Pubdate: Sun, 16 Apr 2006 Source: Times Herald, The (Norristown, PA) Copyright: 2006 The Times Herald Contact: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?brd=1672 Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2689 Author: Keith Phucas, Times Herald Staff Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) LOWER PROVIDENCE POLICE PUTTING OFFICER AT ARCOLA LOWER PROVIDENCE - In an effort to reduce substance abuse and anti-social behavior in Methacton School District, a police officer will be assigned to Arcola Intermediate School this fall. According to Lower Providence Police Department Chief Francis Carroll, the department is eligible for a $63,700 grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) that would pay for the school resource officer. Though the plan calls for basing an armed police officer at Arcola, the Lower Providence officer would also be responsible for four district elementary schools. Methacton High School and Worcester Elementary School, which are part of the Methacton School District, would not be served by the planned Lower Providence school police officer because those two schools are located in Worcester Township, which relies on the Pennsylvania State Police for service. Posting a police officer to Arcola, which is the largest intermediate school in Montgomery County with 1,340 students, is not intended as a punitive measure but is aimed at staying ahead of problems, Carroll said. "The main focus is for prevention and education," he said. Besides being alert to illegal drug use, the school resource officer would work with school officials to prevent student bullying and help resolve conflicts, Carroll said. According to an analysis drafted by Carroll justifying the need for a school officer, beginning in 1999, after the school district noted the "emergence of certain behaviors with respect to substance abuse," Methacton contracted with Rocky Mountain Behavioral Science Institute to administer The American Drug and Alcohol Survey. The school population was surveyed during the 1999-2000 school year. The survey's findings were cause for concern, according to the police chief's analysis, which showed that the average Arcola school's eighth graders reported first using alcohol and drugs at an earlier age than seniors at Methacton High School. According to the survey results, Methacton 12th graders reported first getting drunk at 14.6 years of age; Arcola eighth graders at 11.7 years old. This is nearly three years younger than the seniors surveyed. The Arcola eighth graders also reported trying marijuana and inhalants at a younger age than the high school seniors. The Student Assistance Program, which is administered by Pennsylvania's Department of Education in conjunction with other state agencies, is designed to assist school personnel in identifying students with drug and alcohol problems, or mental health conditions that contribute to poor academic performance. During the 2004-2005 school year, 20 Arcola Intermediate School students were referred to SAP, according to the township analysis. During that same year, 92 Methacton High School students were referred to the program. During the 2004-05 school year, Methacton school administrators issued 887 student referrals for disciplinary action. This does not include students disciplined in class by teachers. The referrals resulted in 234 days of suspension. School violence data Pennsylvania school districts are required to report annually on incidents of violence and weapons possession. At Methacton School District, incidents included threats to students and teachers, student assaults, fighting, theft, ethnic intimidation, sexual harassment and weapons possession at school, according Carroll's study. The school district shows a slight drop in violent incidents since 2003. During the 2003-04 school year, there were 57 incidents reported. For the 2004-05 school year, the figure was 45. In Pennsylvania schools, violent incidents and weapons possessions have risen since 2002, according to Violence and Weapons Possession in Pennsylvania's Schools report published a year ago. During the 2002-03 school year, a total of 1,728 knives were reported; in 2003-04, there were 2,030. Firearms rose from 47 to 73 during this same period. Aggravated assaults on school staff increased from 2,365 to 2,839. Total arrests rose from 4,841 to 5,245 in that time. While gang activity is not prevalent in Lower Providence, Carroll's paper said, "changing demographics" in the surrounding areas increased police awareness about gang activity, "with particular concern in the area of female gangs and ethnic gangs." In 2001, 29 current and former Methacton district students were arrested after a melee in a public park that resulted in a stabbing of one individual and the beating and bludgeoning of several others. The combatants wielded "tire irons, baseball bats, knives, Samurai swords and daggers," according to the chief's report. Carroll said the police three-year grant, which requires a 25 percent match from the municipality, still must be approved by PCCD and the township Board of Supervisors. However, he is confident the plan has solid support and anticipates it would be approved by the township Board of Supervisors July 1. "This is a program that's been successful across the country," he said. The school officer program goals call for reducing bullying and suspensions by 10 percent, and school substance abuse by five percent. The planned officer would work closely with child welfare agencies, Juvenile Probation officers, Methacton Youth Aid Panel, Methacton Safe Schools Committee and the Methacton Safe and Drug Free Schools Community Advisory Council. The anticipated school officer would be picked from the current ranks of the police department, Carroll said, and a new police officer would be hired as a replacement on the regular force. "We'd like it to be a smooth transition," he said. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman