Hollister - The new civil grand jury report recommends local school districts develop a formal plan to address the issue of gang prevention, but school officials say such programs are already in place.
The report said gang prevention and intervention efforts varied by school and district, and that formal parental gang prevention information and training programs were non-existent.
The grand jury recommended Hollister School District, San Benito High School, the County Office of Education and the San Juan Unified School District all submit plans to the grand jury addressing gang prevention.
The recommendation was based on information obtained by questionnaires sent by the grand jury to 16 local schools and community organizations.
The report said there had been some 144 gang-related incidents on school property over the last three years, but added that the number was understated because some schools had failed to provide accurate numbers. About 80 percent of the incidents happened at San Benito High School, according to the report.
San Benito High School Superintendent Jean Burns Slater said she never completed the questionnaire or talked to anybody on the grand jury, but said it was possible someone else from the school had.
Slater said the number of gang-related incidents reported to her were far lower than those stated in the grand jury report, but said discrepancies could have been caused by different definitions of the term. In the 2003-2004 school year only 16 major gang-related incidents were reported Slater said. That number dropped to 8 the following year.
"We know that we've had a drop in gang activity," Slater said. "I just don't know where (the grand jury) got this information."
Slater, who attends every community gang meeting, said San Benito High School has always addressed gang problems, employing Jose Ibarra, a student support manager, to focus on the issue.
Last year teachers gave a school-wide lesson on harassment to all students, which Slater said also helped spread awareness about gangs because harassment was a popular gang activity. A similar program focusing on respect will be taught next fall. San Benito High School also offers after-school tutorials that focus on prevention and actively teaches students about gang-related problems.
"We always address this kind of activity," Slater said. "We really feel like we've been reducing gang-related incidents on campus."
With help from the Hollister Police Department and Probation Department, the school also offers an intensive 11-week Impact Program that targets students with high-risk behaviors. Slater said the program had been very successful in past years.
For Slater, the problem is not just with high school students; the whole community needs to focus on prevention of gang activity. Slater said the school will continue its efforts, but will not implement a new gang prevention program.
"We can't focus on their whole lives," Slater said. "But we can help them and give them better educational opportunities."
Slater said city's gang problem may stem from high unemployment rates and suggested an economic solution.
"If we, as a community, offer more employment opportunities to our young people this problem can be reduced," Slater said.
Tim Foley, county superintendent of schools, said gang-related incidents were not a new problem. He said the county will continue to address the issue of gang prevention. Foley believes the grand jury was unaware of the county's efforts to prevent such activity at the student level.
"Perhaps the grand jury did not realize the extent that these programs are already in place," Foley said. "We shall, of course, make a formal response detailing our efforts to suppress and prevent gang activity."
Grand Jury Foreman Jack Cocchi could not be reached for comment by press time.
Brett Rowland covers education for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or browland@freelancenews.com.
Brett Rowland Brett Rowland is city editor for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 332 or browland@freelancenews.com
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