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Youth in the NewsVolume 3, Number 3, February 1-15, 2008Contents STATE WATCH
ARTICLES OHIO During National Teen Dating Violence Prevention and Awareness Week local activists and volunteers are getting the word out that dating violence is a problem in Knox County, as well. According to United States Senate Resolution 388, which designated the week, one in three teenage girls in a dating relationship has feared for her safety; one in two teenagers in a serious relationship has compromised personal beliefs to please a partner; one in five reports having been hit, slapped or pushed by a partner; and 27 percent of teenagers have been in a dating relationship in which a partner has engaged in name-calling and disrespect. “We want to spread awareness, to get the word out about the problem, and then go from there,” said Joan Stallard, chairwoman of the DELTA Project advisory committee. She noted that 2008 is just the second year that a week was so designated, and that DELTA hopes to have a Youth Advisory Council, made up of high school students, in place next year to help plan presentations and activities. “It’s an issue that is really under the radar,” said Judi Moseley, DELTA Project coordinator. “You see domestic violence with adults, but it’s not as obvious with teens.” To help curb the growing problem of teen dating violence, the Liz Claiborne company of New York created educational materials, compiled statistics and launched a Web site at www.loveisnotabuse.com. At www.loveisrespect.org, teenage couples can read, discuss, print out and sign together the Dating Bill of Rights, which has two components. Teen Dating Bill of Rights and Pledge I pledge to: “I Have a Right To” includes refusing a date, suggesting activities, having one’s own feelings and expressing them, being heard, refusing affection or sex, and having friends aside from partners. “I Have the Responsibility To” includes determining one’s own limits and values, communicating, not violating the limits of others, being considerate and setting high goals for oneself. The Claiborne company also publishes “A Parent’s Handbook: How to Talk to Your Children About Developing Healthy Relationships.” It begins: “It’s tricky business raising pre-teens these days. The good news is you have kids that mature earlier, are more independent and have access to the greatest quantity and quality of information ever available. The bad news is you have kids that mature earlier, are more independent and have access to the greatest quantity and quality of information ever available. It is with this contradiction in mind that we decided to create this booklet.” “Dating violence has been a concern for parents for generations,” said Stallard. “But things are different now. The problem isn’t new, but it is more complex. Parents need to educate themselves about the potential misuse of cell phones and the Internet. They can’t afford to ignore it. Those two things alone have changed the landscape.” A survey of teens age 13 to 18, conducted by Teenage Research Unlimited, found that dating abuse via technology is a serious problem. Boyfriends and girlfriends spreading rumors about their partners on cell phones and social networking sites is considered a serious problem by 71 percent of the surveyed teenagers, and 68 percent said they considered their partners sharing private or embarrassing photos of them on cell phones and computers a serious problem. The survey found that nearly one in four teens who are in a relationship communicate with their partner by cell phone or texting on an hourly basis between midnight and 5 a.m. One in three said they are texted 10 to 30 times an hour by a partner who is engaging in what has become known as cyber-stalking and cyber-bullying. The survey also noted that 67 percent of parents are unaware their child is checked on up to 30 times a day, 82 percent are unaware their child is e-mailed or texted up to 30 times an hour, and 67 percent were unaware their child (one in five) is asked to engage in sexual acts by cell phone, e-mail, instant messaging or texting when they did not wish to do so. The Family Violence Prevention Fund refers to teen dating violence as epidemic. The Liz Claiborne company states that “Cell phones and Internet have become weapons of teen dating abuse.” The Ohio Department of Health plans to conduct a Youth Risk Behavior Survey of school children and youth this year. “At the very least, the very least,” said Stallard, “a good night’s sleep is no longer part of teenagers’ lives. What’s happening is harassment. Our goal as concerned women is to try to protect our children, both boys and girls.” Moseley noted that although nearly 66 percent of parents believe their child would tell them if they suffered dating abuse, only 33 percent of teens have talked to anyone about what is happening to them. Stallard and Moseley recommend talking honestly with young people, and watching for warning signs. Signs include behavior changes, isolation from friends, changes in attitude or depression. “Talk to your teen,” said Stallard. “Ask questions, ask ‘do you receive threatening messages, do you feel safe?’ Then listen. Do this before the problems occur. Ask the questions at a time that isn’t high stress. The best work that is done is face to face, eye to eye and heart to heart.” In a press release issued last year about the new Lindsey Ann Burke Act (Burke was murdered by an abusive ex-boyfriend) in Rhode Island — which mandates schools teach about teen dating violence every year from seventh through 12th grades — Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch said, “Providing our teenagers with information that enables them to recognize the warning signs of unacceptable behavior, whether insidious or overt, in themselves or others, is a vital step toward curbing dating violence.” “It’s in the best interest of all of us to prevent dating violence and to address it when it happens,” said Moseley. “This is a problem that will not go away if we ignore it,” said Stallard. “It will get worse.” Teens in need of help are encouraged to call New Directions Shelter at 397-HELP (4357) or the Teen Dating Hotline (toll free) at 866-331-9474. Moseley and Stallard also encourage teens to speak to a school counselor, a trusted friend, teacher or minister. 
