Violence Panel Resurrected In V’land Schools
It took a school brawl for the authorities to take notice, but at least they are taking a step in the right direction. The brawl happened on April 6 in the cafeteria of Vineland High School North. It resulted in several injuries and some arrests, prompting the Board of Education president, Frank Giordano to take action.
Giordano has called on key persons to get involved to resurrect a committee that will take a deeper look into the safety situation in schools under his jurisdiction. Included in his invitation are the Mayor, the Police Chief, the Superintendent of Schools, Security Director, Facilities Director, Student Transportation Coordinator, two high school principals, a district juvenile officer, two VHS security guards, and three other school board members. In assembling a committee together, they want to be able to assess the current safety program of the school district and to pinpoint areas which can use some improvement.
While I am not particularly impressed that they had to wait for a school brawl for them to start taking noticed, I feel some degree of relief that they are actually taking a step towards making their schools safer. The attitude of the people involved is also heartening. Mayor Robert Romano, for example, has expressed his willingness to take part in the initiative.
Another interesting point that Giordano has brought up is the idea that the school safety officers should be spread out among the schools according to skill level. He pointed out that the most experienced officers should not be concentrated in one school. This is a valid point as having all the best officers in one area simply means that there is a disparity in security level in different schools. Being able to balance this will somehow ensure a more standard level of safety throughout the whole district.
One thing that I noticed, however, is the lack of representation on the part of the parents and students. These people are also directly involved with the issue and I think that they will be able to bring something to the table. I have said it before and I will say it again, community involvement is crucial to a long lasting solution to the ever persistent problem of school safety. Perhaps the list of invitees is incomplete as of yet. Or maybe, they are planning to include other sectors of the community after the initial meetings. Who knows? But I sure hope they do.
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Posted on May 25th, 2009 by Deborah J Thomas
Filed under: Administrators, Fighting, Gangs, High School, K-6, News, People Involved, School Grade Level, School Safety Issues, Security, Violence
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