in the parking lot. I don’t think kids should even be allowed to drive until they are 18. That way parents have to take the time to drive them to school and they know they make it to school.

I think one of the biggest problems is lack of parent involvement. They need to get to know their kids and their friends, know where they are going, get to know teachers and be in things like the PTA. If a child is disruptive in school, then teachers need to call the parents directly, not send a note home. Notes can be intercepted. Then a parent should go to school and in class with them. That is what I used to do. Humiliation and embarrassment are things kids can understand. No kid wants to be embarrassed with a parent coming to school with them, so they will avoid having that happen.