NCJ Number
160486
Journal
Scholastic Update Dated: (February 11, 1994) Pages: 16-17
Date Published
1994
Length
2 pages
Annotation
School security and the prevention of violence at school are increasing concerns across the country and are being addressed by actions that include the use of metal detectors, alternative schools for students caught with weapons, and peer mediation programs.
Abstract
Students at Wingate High School in Brooklyn, N.Y. are randomly scanned with metal detectors and have their school bags x-rayed. Los Angeles schools have set up telephone hotlines so that students can confidentially report someone who brings a weapon to school. The proposed Safe Schools Act would provide Federal funds to local school districts specifically for improving school safety. However, many experts believe that the most effective approach to school safety comes from teaching students how to resolve conflicts peacefully through the model called peer mediation. Wingate High School established a peer mediation program in 1988. Student mediators learn methods to deflate small conflicts. Thirty-nine of the 40 cases mediated at the school since September 1993 have resulted in agreements that have been kept. The program's founder also notes that most students emerge from mediation with greater self-respect, because they were able to solve a problem in a mature way.