By Nicole Achs Freeling
GreatSchools.net Correspondent
- Rash of School Violence Reported
- Burton Cuts Blamed on Poor Enrollment
- Programs for Deaf, Hearing-Impaired Detailed
- Board Supports Proposition 1D
Rash of School Violence Reported
School resource officers, the police officers assigned to schools, have been busy this year, responding to a rash of assaults and robberies, Lt. Colleen Fatooh, the resource officers' liaison with the district, told the S.F. school board last night.
There has been a wave of incidents in which students attack and beat another student while a classmate associated with the attackers records the incident on a cell phone camera, presumably for bragging rights. "We've had five or six this week alone," Fatooh said. But, she added, "At least these kids are getting caught so the victims aren't afraid to come to school." She also said there have been numerous iPod thefts and an increase in fights, especially among young women.
Providing the board with a breakdown of last year's arrests, Fatooh reported 219 arrests last year involving students on school grounds or traveling to and from school, mostly for robbery, battery, vandalism and aggravated assault. There have also been incidents of weapons possession. Forty-four percent of those arrested were African American, 8 percent were Latino, 6 percent were Asian, 9 percent were Caucasian and 13 percent were Pacific Islander.
The off-campus incidents largely occurred at bus stops and on Muni lines. Certain lines are particularly problematic, Fatooh said. These include the San Bruno Avenue corridor; the stop at 16th Street and Utah headed to Potrero Hill; the 47 line and Van Ness corridor; the 22 Fillmore bus; and the J Church line.
Commissioner Dan Kelly said he was concerned about the disconnect between the number of students arrested at school and the much lower number that came before the board for expulsion. He asked if the staff failing to take administrative action or the presence of officers raising the level of response to schoolyard fights.
Fatooh said officers had neither the time nor desire to arrest kids for schoolyard fights. "These are not little incidents. We've had a couple of kids go away in ambulances," she said. "When there's a clear aggressor and someone has to go to the hospital or is beaten up pretty bad, that's when an arrest is made."
Board member Mark Sanchez asked that the district look at how community-based organizations such as conflict resolution programs could work with the administrators and resource officers to address some of the less serious problems and reduce the reliance on police.
Burton Cuts Blamed on Poor Enrollment
Several teachers and programs were cut at Burton High School virtually overnight seven weeks into the school year, several Burton families reported. Students received notices yesterday that their schedules had been revised, some of their teachers moved to other schools and some of their programs eliminated, said Burton student Filmer Yu. Students arrived in class to find instructors they'd never seen before. Among the programs dropped was an orchestra that had grown to include some 150 kids, who would show up at 7 a.m., an hour before school began, to participate, Yu said. The instructor, who had shared time between Burton and Visitacion Valley Middle School, is now exclusively at Visitacion Valley.
Burton is one of 15 schools with enrollment well below what was projected in the spring. It is 254 students short of the number expected. District staff said making the projections was often difficult and was unclear on the reasons for the shortfall, other than that parents had chosen to go to different schools or to leave the district entirely.
Programs for Deaf, Hearing-Impaired Detailed
The district is implementing several programs for deaf and hearing-impaired students, according to a report presented by program administrator Pam Macy.
Among the goals are to developing a continuum of services for toddlers through 12th-graders who are deaf or hearing-impaired that will include magnet programs for these students. Magnet programs were launched this year at Cesar Chavez, Claire Lilienthal, and Lafayette elementary schools; Aptos and Lilienthal middle schools; and John O'Connell High School.
The department is also implementing a new toddler program for 18- to 36-month-olds, which opens October 2007 at Tule Elk Child Development Center. It is also looking to implement pre-K programs by next August, but the locations have not been identified.
Other goals include streamlining enrollment so students can access the magnet programs and recruiting staff trained to serve this population. The special education department will continue to hold quarterly meetings to gather input from parents. The next meetings are December 12; March 6, 2007; and June 5, 2007.
Board Supports Proposition 1D
The board approved a resolution in support of Proposition 1D, a $10.4 billion bond issue on the November ballot to provide funding to repair older California public schools and ease overcrowding. The proposition could provide almost $20 million of support for projects in SFUSD's 2003 bond program, as well as $30 million for the proposed 2006 bond program. Proposition 1D bond funds can be used for earthquake retrofits, playground safety, asbestos removal and updating old structures.
Comments