TEXAS For one in every five teens in a serious relationship, the euphoric excitement of dating has taken an unexpected turn as they come face-to-face with being slapped or pushed by a partner. The face of dating violence is often associated with adult victims, but the harsh reality is this violent act is seeping into teenage relationships, many times unnoticed by parents. February 4-9 is National Teen Dating Violence Awareness Week. The Allstate Foundation in Texas and The Family Place are encouraging parents, teachers and teens to recognize the warning signs of teen dating violence this week and every week. Breaking the Cycle North Texas teens marked the start of National Teen Dating Violence Awareness Week by performing a teen-to-teen safe dating skit on Monday. These teen leaders serve as ambassadors for the Students Tackling Abusive Relationships Together program, helping their peers recognize that an abusive or controlling relationship is not acceptable. "Exposure to violence is an unfortunate reality in our schools today," said Kate Dodd, Family Place Director of Youth Education and Prevention Services. "Many times the violence experienced in a dating relationship is normalized, and often bystanders, including parents, teachers, and friends do not know how to respond. The Family Place START Program teaches students how to be courageous bystanders to prevent teen dating violence and family violence from occurring." Alarming statistics indicate that for many teens, dating violence is not simply a lesson they're learning in school, it's one of life's long-tests they'll have to overcome. Three out of four of Texas youth (ages 16-24) say they have personally experienced dating violence or know someone who has, according to a 2006 survey conducted by the Texas Council on Family Violence. "If parents, teens and other caring adults are watching for the dating violence warning signs, they will help save teens who have fallen into an abusive relationship," said Janemarie Clark, Allstate Texas Foundation Manager. "While on the surface some signs may appear harmless, they may signal that the relationship is not completely healthy." Know the Signs
Finding Help For teens in abusive relationships, the first step to a healthy life is to reach out to a family member, counselor, teacher, or a friend. The National Teen Dating Violence Hotline (1-866-331-9474), which operates 24 hours a day, 365 days out of the year, can also be a confidential source of help for teens. The Allstate Foundation is one of the founding financial sponsors of the hotline. Teens can also call The Family Place hotline at (214) 941-1991 for 24-hour crisis counseling and information. The Family Place is the largest family violence service provider in the Dallas area reaching out to thousands of victims of family violence each year with award-winning programs that keep women and children safe. For 29 years, The Family Place's mission to end the epidemic of family violence has remained constant. Established in 1952, The Allstate Foundation is an independent, charitable organization made possible by subsidiaries of The Allstate Corporation. The Allstate Foundation partners with non-profit organizations on community initiatives that promote "safe and vital communities," "tolerance, inclusion, and diversity" and "economic empowerment." Teen driving and empowering victims of domestic violence have been priorities for the Foundation since 2005. SOURCE The Allstate Foundation
ARKANSAS A youth organization in Benton is concerned about a serious problem — teen dating violence. In keeping with this concern, the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council is sponsoring Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week. Mayor Rick Holland has issued a proclamation officially designating this week for the observance. Tables have been set up in the Benton High School cafeteria for the youth council members to distribute literature on the issue,including material provided by Safe Haven, the local shelter for domestic violence victims, said Angela Ross, one of the youth council’s advisers. “They will be distributing information during all of the lunch periods at the school today and Thursday, and we’ve provided Mr. Dedman (John Dedman, school principal), with a DVD from Break the Cycle, another facility that deals with this problem,” Ross said Candace Chandler of the youth council is chairing the task force that has worked on this issue for two years, Ross noted. The material the youth will be distributing includes copies of the Dating Bill of Rights, which states: "I have a right to: I have the responsibility to: The mayor’s proclamation notes that teen dating violence is a reality for many teenagers and an issue that many parents are unaware of. It points out that dating violence can be physical, sexual or verbal and nearly one in five teenagers in a serious relationship has reported being slapped, pushed, hit, threatened or coerced by a partner. The proclamation notes that city officials recognize the dangers of teen dating violence and support the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council and other organizations that work to educate and advocate on behalf of these victims. Elimination of teen dating violence must be achieved through cooperation of individuals, organizations and communities, the proclamation notes. The observance itself “provides an excellent opportunity for citizens to learn more about preventing teen dating violence and to show support for the numerous organizations and individuals that provide critical advocacy, services and assistance to victims,” according to the proclamation. The proclamation also points out that the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council has worked in conjunction with the Saline County Safe Haven Domestic Violence Angel Training program to further educate themselves and others about teen dating violence. Holland encouraged all residents to join in supporting the efforts of the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council to educate their peers on the subject “so as to put an end to this form of abuse.”
ILLINOIS While he was growing up in Chicago’s Northwest and South sides, it was normal for Geno to see people getting shot and dealing drugs. The son of the founder of a prominent gang in Chicago, Geno, who is now 37 and under house arrest after being released from prison last August, was born into gang life and has been through horrors. Geno has been in prison three times for drug charges, was shot in the back and the arm, stabbed twice in his leg and arm and was almost kidnapped. Hundreds of his buddies are dead from suicides, bullets or overdoses. Geno knew he had to change, but the realization came when his sister was fatally shot six years ago at a nightclub in Chicago. He couldn’t take waking up in the night covered in a cold sweat. He couldn’t believe he was still alive. Not only was he committed to getting out of gang life and changing himself, he is now dedicated to helping others, stopping youth from joining gangs, and is planning his own program: To Reach Urban Children Everywhere. “My goal is to go to young kids, tell them the money, the drugs, the girls, it’s not cool,” he said, adding he wants to write a book. “I would like to start a crusade for free to help kids, provide them a place to go when things are bad, or not bad, let them talk about problems instead of keeping it all inside so they know someone is there for them and there’s help.” Talking to children in schools to warn them of the dangers of gang life is an important part of prevention, said Magdalena Pagan, the director of the violence prevention initiative at Alliance of Local Service Organization in Humboldt Park and Logan Square. Churches and after-school programs also help keep children off the streets without the intimidation of the law. Other programs that target an older population and educate with a “been there, done that, it’s not worth it, and I’m going to help you” message also helps. Ceasefire, the now-defunct organization whose goal is to reduce shootings, hired ex-convicts and retired gang members to reach the at-risk youth without a police presence. Even though the program technically hasn’t existed since its funding was cut, the outreach workers are still volunteering. The unconventional and proactive prevention tactics from the unexpected advocates