Date: Fri 29-May-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: MICHEL

Quick Words:

MAVIS-school-violence-Beres

Full Text:

School Violence Elsewhere Brings Examination Of Local Policies

BY MICHELE HOGAN

It couldn't happen in Newtown, or so we seem to think. But the latest in a

series of violent killings by students across the nation has left Wendy Beres,

a local mother of two, concerned that Newtown is not that different from towns

where youth have committed terrible violence.

Therefore Mrs Beres, who is starting a Mothers Against Violence in Schools

(MAVIS) chapter in Newtown, is seeking support from parents, teachers and

other community members to organize a volunteer program to help prevent

violence in Newtown schools.

She is not the only one who is concerned. Superintendent of Schools John Reed

said the Newtown Prevention Council will soon be considering what to look at

next, and with violence in the schools as a national issue, this topic may

well be brought to the table.

The most recent mass student shooting in the town of Springfield, Ore., was

the seventh attack in America since October. These violent attacks have

resulted in at least 16 dead, and more than 40 wounded, leaving classmates and

the nation in a state of shock.

Mrs Beres said the Springfield high school is about the same size as Newtown

High School, and the community demographics are also similar. People, she

said, have long tried to deny the risks of violence in youth.

"We also have this attitude, `Not in my town,' `Not to my kid,' until it

happens, then it's too late," she said.

Mrs Beres said she went to a good school in a good area where no one would

imagine something horrible could happen. Yet one morning, back in about 1970,

when Mrs Beres was in high school, one of her classmates murdered his entire

family.

"If it can happen in New Canaan, Newtown residents had better wake up. It can

happen in Newtown," asserted Mrs Beres.

According to Mrs Beres, the boy used to be the target of jokes by the football

team. She said he was often picked on in class, and he did not seem happy at

home either. She said he was a quiet boy.

"He cracked. He couldn't take it anymore. He suffered abuse at home, abuse at

school, and he went over the edge," she said.

Was this boy far from the norm? Or are student shootings symptomatic of an

acceptance of violence in society?

Mrs Beres said that you see kids being picked on in schools everywhere, and

yet the problem is often ignored.

Profound Violence

Dr Reed said, "In our society the level of violence is profound, and the

embracing of violence by the media is profound. I have a keen resentment about

the availability of guns."

But the issue of youth violence, according to Linda DeLucia, executive

director and president of MAVIS of Massachusetts, stems from an acceptance of

violence as a means to an end, a lack of empathy for others, and a lack of

impulse control.

After her son was "jumped" and brutally beaten in a high school, she became

determined to address the underlying issues of violence.

Mrs DeLucia sees churches, businesses, television, schools and parents all as

potential avenues for change, but she has focused mostly on what can be done

through involving parents in the schools.

The Second Step Program used by MAVIS starts with children as young as the

kindergarten level and helps them develop a sense of empathy for others and

learn that violence is not an acceptable tool for self-assertion.

It aims to give kids tools for anger management, to help them learn to stop

and think before responding impulsively, and to help them understand their own

feelings and the feelings of others.

Mrs DeLucia has involved teachers, parents and administrators with the six

elementary schools in Methuen, Mass., with the Second Step Program for the

past four years. The program takes half an hour on a weekly basis and can be

implemented by trained parents or teachers.

Since the program started, school officials in Methuen have noted a decrease

in schoolyard violence and an increase in student respect for individual

differences.

Dr Reed said that he has asked Linda DeLucia of MAVIS to send the materials on

her program to the board. He said Newtown will take a look at it.

He also said that the program would require a "tremendous commitment" on the

time of teachers, and they would like to look at the related research in depth

before making any commitment. Dr Reed said that the halls of schools are

littered with quick-fix programs that are not a full answer.

Newtown schools espouse a policy of zero tolerance for violence, as the MAVIS

program recommends. Dr Reed also said that the five guidance counselors at the

high school and many teachers make a point of watching for potential problems

and intervening where necessary.

Newtown schools also run the DARE program in fifth and seventh grades and that

covers some of the same topics, such as dealing with peer pressure and gaining

the strength to say "no."

Although there is overlap, DARE's main purpose is to protect students from

drugs, whereas MAVIS' main thrust is protect students from violence. Mrs

DeLucia said that the DARE program dovetails well with the Second Step

program.

She said that MAVIS uses volunteers to teach the program, but they buy the

curriculum from Committee for Children for $2,500. She said there is

government money available in the form of grants,

Mrs Beres can be reached at 426-9514.