Students are front- line in school safety

When a student brings a weapon to school, when a student threatens a teacher or a fellow student, other students must report it, Sisters High School Dean of Students Bob Macauley told a school safety forum on Thursday, April 22.

That's probably our best shot at prevention, he said.

The Safe Schools Alliance forum, scheduled in February took on a particular urgency in light of massacre perpetrated by two students in Littleton, Colorado on Tuesday, April 20.

Students performed skits depicting scenarios including harassment in the middle school, students pretending to have a knife to rob a jacket from another student at the high school, a middle school fight and a death threat made by a student against a teacher.

The student actors then outlined the consequences they faced for their actions - which, under Measure 11, can be harsh.

Teen offenders age 15 and older face minimum sentences of five years and 10 months in prison if convicted of violent crimes such as armed robbery, rape or assault. That means if a student injures another student's eye by hitting him with a book in a fight, he could go to jail for a long time, without a shot at early release.

That's how Measure 11 works, said School Resource Deputy Scott Shelton. The kids are having a really hard time understanding that.

Macauley noted that school discipline is a much more serious business than it used to be.

Times have changed, he said. Things that were handled out on the playground and they're told not to fight anymore are probably going to have some law enforcement involvement, he said.

Macauley acknowledged that a climate of police intervention and potential dire consequences for kids who get in trouble could encourage some students to use false reports as a way to harm fellow students whom they don't like.

According to Macauley, that hasn't happened in Sisters schools, but to counter the possibility school will investigate and corroborate reports before taking action such as an arrest.

However, Macauley said, we will err by moving forward... we will investigate.

Shelton and other officials acknowledged that it is difficult to encourage students to tell on others. He noted that students and staff have built a trusting relationship that makes students feel more comfortable coming forward when they feel it is important.

Shelton agreed at parents' urging to look into establishing a telephone tip line that would allow students to report suspicions without identifying themselves and exposing themselves to the anger of their peers.

Principal Tim Comfort explained the elementary school's efforts to intervene early to identify and work with students who exhibit anti-social behavior. The county-wide Special Friends mentoring program has been launched recently to reach out to children who are isolated and withdrawn.

The school also works hard to reinforce good behavior among its students.

The Safe Schools Alliance was formed in the wake of the Thurston High School shooting in Springfield, Oregon last year. It is designed to bring local school officials, mental health professionals, youth corrections personnel, law enforcement, parents and students together to prevent violence in the schools.