Published April 2002 — Download PDF of the original newspaper column
Byrd's-Eye View By U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd School Safety: Continuing the Search for Solutions
Three years ago, two students at Colorado's Columbine High School walked into their school carrying several fully loaded weapons and opened fire on their teachers and fellow students. They killed 13 students and a teacher before taking their own lives. Their actions sparked a renewed assessment of our own schools in an effort to prevent such tragedy from striking close to home. To include many voices and ideas in this assessment, West Virginia University (WVU) President David Hardesty and I started a series of meetings and projects to identify and expand effective strategies for safe schools. The first meeting, held on WVU's Morgantown campus in August 1999, brought together educators, specialists, lawmakers, police officers, parents, and the church community to focus on efforts already underway throughout the state to combat school violence and on further steps that must be taken to better protect our teachers and students from classroom violence. That first event led to a Youth Summit, held in April 2000, which gave students throughout the state a voice in shaping initiatives that would be implemented in their schools. The summit provided an opportunity for these young people to express their opinions on important issues such as violence, drugs and alcohol, and the media's influence on their lives. The specialists at WVU's Extension Service took the ideas generated at these sessions, shared them with educators, and developed several new strategies that target school violence and aggression. At the start of this school year, these pilot projects, which were initially funded through $100,000 that I added to a federal appropriations bill in 2000, were implemented at 42 schools. The strategies include various character education programs and the School-wide Positive Behaviors Supports Program. With almost a full year of program experience to evaluate, President Hardesty and I, together with the West Virginia Department of Education, soon will share the results of the pilot programs with teachers throughout the state. The WVU Extension Service will discuss the lessons learned so far and seek the advice of teachers as to how best to apply these strategies in the classroom. The lesson of the Columbine tragedy three years ago was that school violence can happen anywhere at any time. Solving this problem is a shared responsibility, one that requires strengthening basic values, teaching children right from wrong, and instilling in them a respect for others. Coordinated efforts by schools, parents, and community organizations can lead to proactive, comprehensive approaches to classroom safety. April 24, 2002