of peace do help reduce violence, they say, and those techniques the organizations employ work better than the rounding ’em up and kicking them out strategies police tend to use. But police are important because they pick up the pieces after a crime is committed. “Those harassing techniques [police have], I give low marks for keeping kids out of gangs,” said the Rev. Tom Terrell. His church, Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church in Albany Park, sponsors a tutoring program after school and a weekly basketball night so kids can have a place to go. Terrell said he always put his efforts into helping the community’s children and realized how much was needed after one of the regulars at basketball night was gunned down near his church almost three years ago. He said that although constructive programming works better for prevention, communities need law enforcement. “Outreach workers have a different form of communication, and [the at-risk youth] needs outreach to keep them from crossing the line, but when they do cross that line, we need police to do their jobs,” Pagan said. Shootings in communities with Ceasefire outreach have decreased an average of 42 percent from 1999 to 2005. Overall, shootings in Chicago decreased from 4,038 in 1999 to 1,667 in 2005. “[Police] realize it’s better for a crime not to be committed, then for them to work it,” said James Highsmith, the deputy director of mediation services at the Chicago Project for Violence Prevention, located on the city’s South Side. “They respectfully let us do our job.” The message former rival gang members send by promoting peace in a community they once terrorized is very “unconventional and powerful,” and proves to be a crucial prevention tactic on the streets, Pagan said. “Violence has got to stop,” Geno said. “The experts [won’t stop it]. Someone who has the experience can.” Lindsay Hyland, who used to work at Ceasefire as a consultant, said using those people is totally unconventional and effective because at-risk youth can relate better and will listen to someone who has been there. But she said it is a weird balance because the outreach workers’ names have to be well-known in the community or they will have no influence. “We use our unique abilities to talk to guys similar to me. My caliber and qualifications are different from most groups out here,” said Highsmith, who spent four years in prison. “Our job is very necessary because most of us had been our target population and had a chance to change.” Geno said he can reach the youth and prove how unglamorous gang life is. “Average gang member doesn’t make it past 21,” he said. He wants to give these youths something that his friends never had, just as Ceasefire’s reformed after-dark workers want to give back. “The first 10 years in prison, I was really angry,” said Alex Olivera, an outreach worker at the Humboldt Park/Logan Square Ceasefire, who also does charity work like food and toy drives. “But the second 10 years, I came down off the rush and realized this wasn’t the life I wanted. I don’t give back because I have nothing better to do, I give back because I’ve taken so much.” When Olivera was a boy, he used to love school, but he had no one to show off his grades to; his father died when he was a baby, his mother worked second shift and his older brothers didn’t care about his grades. By the time he was 11 years old, he was hanging out on Humboldt Park corners and was embraced by gang members who told him they loved him, they were his brothers and that they would die for him. Olivera started a 20-year prison sentence when he was 15 on charges of first-degree gang-related murder. Like Geno, he knew he needed to help break the cycle of perpetual violence in communities. “A lot of the younger generation think people who come back from prison are almost a hero, but what they don’t realize is how awful prison was,” said Pagan, who used to sit at her window and watch the gangs in her Humboldt Park neighborhood shoot at each other every day. To hear these influential gang members’ stories totally challenges how they think about violence, Pagan said, and teaching them it’s not an acceptable or normal behavior, is crucial to reducing violence and stopping youths from joining gangs. “These kids get shot because of their lifestyle,” Olivera said, adding that if his clients come to him wanting to hurt someone, he tells them they could, but tells them to first imagine their mother crying and screaming at their funeral. He tells them of a cousin of one of his clients who got shot seven times in the back. The victim’s mother lined her hallway leading up to her bedroom with pictures of her dead son. Prevention works best at a young age. Geno, who said gangs are recruiting kids as young as 7, wants to target young kids before the gangs do. Terrell’s and other constructive community program give school-aged youths a place to go so they don’t spend afternoons on the streets. Ceasefire works with the ones others have given up on. “We deal with the worst of the worst of the worst,” Pagan said. The outreach workers work shifts from the early evening until midnight or 2 a.m. and find dangerous corners to talk to the high-school dropouts who are already in gangs. “We’re never going to be able to remove the gangs,” Pagan said, “but I think if gangs can still exist and not kill each other, then we’ve made progress.” Terrell will keep his programs going for as long as he can. And, as for Geno, all he wants is to give youths a chance to grow up and to help them avoid the terrible things he has seen. “Why would you want to spend the rest of your life listening to someone else?” Geno said. “I want to show kids there is hope and there are good decisions they can make. I want them to know there is a way out. Hopefully, it will make a difference.”
MARYLAND The red jail album was down from the shelf, and Donte Barksdale fingered its glossy pages. He looked into the eyes of East Baltimore brothers sent to prison. Some were still there, others were back on the streets. Too many had become statistics in the city's grim homicide tally. "Lance got killed right after the All-Star Game," Barksdale said, as if announcing the weather, to a half-dozen men gathered in a rowhouse on Monument Street. For Barksdale and the others, it was a fate they once felt powerless to escape. They were foot soldiers and lieutenants in the drug game, and in a city where the No. 1 cause of death for people ages 14 to 24 is homicide, they were waiting for their number to be called. Now they are soldiers of another kind. Tired of the corner life, sick of the murders, and desperate for their children to grow up in a better place, they have signed on with Operation Safe Streets, a Baltimore Health Department program that hires ex-offenders to stop the shootings in their own neighborhood. "It's gonna take [guys] like us in the 'hood," Barksdale, 33, was saying to a young man he met on Monument Street last week, not far from the Safe Streets office, pressing a flier into the youth's hand. "The police can't do it. It's impossible." Safe Streets, modeled on similar programs that have shown promise in other cities, began last June in McElderry Park, an East Baltimore neighborhood just blocks from the Johns Hopkins medical campus, rife with open-air drug markets and controlled by the Bloods gang. More than a quarter of the homes are vacant; about one-third of the residents live below the poverty line. Pounding pavement Sometimes the workers sort out fights and disputes they come upon while on the streets. Other times they are called for help. When one of the clients was threatened by a rival gang, the workers invited the warring parties to the office. Thirty people crowded into the program's rowhouse, talked it out and agreed not to harm one another. Putting out brushfires Operation Safe Streets is a replica of a Chicago program called CeaseFire, which has led to double-digit reductions in shootings and homicides since it began in 2000. The Baltimore results, though preliminary, are drawing attention. In a remarkable scene last week, academic researchers with advanced degrees visited the Monument Street office to listen to the outreach workers - guys without high school diplomas - explain their work. A 'duty to teach' Carter knows. He grew up in McElderry, raised by a single mother. More than once, he came home from school to find his family's belongings on the street. He wasn't long for school, anyway. He says he's a natural leader and a manipulator. "I was trouble," he said. "I'm the one who introduced people to the game." His adult record includes arrests for assault, drug possession and firearms possession. Though slight at 5-foot-8 and 145 pounds, Carter was respected on the street. But he got tired of the revolving door of prison, tired of the same old 'hood conversations, tired of wondering if he'd reach his next birthday. "I could name fallen soldiers who could fill a tennis court," said Carter, now 31. In prison in 2002, he came across the Book of Job and was inspired to change. He signed on with Safe Streets last summer. Now, he says, gang members flash him the peace sign when he canvasses the neighborhood with his message of change. Progress, though, comes fitfully. Last Wednesday night, shortly after 10 o'clock, a man was shot in the leg in McElderry Park. The outreach workers responded to the scene and tried to calm the community. When there is a shooting, Safe Streets responds with a march, vigil, barbecue or in some other way to let people know that violence will be met with action - not the silence that has been the norm. Two weeks ago, a man was shot two blocks outside the McElderry Park target area, close enough that Safe Streets took notice. A few nights later, a dozen people marched to the shooting site, sang songs and prayed. "How ya doin'?" Jerrod Lewis said to a woman who came to her door to see what the fuss was. As the program's violence prevention coordinator, Lewis works with community groups and organizes responses to shootings. He gave the woman a flier. "I'm Jerrod Lewis from Safe Streets," he told her. "You hear about the shooting here? A person died, and we're just saying, 'Enough is enough.'" The marchers waved "Stop the Shooting!" signs in the middle of the street and chanted until a police cruiser pulled up. A cop got out and asked what they were up to. "You guys are free to go about your business," the officer said, "as long as it's peaceful." Safe Streets' relationship with law enforcement is delicate. To maintain their credibility, the outreach workers do not want to be associated with the police. (They agreed to walk their neighborhood with a reporter and photographer only once, fearing that the community would think they were working with undercover cops.) They stress that their job is not to report crimes, and they do not give information to the police. Instead, they offer alternatives. Besides helping people find jobs and earn GEDs, they organize movie screenings, basketball games, barbecues and other activities to build relationships and keep kids off the corners. One Friday last fall, Safe Streets partnered with Amazing Grace Church for a night of dance contests and rapping. About 250 people showed up. "And it was peaceful, which doesn't always happen at outdoor events in this neighborhood," said the church's pastor, the Rev. Karen Brau, who has worked in McElderry for 18 years. She said Safe Streets makes the neighborhood feel cared for in a way it hasn't for a long time. "People are hungry for peace," she said. "I think this group is hugely important in allowing peace to permeate in people's lives in a way that people are longing for." The Health Department has asked the Johns Hopkins Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence to evaluate the program. "We know the idea is a good idea, and it should work," said Phil C. Leaf, the center's director. But the study, due in December, could confirm that. Expansion on horizon Wherever the money comes from, Tard Carter will continue his mission. He recently heard from a client who had been robbed of his marijuana stash. The client wanted to confront the thief. Carter tracked down the thief - another dealer - who said that he was the one who had been robbed. A crowd gathered. Carter took the dealer and his client to a side street and talked to them. He appealed to them to act like men, not boys high on emotion. Violence was averted when the thief's gang agreed to reimburse Carter's client. "Is it really that serious that you want to kill a dude over a couple bags of marijuana?" Carter asked. Everyone wants peace, he said. Sometimes they just need help getting there.
CALIFORNIA Calling it, “A time for action…now,” City Controller Laura Chick released her wide ranging and highly anticipated Blueprint on ending gang violence. “During the last two decades, there have been countless studies, reports, consultants, City Council ad-hoc committees, new programs and hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars spent to stem the gang crisis. And what do we have to show for it? The recent in-depth Advancement Project study painted a grim picture, which my report echoes, of a disjointed maze of services that don't reach the intended “at risk” youth population,” said City Controller Chick. “Now what? It is important to note what my report does not say. There is no call for immediate new dollars, but there is a plan spelled out on how to spend the money more wisely and efficiently. New programs are not advocated, but rather the redesign, refocus and merging of existing programs is proscribed,” said Chick. “The report does not recommend the creation of a new department with additional layers of bureaucracy, but directs the creation of the Anti-Gang Office which will operate directly under the Mayor. This will be a centralized, empowered entity that has the oversight and responsibility of our many anti-gang efforts. To ensure public transparency, the City Controller’s Office will issue status reports beginning six months from today, along with conducting periodic fiscal and performance audits,” said Chick. "Controller Laura Chick's blueprint underscores the importance of the multi-faceted and coordinated approach we are employing around the State, with a focus on intervention, suppression and prevention in reducing gang activity and violence. I applaud her commitment, joined by Mayor Villaraigosa and other city officials, to enact a comprehensive, citywide anti-gang strategy," said California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. “I fully embrace the Controller’s report and am committed to working with our partners on the City Council to implement the kind of coordination and accountability necessary for success,” said Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. "This plan gives us the accountability, transparency and focus that we have been waiting for. We now have a road map for how we can finally end gang violence in Los Angeles," said Councilwoman Janice Hahn. "As Controller Chick, Connie Rice and many others have pointed out, our gang prevention and intervention system is broken. We need more accountability, more transparency and more effectiveness -- to ensure we are spending the public's money wisely; but even more importantly, to save the lives of the at-risk youth in our neighborhoods,” said City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo. "I commend Controller Chick in her effort to help the City and County with their approach to solving the gang problem. This is a good report, and it has my full support," said Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca. "The Controller's analysis is a welcome next step for how the City should proceed to end the youth gang homicide epidemic, which still exists in the City's hot zones despite record reductions in crime. The message from this report is that the City has to consolidate its efforts and document the results of reducing gang membership and gang violence, and increasing child safety in the hot zones. The City now has two reports indicating what needs to be done to get substantial reductions in gang violence and to increase the impact of the Mayor's office, the City Council's Ad Hoc Committee, and other City entities' current efforts to reverse this epidemic." -Connie Rice, Co-Director of the Advancement Project "The LA Controller's call for a comprehensive and collaborative anti-gang strategy, with clear accountability, will allow the City of Los Angeles to take a quantum-leap in its approach to reducing gang violence," said Paul Seave, California's State Director of Gang and Youth Violence Policy. Need to Know-To view the report, go to the Controller’s web site at www.lacity.org/ctr and click on “audits, reports and correspondence”.
IDAHO Idaho lawmakers ponder bill to allow concealed weapons at colleges February 6, 2008 by Simon Shifrin, Associated Press Idaho lawmakers are considering a bill that would strip the authority that administrators at public universities and community colleges have in keeping their campuses free of concealed weapons. A bill introduced in the state Senate on Wednesday would require the State Board of Education to set rules allowing concealed weapons on campuses, as long as permit holders first notify school administrators. Debate on the bill comes at a time when lawmakers in at least six other states have introduced legislation to loosen firearms restrictions by allowing students, staff or faculty to carry concealed weapons on campuses, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Supporters say the measures are inspired, at least in part, by a student movement that's emerged in the wake of the shooting spree at Virginia Tech last April, in which a student killed 32 people before committing suicide. Since then, the Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, which now counts more than 10,000 members, has been pushing states to open up concealed weapons laws at colleges and universities as a way of allowing people to react to violence. Many states forbid holders of concealed weapons permits from carrying weapons on school campuses. In states where the decision is left to the universities, most schools prohibit the weapons. So far, Utah is the only state with a law that allows concealed weapons on public university campuses. Kentucky, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington are all considering similar laws. Within days of the Virginia Tech shootings, University of Idaho engineering student Aled Baker started a Students for Concealed Carry on Campus chapter. Now with more than 130 members, the group played an active role in persuading GOP lawmakers to introduce a bill to prevent school administrators from restricting concealed weapons on campus. "Virginia Tech was a primary example of why we need to allow people the right to defend themselves," Baker, a junior who helped write the bill, told The Associated Press on Wednesday. "The discussion started among myself and my peers," he said. "We were saying, 'That's ridiculous what happened.' And we could have mitigated the situation, reduced the number of deaths. You can't always prevent these things. You could maybe cut down on them." Sen. Curt McKenzie, R-Nampa, agreed to sponsor the bill, which was introduced in the Senate State Affairs Committee. The bill also has the blessing of the National Rifle Association. "The creation of a gun-free zone is not going to stop terrible things from happening within those zones any more than laws against murder are going to stop murder," Brian Judy, the NRA's Idaho liaison, told lawmakers. The bill is also designed to curtail attempts by cities and counties to regulate guns in public places, and pre-empt any attempt at the local level to pass ordinances restricting the sale, acquisition, storage and transfer of firearms and ammunition. Existing state laws regulating weapons at courthouses, jails and elementary and secondary schools would remain in place. During debate Wednesday, some Republicans questioned whether the bill goes too far. Sen. Brad Little, R-Emmett and the party's caucus chairman, criticized a provision that would strip cities and counties of authority to regulate shooting galleries and ranges. "I'm afraid this would have a chilling effect on the establishment of good safe areas for people to shoot," Little said. "I think it's going backward from the way you want to go."
CALIFORNIA Saying that Napa streets aren’t safe at night for teenagers, a Napa council member is asking the city to investigate adopting a curfew for minors. “I’ve talked to a lot of parents who think (a curfew) is a great idea,” Councilman Mark van Gorder said. “We have people being shot and killed ... it happens at night.” Unsupervised youths who are out late at night can too easily become perpetrators and victims of crimes and violence, van Gorder said. “I don’t think the streets are safe at night.” While a curfew is probably a good idea, van Gorder said he would like to have police and the community weigh in on this topic, which has proven controversial in many cities. Two decades ago, Napa tried to adopt a daytime curfew, but ran into opposition from parents who home school their kids. A city ordinance imposes a curfew on people under 18 between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., but it hasn’t been enforced in years. Napa’s curfew, which contains exceptions for teens returning home from work and special events, is “unconstitutionally vague,” City Attorney Michael Barrett said. Curfews have been a “faddish response” to youth crime over the years, said Michael Risher, a staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union in San Francisco. Their effectiveness has not been proven, yet they have been in and out of favor depending on the public’s alarm over juvenile crime, Risher said. A federal district court ruled against San Diego’s curfew in 1997, which caused many cities to back away from restrictions on teen activity at night, Risher said. Others make curfews part of their crime-fighting arsenal of tools, he said. The U.S. constitution protects rights of free speech and association. As interpreted by the courts, this right can apply to youths who want to be outside their home at night, Risher said. Should a youth who is acting responsibly have to risk being apprehended by police, then prove that he was not up to mischief? he asked. Jobs, church activities and other events can get out after curfew time, he said. Dan Monez, Napa’s former police chief, remembers several night sweeps in the early 90s when police tried to get loitering youths off the streets. Police also advocated a daytime curfew to prevent gang members from hanging out near Napa High School and causing fights, he said. “We couldn’t figure out how to make it fair,” Monez said of the day curfew idea. Police ended up enforcing a penal code provision against loitering near school campuses and the daytime problem went away, he said. Faced with a recent increase in gang violence, the city and local law enforcement agencies intend to create two task forces. One will involve law enforcement in a countywide gang suppression unit. The other will bring together community groups to devise a prevention plan. Police are part of the solution, but parents, schools and community groups have to play a role as well, Napa Police Chief Rich Melton said. “You can’t just say, ‘Let’s do a curfew,’” Melton said. How much police time would an community-wide curfew require? If officer are picking up kids all night, what other police activities will suffer? The law does not allow youths who violate curfews to be kept at Juvenile Hall, so where would police put them while waiting for parents to show up? Melton said. Suppose no parents can be found? Who will supervise the kids until they are found? he said. Programs that help kids to stay in school need to be part of any community’s response to youth gangs, Melton said. “You have to build a program before you can magically say, ‘Let’s have a curfew,’” said Mary Butler, the county’s chief probation officer. “The gang issue is so big you need the whole community involved.” As a practical matter, most jurisdictions don’t have curfews because they have no place to put violators, Butler said. When juveniles commit crimes, a curfew is typically part of their probation agreement, Butler said. Some 500 juveniles in Napa County are on probation, she said. “I absolutely think there is a value to giving kids curfews, especially with substance abuse issues,” Butler said. As a practical matter, police are able to stop and question anyone who appears suspicious late at night, said Police Sgt. Terry Gonsalves, the city’s youth services officer. These “consensual encounters” constitute a “loose curfew” of sorts, said Gonsalves, who thinks a more rigorous curfew would be a good crime-fighting tool. “If we had a place to take these kids, we’d be way ahead,” he said. Monez feels the same way. Curfews are “a tool when the gang stuff acts up,” he said. Sheriff Doug Koford likes the idea of bringing the community into the discussion of curfews and other ways of dealing with at-risk kids. “I’m in favor of anything that makes the community and kids safer,” Koford said. But when it comes to a curfew and the enforcement issues that it creates, “you have to be careful what you wish for,” he said. “We have to make sure we’re not penalizing the kids out there doing good,” Koford said. He once had a teenage son who once worked a job that got out late at night, he said. If parents were more responsible and knew where their kids were, curfews wouldn’t be a subject for debate, van Gorder said. Growing up in Sebastopol, van Gorder said his mother made him be home by 10 p.m. until he turned 18. Four week prior to his 18th birthday, he stayed out later without telling her. “She called the police on me,” he said.
