PITT COUNTY SCHOOLS SAW A 9 PERCENT INCREASE IN REPORTED CRIMINAL ACTS

Drug possession decreased the most of all criminal acts in Pitt
County Schools during the 2005-06 school year, according to an annual
report from the state Department of Public Instruction.

At the same time, total crime increased 9 percent for the same time
period which compared the last school year to the 2004-05 school year.

The number of incidents of drug possession in Pitt County Schools
went down nearly 19 percent from 112 acts in 2004-05 to 91 last school year.

However, there were 27 more criminal incidents ­ 324 ­ in 2005-06 than 2004-05.

Statewide, school crime increased by nearly 8 percent, compared with
the 2004-05 school year. A total of 10,959 school crimes were
reported last school year compared to 10,107 in 2004-05.

The report looks at 17 different types of crime in schools ranging
from student assault with a deadly weapon to student assault on school staff.

Most of the crime committed in schools happen because of respect
issues, but it's also "a reflection of what's going on in our society
and in our community," said Travis Lewis, director of student
services for Pitt County Schools.

School is still the safest place for students, said Mike Brown, East
Carolina University school psychology professor, who added children
are more likely to be killed or injured outside of school.

"The emphasis on large-scale shootings makes it seem that school
crimes such as those are much more common than they are," he said.

Crime By Type

Looking at the data by type of crime, possession of weapons was the
most reported criminal act in Pitt County schools last school year,
with 109 incidents. In contrast, the state's highest reported crime
this year was drug possession.

In Pitt County Schools, assault on school staff had the largest
increase of reported crimes from 2004-05 to last school year. It
jumped nearly 61 percent. It was 66 last school year and 41 in 2004-05.

The definition of an assault on staff is any assault that doesn't
appear to result in a serious injury, according to the state
Department of Public Instruction.

One example happened in April when a J.H. Rose student was accused of
pushing a teacher across a desk on to the floor. The incident was
reported to the Greenville Police Department.

However, the school system also records an incident such as a student
throwing a pencil at a teacher, said Lewis.

Emphasizing respect in the student code of conduct at the beginning
of the year is one way of addressing assaults against staff, said
Jesse Hinton, special assistant to the superintendent.

"Increasing that relationship between students and adults has a
direct impact on increasing safety," he said.
Groups of students have been making respect presentations at school
board meetings, Hinton added.

"Technology, such as cameras, can help, but the biggest help is going
to be developing and improving relationships between human beings," he said.

Respect is a two-way street, said Misty West, teen court counselor of
the Eastern Carolina Mediation Center.
Students need community and parental support and examples of better
relationships, she said.

Discipline needs to be viewed not only as punishment but as a way to
help kids learn how to behave differently and resolve conflict
peaceably, Brown, the psychology professor, said.

Most children who commit school crime are people who have been teased
or have experienced some kind of hostility based on a difference like
race or sexual orientation, he said.

Solutions

Recognizing where problems begin and why young people think criminal
acts can solve problems is where crime solving begins.

A lot of problems do not start in school but in neighborhoods and at
the bus stops, said Maggie Crandall, school programs coordinator of
the Eastern Carolina Mediation Center.

Bullying awareness also is a big part of preventing crime, said Lewis.

School guidance counselors and counselors from the East Carolina
Mediation Center make bullying presentations at schools.

There are a lot of kids being bullied and picked on, said Crandall,
who also works in the the school system.

"Some students are scared about losing, and what's the next best way
to scare someone off of you?" she said. Some young people see weapons
as the answer.

"From what I hear, students say, 'I have to take it into my own
hands,'" she said.

Mediation and counseling offer an alternative approach.

"We talk to them about why their communication is causing conflicts
in their life," said Crandall. "We listen and show respect."

Citizens United Against Violence, a group of citizens and public
agencies charged with preventing crime, is also taking measures to reach youth.

"If (bullying) is not addressed early, you may lose some kids," said
James Tripp, the organization's vice president and chief of the
Greenville Police Department's child support enforcement unit.

Most bullies end up becoming criminals, he said.

"We will continue efforts to break down the wall of communication and
get agencies to come together," Tripp said.

In the future, the group plans to offer crime prevention training to
bus drivers or workers in the cafeteria, he said.

The police department also is supporting GRIP, the Gang Resistant
Intervention Program, a year-round offering of positive activities
for children and teenagers, Tripp said. Blueprint for Peace is
another crime prevention program to help resolve issues between rival
gangs in the community and schools if they request it, he said.

On campuses, school resource officers operate a CrimeStoppers
program, where students can give anonymous tips about criminal
behavior and receive cash rewards, Lewis said.

Student groups such as Students Against Violence Everywhere and
Students Against Destructive Decisions promote anti-violence and
anti-crime activities, Lewis added.

Other Systems

Pitt County Schools fell to sixth in the state from fifth in 2004-05
in terms of schools with the highest number of crime. Its total
number of reported criminal acts in 2005-06 was higher than six other
school systems of similar size. The number of reported acts in those
schools ranged from 118 to 251. Pitt County reported 324 criminal acts.

The data in the school violence report reflect the school system's
accurate reporting, said Heather Mayo, spokeswoman for Pitt County Schools.

"If you looked at another school system's acts of crimes in a similar
size district, it may make you wonder if things were slipping through
the cracks," she said.

"Our report shows a strong indication of the effort put forth by our
staff to monitor, report and investigate incidents as they occur and
to potentially negate larger incidences from occurring," Mayo said.

The state requires each school system to keep its own reporting
method. Fulcrum Software Corporation is the computer-based system
that Pitt County Schools uses to report discipline incidents.

School administrators take the lead on investigating discipline
incidents and ultimately make the report to central office through Fulcrum.

In addition to reporting the 17 acts the state requires, Pitt County
Schools also tracks student characteristics such as race, gender, if
they're in special education classes, the person a student lives
with, the administrator who reported the act, if any physical force
was needed for restraint, number of days suspended and if an incident
was reported to law enforcement.

One School

J.H. Rose High School had the biggest decrease in criminal acts. It
had 38 reported crimes during the 2005-06 school year and 51 in the
2004-05 school year.

The school has a tough student code of conduct, said J.H. Rose
Principal George Frazier.

"We don't play," he said. Students understand the consequences of
their actions.

"They know what to expect from us in terms of discipline and
consequences and that acts against the code of conduct aren't going
to be tolerated," Frazier said. Student are comfortable talking with
staff and the school's two resource officers.

J.H. Rose had its first "lock down" spring 2005. It was a
crime-prevention strategy where Greenville Police Department officers
worked with Pitt County Schools to randomly search for drugs. During
the "lock down" no one is permitted to leave unless there is an emergency.

"As long as the students know (a lock down) can occur at any time, it
helps them control their own behavior," Frazier said.

It helps deter school crime, he said.