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EDUCATION
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March 31 - April 6, 2016 • Page 18A
DeKalb County schools rank high in violent incidents
by R. Scott Belzer
sbelzer@dekalbchamp.com
If statistics are the highest form
of credibility, DeKalb County School
District (DCSD) has a lot of work
to do in lowering discipline-worthy
offenses.
Last year, according to
data collected by the Georgia
Department of Education in the
metro Atlanta area, DeKalb County
ranked first in incidents involving
bullying, first in disorderly conduct
or fighting offenses, second in
threats and intimidation, second
in drugs not including alcohol and
second in sexual offenses.
Other metro areas included
are Clayton County, Cobb County,
Fulton County, Gwinnett County,
Atlanta Public Schools, Buford
City, City Schools of Decatur and
Marietta City Schools.
When it came to bullying,
DeKalb County has shown a trend
of improvement. In 2012, DeKalb
County recorded 1,548 incidents.
This number shrank to 1,076 in
2013 and 753 in 2014 before rising
to 849 last year.
Disorderly conduct and fighting
has shown an opposite trend. DCSD
recorded 8,163 incidents in 2012
and 8,705 in 2013. This number
almost doubled to 15,218 in 2014
before falling to 15,069 in 2015.
In terms of threats or
intimidation, DeKalb County has
remained somewhat steady. In
2012, DCSD recorded 1,639
incidents. The number of incidents
fell to 1,591 in 2013 before falling
to 1,540 in 2014. That number grew
to 1,792 last year, second only to
Gwinnett County’s recorded 3,520.
DCSD has shown improvement
in terms of drugs not including
alcohol. Since 2012, the number of
incidents within the school system
has decreased from 637 in 2012
to 555 last year. Gwinnett County
recorded the most in 2015 with
1,214 incidents.
The number of sexual offenses
in DeKalb County schools was
showing a downward trend before
rising again in 2015. In 2012, 520
sexual offense incidents were
recorded, a number that fell to 465
in 2013 and 464 in 2014. In 2015,
the number of incidents recorded
was back up to 530.
DCSD superintendent Stephen
Green has pointed to DeKalb’s
diversity in addressing school
discipline and incidents taking
place within the district. Specifically,
he has referenced the county’s
180 represented nations and 144
languages.
“Our teachers walk into
classrooms every day dedicated
to students who have experienced
traumatic circumstances (death,
abuse, homelessness), and who
are gravely at risk educationally,”
Green said in a March press
release.
Green also has called for
restorative approaches rather than
punitive approaches within the
classroom to create connections
between offenses and punishments.
“We see schools with
restorative approaches more
effective at shaping positive
classroom cultures,” Green said.
“They establish lasting changes
in relationships and better
connections among members of a
school community.”
In addition, Green pointed to
the creation of a Student Support
and Intervention Division, which
seeks to “guide [the district’s] efforts
to address the diverse needs of
students and families.”
“Understanding that behavioral
problems can result from issues
[at] home - issues in which entire
families may need help - we’ll
work to provide intensified wrap
around support for this ‘whole
child,”’ Green said. “This support
may include counseling, social
work, psychological services and
community connections.”
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