Pubdate: Wed, 01 Mar 2000 Source: San Luis Obispo County Tribune (CA) Copyright: 2000 The Tribune Contact: P.O. Box 112, San Luis Obispo, CA 93406-0112 Fax: 805.781.7905 Website: http://www.thetribunenews.com/ Author: Associated Press SCHOOL REPORT: VIOLENCE, DRUGS AND ALCOHOL ON THE RISE SACRAMENTO (AP) - In a time of sharp concern about school safety, the state's latest report on campus crime shows a 7 percent increase in violent offenses and an 11 percent rise in drug and alcohol crimes in California's public schools last year. Some of the increases are due to better reporting by schools in a year when the Columbine High School massacre and other attacks focused public attention on school violence, state officials said. But they are still concerned. "Our children need to be able to learn without distraction, harassment or intimidation," said state school Superintendent Delaine Eastin. The California Safe Schools Assessment, being released today by Eastin's state Department of Education, lists crimes reported by the state's nearly 1,000 school districts for the 1998-1999 school year. The overall statewide rate for violent crimes increased from 3.74 incidents per 1,000 students in 1997-1998 to 4.02 in 1998-1999. The actual numbers, however, remain small in a school system with 5.8 million students. Eastin stressed that "our schools continue to be safe havens for the vast majority of our students." The rate for all drug and alcohol offenses increased from 3.55 incidents per 1,000 students in 1997-1998 to 3.94 in 1998-1999. Eastin said the increases in violent crimes and drug and alcohol offenses mostly reflect improved reporting by schools and security during the last year. The Columbine shootings prompted California lawmakers and Gov. Gray Davis to provide $101 million in grants to high schools to improve school safety. A school shooting in Michigan Tuesday - where a 6-year-old girl was killed allegedly by a 6-year-old male classmat - caused one lawmaker to urge expanding the California safety grants to elementary schools. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D