ILLINOIS The Chicago City Council voted Wednesday to move the city's curfew for youth up by 30 minutes. Beginning March 12, young people age 16 and under will have to be home by 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Mayor Richard M. Daley hopes the earlier curfew will lower youth violence. “My reason is simple,” he said. “If we can take even one child out of harm’s way by taking this step, it will be worth it. When children are off the streets, they’re safer from violence.” Critics of the change say the focus should instead be on after-school hours when research shows that crime involving young people peaks. “Between 2 [p.m.] and 5 [p.m.], youth are at the highest risk to be both victims of a crime and to be engaged in violent activity,” said Tim Carpenter, state director for Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, an organization that focuses on child welfare. But Mayor Daley said curfews work. Nearly 400 fewer young people age 16 and under were victims of crime in 2006 compared with the previous year, he said. He's hoping that number will drop even more under the new curfew. “As a city we must help every child achieve his or her potential and promise in life and we must keep every child safe,” said Daley.
MASSACHUSETTS The stories have become all too familiar — young athletes, and sometimes their parents and coaches, turning a school playing field into the set of a Jerry Springer episode. Now a bill set to be heard by Massachusetts lawmakers today seeks to reduce the number and intensity of school sports scuffles by drafting a new curriculum to teach sportsmanship. Lawmakers and supporters hope the new pilot program could help young athletes learn how to conduct themselves both on and off the field. The bill would create lessons to help children develop “the mental skills associated with self-control in an effort to reduce violence, drug and alcohol abuse, eating disorders, bullying and other destructive choices.” The teaching materials would be offered free of charge to youth and school sports leagues and teams. One of the backers of the bill is Grayson Kimball, a sports psychologist and education director of the Newton-based nonprofit group GetPsychedSports.org, which advocates for using organized youth sports to teach children self-control. Kimball said the playing field, because it involves physical contact and competition, is a prime location to help kids learn how to restrain violent impulses. Kimball said his group works with school teams to help athletes visualize scenarios they’re likely to encounter during a game — such as getting hit in a soccer match — and how to respond. He said the technique goes beyond telling players to shake hands. “We find that after teaching and explaining these mental skills ... over the course of a season, over the course of a year, we see a decrease in unsportsmanlike conduct,” he said. Kimball, who says he knows of no other bill nationally, said he used the method during workshops with athletes and coaches in Rockville High School in Vernon, Conn. The school ended up winning the best sportsmanship award in their league, he said. In another instance he said he was talking to a youth hockey player whose team was one goal down with two minutes left to play. The player decided the best thing he could do to help his team get “fired up” was to punch a player from the opposing team. The player was suspended for the last two minutes and his team — down a player — lost. Kimball said the goal is to help players think of the consequences of their actions before they lash out. The bill has the backing of key lawmakers, including state Rep. Patricia A. Haddad, D-Somerset, co-chairman of the Education Committee. Haddad, the bill’s lead sponsor, said the goal is to study “a science-based curriculum to teach self-control and sportsmanship in youth sports.” “So many of the children in the commonwealth eagerly participate in volunteer youth sports, and this bill would give coaches the professional tools to harness that enthusiasm to teach invaluable life skills,” Haddad said in a statement. The legislation asks the Department of Mental Health to form a committee of sports, medical and educational professionals to come up with the curriculum. The state would create a pilot program in schools to see what changes, if any, there are in the behavior of the athletes. Supporters hope fewer conflicts on the field will mean fewer conflicts involving parents. Earlier this month, the father of a Gloucester High School hockey player was ejected for making a comment to an official after his son was thrown out of the game for tossing his stick on the ice. In 2005, a Swampscott father was sentenced to a year of probation and ordered to write a letter of apology after admitting he shook and cursed at an 8-year-old player during a youth hockey game. The sportsmanship bill isn’t the only piece of legislation designed to improve behavior in schools. Beacon Hill lawmakers are considering half a dozen bills to crack down on the physical, verbal and computer bullying that plagues many schools. Lawmakers are grappling with how to define bullying without infringing on free speech. A dozen states across the country are considering similar anti-bullying measures.
INDIANA A bill to help undercounted homeless youth gain access to shelter and social services sailed through a state Senate committee on Wednesday. Inspired by a situation in Evansville, House Bill 1165 — authored by state Rep. Dennis Avery and sponsored by state Sen. Vaneta Becker — now moves to the full Senate. The bill does a number of things, including:
The legislation was prompted by the findings of the Evansville-Vanderburgh County Homeless Youth Council, which Avery's wife, Patty Avery, co-chaired. It was estimated there are 362 homeless youth in Vanderburgh County. "I was unaware of the extent of the problem when it was brought to my attention," Dennis Avery, D-Evansville, told the Senate committee. "I assumed there were people taking care of this problem." Alison Cole, policy director of the Indiana Coalition on Housing and Homeless Issues, said her organization estimated between 19,000 and 27,000 Hoosiers were homeless between July 2006 and July 2007. Getting a fix on how many youths were homeless is difficult, she said. "Because of the way the law is today and because youth are so discouraged from seeking any kind of reliable, reputable help through a homeless shelter or food bank, our system only counted 430 unattached youth, and we know that is a great undercount," Cole said. "And so by changing this law, we think we will begin to be able to see more youth come get services," she said. "We can start counting them and start to really quantify how big the problem is. Aside from all the humanitarian reasons why we might want to pass this bill, we think by passing this bill we can start to really see the size of this problem and really start to figure out long-term solutions." Previously, Avery's bill passed the Indiana House 92-0. On Wednesday, the Senate Commerce, Public Policy and Interstate Cooperation Committee approved the bill by a vote of 10-0 during a hearing that was Webcast on the Internet.
