O.C. Schools Safer Than Most in State

Orange County public schools once again proved to be safer than most schools statewide, according to crime statistics for the 1999-2000 school year released Wednesday by the state Department of Education.

For the fifth year in a row, the annual California Safe Schools Assessment, a survey of crime reported by school districts statewide, shows that Orange County schools reported lower rates of drug and alcohol offenses, battery, assault with a deadly weapon, robbery, sex offenses, weapons possession and property crimes compared to the state as a whole.

“We’re very pleased with the report, but until we get to zero, we’re going to keep working on it,” said John F. Dean, county superintendent of schools. “Probably the best part about it to me is seeing the decrease in crimes against persons, because this indicates the kids are getting along better in schools.”

In Orange County, the rates of battery and assault with a deadly weapon both dropped significantly; there were very slight increases in robbery and sex offense rates, not enough to offset improvements in other areas.

Those numbers stood in stark contrast to the statewide figures. Crimes against people, including assault with a deadly weapon and battery, increased 17% last year and were the most frequent type of crime reported in California schools, the report said.

But in Orange County schools, it was property crimes, which include vandalism, theft, burglary, graffiti and arson, that led all categories with 3.29 incidents per 1,000 students. Statewide, the rate was 4.28.

Drug and alcohol-related crimes amounted to 2.55 incidents per 1,000 students in Orange County, compared with 4.03 statewide.

Battery, in which an aggressor intended to harm a victim who did not fight back, was the third-highest type of crime reported in Orange County--1.49 incidents per 1,000 students, less than half the rate statewide. (Fights are not included.)

Possession of weapons dipped slightly in Orange County schools, to 0.55 per 1,000 compared from 0.62 the year before. Statewide, the latest weapons-possession rate was 1.14.

Santa Ana Unified School District had the most reports for weapons possession (51) and reported six assaults with a deadly weapon. But Santa Ana also is the county’s largest school district.

Anaheim City School District, which reported eight incidents of weapons possession in its 23 elementary schools, had the most assaults with a deadly weapon: 12.

“Obviously, we’re concerned with the numbers, but we’re also convinced that we’re overreporting,” said Suzi Brown, the district’s public information officer. “We had stressed to our principals how important it is to be accurate and to report [such incidents], but we can’t help but wonder if we’ve gone overboard.”

Brown said the 12 “weapons” involved in the assaults included a yardstick, a stapler, scissors, pencils, rocks and a knife. None of the attacks, she said, met the state’s definition of bodily harm. She said the district plans to ask the state for training for all its principals so that reporting is accurate and consistent.

Orange County schools reported 1,591 property crimes with a loss to districts of $611,411.

Santa Ana Unified reported 263 property crimes for a total loss of $58,753. But Garden Grove Unified, which reported 136 property crimes, was the biggest financial loser, with a loss of $107,367.

Anaheim Union High School District had the most drug and alcohol offenses, followed by Huntington Beach Union High School District, Fullerton Joint Union High School District and Capistrano Unified School District.

Bob Montenegro, Safe Schools director for the Anaheim Union High School District, attributes the spike in drug and alcohol offenses to 206 from 160 two years ago to a possible “slight increase” in drug involvement and the fact that the district has added 1,000 students.

“But I think primarily it’s [increased] reporting,” he said. “Our district does a lot in training staff on identifying and looking for things relative to students who may be under the influence or in possession.”

He said they also have a districtwide hotline so students or community members can report drugs or weapons on campus. And, he said, they have a variety of programs, such as Character Counts, that encourage students to take responsibility for maintaining a safe school environment.

“And because of that,” he said, “we get students who will tell a staff member about any other student who may have a weapon or drugs or are going to be in a fight.”

On a statewide level, property crimes such as vandalism and theft, which had been the most frequent type of crime in previous years, and drug and alcohol offenses, increased slightly--possibly due to more reporting, a department official said.

“We do believe that our schools are pretty safe havens,” said Doug Stone, spokesman for the department. “They tend to be the safest institutions in the communities in which they reside.”

But with battery statewide reaching a rate of 3.88 incidents per 1,000 students, the highest of any type of crime, school safety officials expressed concern. “There seems to be a continuing impulsiveness with regard to assault, not only in schools here in California, but around the country,” said Ron Stephens, executive director for the National School Safety Center in Westlake. With about 490,000 kindergarten through 12th grade students in some 600 public schools in Orange County, Dean said the key to having safe schools is prevention.

“We’re very much working in concert with the districts and the schools and the communities on some of these problems,” he said, “so that collaboration is really the secret to increasing safe schools.”

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School Crime

Most crimes at Orange County schools during the 1999-2000 school year were non-violent in nature.