Overall crime in North Carolina public schools increased during the 2003-2004 school year, but the number of violent crimes--specifically assault on school personnel, sexual assault not involving rape or sexual offense and robbery without a dangerous weapon--decreased, according to the annual report published Nov. 3 by the Department of Public Instruction.
Public schools in Durham have followed the statewide trend.
The total number of reported incidents throughout North Carolina increased 15 percent to 9,800 acts in 2003-2004, a rate of approximately 7.4 acts per 1,000 students, according to the report. Possession of drugs and weapons other than a firearm represent 75 percent of all North Carolina incidents. Statewide, there was a 17 percent increase in possession of drugs.
In its third straight year of decline in violent acts, Durham faired slightly better than the state with a 13 percent increase in total crimes. The most common criminal violation in Durham is drug possession--specifically marijuana and cocaine--which accounts for almost 50 percent of all reported acts and rose 27 percent in the 2003-2004 school year.
Although some school officials find these numbers problematic, others argue there is no reason to worry about the increase in reported crime because these numbers may simply indicate that the reporting process itself has improved.
"There has been an increase in better reporting," said Tina Ingram, director of security for Durham Public Schools, noting that more recorded incidents does not necessarily mean crime itself has become more common.
Eddie Davis, president of the North Carolina Association of Educators, said despite increased reporting, the statistics of the DPI report remain "very troublesome" and school safety still needs much improvement.
"We are not quite sure whether this is a reporting issue," he said. "What we do know is there are way too many incidents of either violence or crime.... We have to allow the community to understand that our public schools have to be safe, orderly and disciplined if we want to get the maximum amount from the teaching and learning process."
Davis noted that continued reporting vigilance, however, could have a positive effect on preventing future criminal acts at schools. "The reporting will cause students to realize that they cannot get away with these kinds of things," he said.
Officials pointed to the importance of continuing to standardize definitions of criminal acts and clarifying which incidents need to be reported so that all schools report incidents in the same way.
Reginald Davis, principal of Glenn Elementary School in Durham, said regulations regarding definitions and the importance of recording all cases have resulted in better reporting. In 2003-2004 Glenn Elementary reported two criminal acts, both possession of a weapon other than a firearm.
Eunice Sanders, principal of Hillside High School--which had a rate of approximately 33.6 recorded criminal acts per 1,000 students, the highest in Durham--also said reporting played a large role in the statistics. "We're just making sure that we're reporting all the incidents. When it occurs we want to make sure we report it," she said.
Despite the high numbers of acts reported at Hillside, Sanders said students, parents and teachers alike feel safe. "Parents understand that their schools are safe," she said. "And teachers, as well, are not concerned [about safety]."
Officials are also implementing additional plans to reduce the rate of crimes in Durham schools. Ingram said DPS has stepped up its efforts to search for drugs and weapons by sending sniffing dogs into schools more frequently, and walk-through metal detectors have been placed in all high schools and middle schools.
Both Reginald Davis and Sanders noted the importance of formal and informal counseling systems in improving crime prevention. The systems help both victims of crime and perpetrators to discuss their problems rather than receiving punishment without dialogue.
Reginald Davis noted the necessity of "building relationships between teachers, parents and students so that students feel comfortable at school."
Eddie Davis emphasized that discussion should not be unique to school grounds. "It needs to be a community effort," he said. Increased communication between school educators and parents is necessary in developing "strategies that will prevent students from disrespecting and/or disregarding the rules and regulation of our schools," he added.
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