US HOUSE Despite strong criticism from the Bush administration, the House overwhelmingly approved legislation on Thursday that would establish a federal list of the nation’s most expensive colleges and crack down on the way student loan companies try to curry favor with college officials and gain access to their students. The bill, approved on a bipartisan vote of 354 to 58, broadly seeks to hold down costs at colleges by dissuading them from raising tuition. It would require the federal Education Department to publish a list of the most expensive colleges, and it would cut down on states’ eligibility for new federal grants if the states reduced financing for public colleges. The administration has opposed many provisions in the measure, including one that would limit the Education Department’s authority to regulate colleges through accreditation. But the White House has stopped short of a veto threat. Similar legislation has passed the Senate. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle spoke strongly in favor of fighting rising college costs. “The bill will create a higher education system that is more affordable and easier to navigate for consumers,” said Representative George Miller, Democrat of California and chairman of the education committee. Representative Howard P. McKeon of California, the committee’s ranking Republican, praised the bill, even as he criticized Democrats for blocking amendments offered by Republicans. An amendment that would have required colleges to spend at least 5 percent of their endowment assets each year, strongly opposed by colleges, was withdrawn by its author, Representative Peter Welch, Democrat of Vermont. Instead, the House passed a second amendment by Mr. Welch to require colleges to report on how much of their endowment they are spending to keep costs down. How deeply colleges dip into their endowments has become a contentious issue as some lawmakers have questioned the rapid pace of tuition increases at a time some colleges’ resources have grown. A report last month showed that a record 76 colleges and universities achieved endowments of $1 billion or more in the last fiscal year. The Senate Finance Committee has requested detailed information on tuitions and endowments from the 136 wealthiest colleges. The bill calls for raising the maximum Pell grant, a financial award to the neediest students, to $9,000 from $5,800 a year. And it would ban gifts and profit-sharing arrangements between lenders and colleges.
NATION The problem of cyberbullying gained national attention last November when the story surfaced of a 13-year-old Missouri girl who killed herself following an Internet hoax. The death of Megan Meier, who was allegedly tormented by a neighbor on the Web, echoed another case three years earlier in Vermont. There, a 13-year-old boy committed suicide after being bullied online by peers who spread rumors that he was gay. Those incidents — along with complaints from teenagers, parents and educators — are spurring an increasing number of state lawmakers across the USA to draft legislation giving schools more power to do something about bullying over the Internet. A least seven states, including Iowa, Minnesota, New Jersey and Oregon, passed cyberbullying laws in 2007. Five more — Maryland, Missouri, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont — are considering similar legislation this year. Reaching beyond the school In New Jersey, some school districts, taking a cue from state officials, are considering policies that assert their authority outside of school. Such policies are raising concerns, both about infringing on freedom of speech and about intruding into students' private lives. "The lines between home and school are continuing to blur with more expectations for schools to exercise authority in areas previously reserved for parents," said Max Riley, superintendent of the Randolph School District in New Jersey. After New Jersey passed a law last year requiring schools to ban cyberbullying, the state Department of Education issued guidelines. School administrators were told they "may impose consequences" for off-campus bullying — but only when it "substantially interferes" with a school's operation. Riley said the Randolph district had been considering a policy used in other districts that goes further than the state statute by stating school officials "will impose consequences" on certain acts of off-campus bullying. Randolph's finished policy will exclude references to off-campus behavior, Riley said. "I am leery of going too far and trying to regulate too much of private life, even though I abhor some of the things that kids put up on the Internet about each other," Riley said. The American Civil Liberties Union has opposed some cyberbullying laws, saying they set up school officials to trample on students' First Amendment rights. The ACLU helped block a proposal last year to expand an Oregon law to include off-campus bullying, arguing that school officials have no right to impose punishment on students for what they do away from school. "That doesn't mean a school district can't be involved," said David Fidanque, executive director of the ACLU of Oregon. "The most important thing is to notify a parent. Most cyber-bullying outside of school involves mean, insensitive statements posted on somebody's Facebook page. There's no real threat and no real impact other than hurt feelings." A victim of harassment John Halligan of Essex Junction, Vt., said his son, Ryan, was a victim of harassment in the seventh- and eighth-grades, much of it over the Internet. Some of his son's peers spread rumors that he was gay, Halligan said, and Ryan was so tormented that he didn't want to go to school. On Oct. 7, 2003, at the age of 13, Ryan committed suicide. Ryan suffered from depression, Halligan said, caused at least in part by a steady barrage of electronic harassment. Halligan said he doesn't blame the Internet for Ryan's death but added that it "amplified and accelerated" his son's pain. Halligan supports a proposed cyberbullying law that would allow Vermont school officials to punish off-campus harassment that substantially interferes with a school's operations. "The school should have the right to discipline you if you create stress on someone so that they can't learn," Halligan said. The bill didn't get out of committee last year. It was reintroduced this year and includes a provision for police to issue summonses and fines to cyberbullies. Vermont state Rep. Peter Hunt, a co-sponsor of the bill, said there had been some opposition to the legislation, and that getting the police involved in off-campus bullying might make it more acceptable. "By involving the police, we'll have a partner to take care of the outside piece," he said. First Amendment concerns New cyberbullying laws could lead to freedom-of-speech challenges, according to Vito Gagliardi, a New Jersey attorney who represents school districts. "Someone might say it's my opinion so-and-so is a nerd and the First Amendment allows me to say that," Gagliardi said. "There's not a large body of case law that addresses that issue."
