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Callers Flood Mayor's TV Show on School Safety
By Denise Clay
March 21, 2001
Bucks County Courier Times
When Bensalem Mayor Joseph DiGirolamo opened the phone lines of his weekly call-in show "Ask the Mayor" to questions and suggestions on how the township's schools can be made safer; he was at no loss for callers.
A steady stream of calls came into the show, which was live from the Bensalem Township Municipal Building last night, and suggestions ranged from those that involved new gadgets to those with an old-fashioned feel.
One caller, Cindy, suggested that students carry clear book bags and purses. The book bags would allow school officials to see most of what children are carrying and possibly stop anything that could cause harm or be used in violent way from entering the schools.
Other callers, including Dennis, a teacher in an alternative school, suggested the ultimate in parental accountability.
"I think that we could solve a lot of these problems if the parents of the kids that acts out sat in their classes with them" he said. "It would only take one day, and the kid would shape up."
DiGirolamo devoted his weekly cable television show to the issue of school safety and his guests included Ann Kilbert, the school district's supervisor of pupil personnel services, township Director of Public Safety Steve Moran, and Melissa Cornwell, a probation officer based at Bensalem High School.
Because the children are the township's future, how to make them feel safer in school is a very important issue, DiGirolamo said.
"We have an obligation and responsibility to give out kids the best education in the safest environment," he said.
Recent incidents in the news precipitated last night's discussion.
A Robert K. Shafer Middle School student and a Bensalem High School student were removed from school for allegedly threatening to shoot their classmates earlier this month.
The students were later charged with making terroristic threats and taken to the Edison Juvenile Detention Center near Doylestown, Moran said.
Moran said these incidents were brought on by other events occurring nationally Earlier this month, a 15-year-old student in California allegedly went on a shooting spree at the school, injuring 13 and killing two. He had been teased and bullied by classmates.
Closer to home, an 8-year-old boy brought a loaded .22-caliber pistol into his West Philadelphia school and threatened to cause a "bloodbath."
"We have a copycat scenario here," Moran said. "But when someone threatens to bring a gun to school, we take it seriously. A school shooting is] a high-profile incident that has a low probability of happening."
While the possibility of a child shooting classmates might be slight, parents were concerned enough to asking the talk show panel for strong measures to counteract such violence. One caller suggested metal detectors, an idea that Kilbert said was possible, but might not be the best solution.
"When you go through a metal detector in an airport, the area that you go into is enclosed," she said. "Children can go into a metal detector in a school, but we have [other] doors and the students can go through those [after going through the metal detectors]."
Another suggestion was to target younger kids who have the potential to become bullies through educational programs.
In addition to the suggestions on making schools safer, some callers also talked about situations their children were experiencing.
One caller, who identified herself as Miss Doyle, said her child was being bullied by another child in school. The panel advised her to have her child tell her teacher so that something could be done.
Kilbert promised that the suggestions and problems discussed last night wouldn't go unheard by school officials.
"I'm going to bring them back to [school officials]," she said. "I always learn something when I do [talk shows]. Parents are concerned and have a lot of good input." |
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