Pennsylvania lawmakers are debating the merits of financing local hot lines or a single statewide line. Such telephone lines would be used to report suspected threats to school safety. Ronald D. Stephens, the executive director of the National School Safety Center in Westlake Village, Calif., likes toll-free tip lines. But he cautioned that they must be implemented properly. The students must feel like there will be a commitment on the part of adults to follow up.
Legislators appear unlikely to turn away from school violence issues anytime soon.
Several states have new task forces looking into the subject. We want to bring these folks together to help us figure this out. Gov. Gary Locke of Washington meets with students in Olympia to discuss ways to curtail school violence. Schools can use the grants for counseling and other strategies that have proved effective in preventing violence.