Facing Budget Cuts, ONDCP Refocuses Media Campaign With federal research showing that its anti-drug media campaign isn't working with kids, and Congress calling for major cuts in the program, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) has unveiled a more modest effort that focuses on an emerging threat -- prescription-drug abuse -- and appeals to parents rather than youth. The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, which for years has focused largely on youth marijuana use, has shifted gears in recent months. In September, for example, ONDCP announced an eight-state anti-methamphetamine campaign, and last week the drug czar's office announced a $14-million prescription-drug campaign that kicked off with an ad during the Super Bowl. Similar ads will run on 27 networks over the next two months, and the campaign also will include print ads, Internet banner ads, and messages printed on pharmacy packages given to customers when they pick up prescription medications. "The need has never been greater for parents to learn the facts about this dangerous behavior which has become entrenched among teens," said Steve Pasierb, president and CEO of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, which is collaborating with ONDCP on the media campaign. "Partnership research indicates that both parents and teens have a perilous misconception that abusing medicines is safer than using street drugs, and that is simply not true. Parents are the most important influence in helping teens make healthy choices, and talking about the dangers of intentional prescription and OTC drug abuse must be at the forefront of parent-teen conversations." ONDCP said the prescription-drug ads are its first targeting parents in two years, and research from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) shows that parents are a more receptive audience for anti-drug ads than adolescents. In a June 2006 evaluation of the ONDCP media campaign, a NIDA study conducted by Westat concluded that while both adults and youth recalled seeing ONDCP's anti-drug ads, only adults viewed them favorably. "There is little evidence of direct favorable Campaign effects on youth, either for the Marijuana and Early Intervention Initiatives, or for the Campaign as whole," the report noted. Persistent doubts about the effectiveness of the campaign led to Congress cutting funding for ONDCP anti-drug advertising from $100 million in 2007 to $60 million in 2008. In their budget message, Congressional lawmakers rejected the Bush administration's $130-million request for the program and said they made the cuts because the program is ineffective. Drug-policy reform groups like the Drug Policy Alliance Network want to see the program ended altogether, not just refocused. "You'd think that with less funding they'd use the money more wisely, but ONDCP persists in its failed strategy," said Bill Piper, DPA's director of national affairs.
Bush's 2009 Budget Cuts $198 Million from SAMHSA Drug-prevention advocates and others are raising the alarm over President Bush's FY2009 budget plan, which slashed $198 million from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and calls for elimination of the Recovery Community Support Programs and the STOP Underage Drinking program. The budget also calls for spending $10 million less on the Drug Free Communities program, a major funding source for many community anti-drug coalitions. "The majority of programs that our field advocates for were recommended for severe cuts," noted Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America in an action alert calling for supporters to contact lawmakers to oppose the cuts. "Only a very small handful of programs were recommended for increases." Overall, the budget plans calls for increasing defense spending by at least $32 billion, foreign operations by $5.4 billion, and law enforcement and prosecution efforts by $497 million. "The budget invests substantial and needed resources to maintain high levels of military readiness and to continue the transformation of our military to meet the new threats of the 21st Century," Bush said in his budget message to Congress. But Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W. Va.), chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, charged Bush with "robbing Peter to pay Paul -- taking critical funds from essential domestic programs to fund the president's pet projects and the president's disastrous war and nation-building adventure in Iraq." $2.2 Billion Reduction in Discretionary Spending at HHS Discretionary spending at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) would be reduced $2.2 billion under the president's plan, even as the overall budget rises $29 billion due to Medicare, Medicaid, and other mandatory spending. "There are those who will be unhappy with this budget, but given the Medicare system we have, putting off solving the problem is no longer acceptable," said HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt. In its budget summary, HHS justifies the $198-million decrease in SAMHSA funding by stating, "The budget makes targeted reductions in areas where grantees have not demonstrated improved health outcomes, grant periods are ending, activities can be supported through other funding streams, or efficiencies can be realized." Major SAMHSA programs slated for cuts or elimination under the president's FY09 budget plan for HHS include its Programs of Regional and National Significance: cut by $250 million, to $639 million. The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment's budget would fall by $63 million, while the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention would have $36 million less to spend next year if Bush's plan were approved. The Center for Mental Health Services would be slashed by $126 million. On the other hand, Bush is calling for level funding of $98 million for his Access to Recovery program, which allows faith-based groups to compete with traditional treatment providers for voucher-driven funding for treatment services; a $40-million increase for treatment drug courts; and $27 million more for screening and brief interventions. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) would receive $1.002 billion, just $1 million more than in FY 2008, while the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) would receive $436.68 million, up $0.4 million relative to FY08. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would face a $412 million budget cut, including the elimination of the $97 million Preventive Health and Human Services Block Grant. "PART" of the Problem In many instances, the administration justified its cuts by pointing to its Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART), used to rate the effectiveness of federal programs. In the budget message for HHS, the administration singled out the Recovery Community Support Program for criticism, saying the program was being eliminated "because services provided, such as manicures and other nontraditional therapies, are not based on evidence-based practices for recovery and grantees have not consistently met all performance measures." Major programs tabbed as "not performing" by PART also are on Bush's chopping block, including the Social Services Block Grant (a proposed $500 million cut) and the Community Services Block Grant ($1 billion in proposed reductions). However, Bush is calling for a modest $20 million increase in the $1.8 billion Substance Abuse Block Prevention and Treatment Grant, even tough PART called the program "ineffective" because of a lack of independent evaluation and a failure to match formula-based funding to substance-abuse prevalence. The Legal Action Center reported that the $20 million increase would be used to support "supplemental performance awards" for Block Grant recipients that "demonstrate superior performance in preventing and treatment substance abuse." The National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors noted, "The proposed increase for the SAPT Block Grant can be considered unique in an otherwise very difficult budget year." As with the block grant, the Office of National Drug Control Policy's Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign was blacklisted by PART, noting that "an independent, long-term evaluation found no connection between the campaign advertisements and youth drug use behavior." Yet the administration is calling for $100 million in funding for the program, up from the $60 million appropriated for the ad campaign in 2008. Elsewhere beyond HHS, the Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities state grants program was once again targeted for reduction, with Bush calling for cutting the school-based prevention program from $295 million in 2008 to $100 million in 2009. "The structure of the program is flawed," according to PART. "It spreads funding too broadly to support quality interventions and fails to target schools and communities in greatest need of assistance." Bush's budget plan also targets the Department of Education's $32 million Alcohol Abuse Reduction grants program for elimination. SDFSC's national programs budget would increase from $137.7 million in 2008 to $282 million in FY09 under the plan, including $10 million for research-based drug prevention or school safety programs, $77.8 million for grants to school districts for comprehensive, community-wide "Safe Schools/Healthy Students" drug and violence prevention projects, $30 million for school emergency preparedness initiatives, $5 million for initiatives in emergency preparedness for institutions of higher education (IHEs), $11.8 million for school-based drug testing for students, $23.8 million for character education programs in elementary and secondary schools, and $5 million to provide emergency response services to LEAs and IHEs under Project SERV (School Emergency Response to Violence). At the Justice Department, funding at the Office of Justice Programs -- which supports Weed & Seed projects as well as some addiction treatment and prevention services -- would be cut steeply, with the Bush budget calling for a 65 percent reduction in state and local criminal-justice programs.
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