LOWER PROVIDENCE POLICE PUTTING OFFICER AT ARCOLA

LOWER PROVIDENCE - In an effort to reduce substance abuse and
anti-social behavior in Methacton School District, a police officer
will be assigned to Arcola Intermediate School this fall.

According to Lower Providence Police Department Chief Francis
Carroll, the department is eligible for a $63,700 grant from the
Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) that would
pay for the school resource officer.

Though the plan calls for basing an armed police officer at Arcola,
the Lower Providence officer would also be responsible for four
district elementary schools.

Methacton High School and Worcester Elementary School, which are
part of the Methacton School District, would not be served by the
planned Lower Providence school police officer because those two
schools are located in Worcester Township, which relies on the
Pennsylvania State Police for service.

Posting a police officer to Arcola, which is the largest
intermediate school in Montgomery County with 1,340 students, is not
intended as a punitive measure but is aimed at staying ahead of
problems, Carroll said.

"The main focus is for prevention and education," he said.

Besides being alert to illegal drug use, the school resource officer
would work with school officials to prevent student bullying and
help resolve conflicts, Carroll said.

According to an analysis drafted by Carroll justifying the need for
a school officer, beginning in 1999, after the school district noted
the "emergence of certain behaviors with respect to substance
abuse," Methacton contracted with Rocky Mountain Behavioral Science
Institute to administer The American Drug and Alcohol Survey. The
school population was surveyed during the 1999-2000 school year.

The survey's findings were cause for concern, according to the
police chief's analysis, which showed that the average Arcola
school's eighth graders reported first using alcohol and drugs at an
earlier age than seniors at Methacton High School.

According to the survey results, Methacton 12th graders reported
first getting drunk at 14.6 years of age; Arcola eighth graders at
11.7 years old. This is nearly three years younger than the seniors surveyed.

The Arcola eighth graders also reported trying marijuana and
inhalants at a younger age than the high school seniors.

The Student Assistance Program, which is administered by
Pennsylvania's Department of Education in conjunction with other
state agencies, is designed to assist school personnel in
identifying students with drug and alcohol problems, or mental
health conditions that contribute to poor academic performance.

During the 2004-2005 school year, 20 Arcola Intermediate School
students were referred to SAP, according to the township analysis.
During that same year, 92 Methacton High School students were
referred to the program.

During the 2004-05 school year, Methacton school administrators
issued 887 student referrals for disciplinary action. This does not
include students disciplined in class by teachers. The referrals
resulted in 234 days of suspension.

School violence data

Pennsylvania school districts are required to report annually on
incidents of violence and weapons possession.

At Methacton School District, incidents included threats to students
and teachers, student assaults, fighting, theft, ethnic
intimidation, sexual harassment and weapons possession at school,
according Carroll's study.

The school district shows a slight drop in violent incidents since
2003. During the 2003-04 school year, there were 57 incidents
reported. For the 2004-05 school year, the figure was 45.

In Pennsylvania schools, violent incidents and weapons possessions
have risen since 2002, according to Violence and Weapons Possession
in Pennsylvania's Schools report published a year ago.

During the 2002-03 school year, a total of 1,728 knives were
reported; in 2003-04, there were 2,030. Firearms rose from 47 to 73
during this same period.

Aggravated assaults on school staff increased from 2,365 to 2,839.
Total arrests rose from 4,841 to 5,245 in that time.

While gang activity is not prevalent in Lower Providence, Carroll's
paper said, "changing demographics" in the surrounding areas
increased police awareness about gang activity, "with particular
concern in the area of female gangs and ethnic gangs."

In 2001, 29 current and former Methacton district students were
arrested after a melee in a public park that resulted in a stabbing
of one individual and the beating and bludgeoning of several others.
The combatants wielded "tire irons, baseball bats, knives, Samurai
swords and daggers," according to the chief's report.

Carroll said the police three-year grant, which requires a 25
percent match from the municipality, still must be approved by PCCD
and the township Board of Supervisors. However, he is confident the
plan has solid support and anticipates it would be approved by the
township Board of Supervisors July 1.

"This is a program that's been successful across the country," he said.

The school officer program goals call for reducing bullying and
suspensions by 10 percent, and school substance abuse by five percent.

The planned officer would work closely with child welfare agencies,
Juvenile Probation officers, Methacton Youth Aid Panel, Methacton
Safe Schools Committee and the Methacton Safe and Drug Free Schools
Community Advisory Council.

The anticipated school officer would be picked from the current
ranks of the police department, Carroll said, and a new police
officer would be hired as a replacement on the regular force.

"We'd like it to be a smooth transition," he said.