Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 18–Committee on Human Resources and Facilities

 

(On Behalf of Commission on School Safety
and Juvenile Violence)

 

March 7, 2001

____________

 

Referred to Committee on Human Resources and Facilities

 

SUMMARY—Urges and encourages various persons, organizations, agencies, governmental entities and educational institutions to take certain actions to promote school safety and reduce juvenile violence. (BDR R‑198)

 

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EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.

 

SENATE Concurrent RESOLUTION—Urging and encouraging various persons, organizations, agencies, governmental entities and educational institutions to take certain actions to promote school safety and reduce juvenile violence.

 

1-1    Whereas, Children are extremely important members of our society

1-2  and they will greatly influence our future; and

1-3    Whereas, We have a duty to ensure the safety and welfare of children

1-4  so that each child may realize his or her full potential and each child, as

1-5  well as society, may benefit from that realization; and

1-6    Whereas, The safety and welfare of children in this state are threatened

1-7  by destructive violence that occurs in their homes, schools and

1-8  communities; and

1-9    Whereas, Although schools are generally one of the safest locations

1-10  for children, recent tragedies involving juvenile violence at schools serve

1-11  as a reminder that violence occurs at schools, as well as in homes and

1-12  communities, and that children may be perpetrators, as well as victims, of

1-13  violence; and

1-14    Whereas, Violence that occurs in schools and communities is a serious

1-15  and complicated problem that requires a comprehensive and multifaceted

1-16  approach, which involves participation from the entire community,

1-17  including, without limitation, individuals, pupils, parents, educators,

1-18  organizations, businesses and governmental agencies, to address the

1-19  problem; and

1-20    Whereas, The Commission on School Safety and Juvenile Violence,

1-21  which was created by the Nevada Legislature pursuant to Assembly Bill

1-22  No. 686 of the 1999 Legislative Session, conducted several meetings and

1-23  received a large amount of information concerning various methods of

2-1  promoting school safety and reducing juvenile violence, and such

2-2  information may be used to devise a comprehensive approach to address

2-3  the problem of violence in the schools and communities in this state; now,

2-4  therefore, be it

2-5    Resolved by the Senate of the State of Nevada, the Assembly

2-6  Concurring, That the Legislature of the State of Nevada urges the Board

2-7  of Trustees of each school district to consider establishing, in full or in

2-8  part, the 10 exemplary programs, which are listed in the “Blueprints for

2-9  Violence Prevention” compiled by the Center for the Study and Prevention

2-10  of Violence at the University of Colorado at Boulder and which have

2-11  proven to be successful in deterring violence, delinquency and substance

2-12  abuse among children; and be it further

2-13    Resolved, That the Legislature of the State of Nevada encourages

2-14  communities to establish and support innovative community-based efforts

2-15  that are designed to prevent school and juvenile violence and that include,

2-16  without limitation, participation from businesses, concerned citizens, local

2-17  nonprofit organizations and school districts; and be it further

2-18    Resolved, That such community-based efforts encouraged by the

2-19  Legislature of the State of Nevada include, without limitation, the “Safe

2-20  Schools Project,” which is operated by the Clark County Education

2-21  Association and which provides presentations, training and outreach to the

2-22  community to address and prevent juvenile violence; and be it further

2-23    Resolved, That such community-based efforts encouraged by the

2-24  Legislature of the State of Nevada also include, without limitation, the

2-25  “Hands are Not for Hurting” program established in Salem, Oregon, which

2-26  includes a campaign to raise community awareness of violence and which

2-27  requests that businesses, parents, pupils and other members of the

2-28  community make a pledge of nonviolence; and be it further

2-29    Resolved, That the Legislature of the State of Nevada expresses its

2-30  renewed support of community efforts to restrict the accessibility of

2-31  firearms to juveniles and encourages communities in this state to organize

2-32  such efforts, including, without limitation, the “Operation Cease Fire”

2-33  program in Boston, Massachusetts, which has successfully disrupted the

2-34  distribution of firearms within the communities in Boston by making

2-35  prosecutions for offenses relating to firearms a priority and by suppressing

2-36  the possession of firearms in areas with a large concentration of gang

2-37  activity; and be it further

2-38    Resolved, That the Legislature of the State of Nevada urges law

2-39  enforcement agencies to enforce existing state and federal laws concerning

2-40  firearms; and be it further

2-41    Resolved, That the Legislature of the State of Nevada urges local law

2-42  enforcement agencies and the Board of Trustees of each school district to

2-43  collaborate to find funding for a pilot program in each school district to

2-44  help prevent the organization of gangs and gang activity at schools and in

2-45  the community; and be it further

2-46    Resolved, That such antigang pilot programs may be based upon

2-47  existing programs, including, without limitation, the “Drug Abuse

2-48  Resistance Education” program, otherwise known as “D.A.R.E.,” and the

2-49  “Gang Resistance Education and Training” program, otherwise known as

3-1  “G.R.E.A.T.,” which both use law enforcement officers to teach pupils

3-2  skills for resolving conflicts without violence and skills for resisting

3-3  involvement in gangs; and be it further

3-4    Resolved, That the Legislature of the State of Nevada urges local law

3-5  enforcement agencies and the Board of Trustees of each school district to

3-6  work with the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to

3-7  develop training programs for preventing the organization of gangs and

3-8  gang activity in schools and communities; and be it further

3-9    Resolved, That the Legislature of the State of Nevada urges each

3-10  school to establish or expand programs that provide peer mediation of

3-11  problems among pupils and to involve pupils in the promotional and

3-12  recruiting aspects of such programs; and be it further

3-13    Resolved, That the Legislature of the State of Nevada urges each

3-14  school to establish or expand a peer hotline for pupils to call and discuss

3-15  anonymously with their peers issues that are important to the pupils; and be

3-16  it further

3-17    Resolved, That the Legislature of the State of Nevada urges each

3-18  school to establish a network program for parents of pupils, such as the

3-19  program used at various schools in Clark County, which requires each

3-20  parent who participates in the network to sign a pledge stating that all

3-21  activities hosted by the parent will be supervised by an adult and will be

3-22  free of alcohol, drugs and weapons; and be it further

3-23    Resolved, That the Legislature of the State of Nevada urges the Board

3-24  of Trustees of each school district to establish or expand programs that

3-25  address child abuse and neglect and that include, without limitation,

3-26  community awareness of child abuse and neglect, training for early

3-27  detection of child abuse and neglect, and treatment options for both

3-28  perpetrators and victims of child abuse and neglect; and be it further

3-29    Resolved, That the Legislature of the State of Nevada urges the local

3-30  Department of Family, Youth and Juvenile Services in each judicial district

3-31  in which such a department has been established, and each agency that

3-32  provides similar services in other judicial districts which do not have such

3-33  a department, to establish programs specifically designed for parents whose

3-34  children are beginning to demonstrate warning signs of violence or who are

3-35  involved in the juvenile justice system so that those parents have access to

3-36  such beneficial services before their children have actually committed

3-37  violent acts; and be it further

3-38    Resolved, That the Legislature of the State of Nevada urges the Board

3-39  of Trustees of each school district and the governing body of each charter

3-40  school and private school to address the problem of bullying by pupils at

3-41  schools; and be it further

3-42    Resolved, That the approaches used to address the problem of bullying

3-43  at schools may include, without limitation, working with local nonprofit

3-44  agencies to provide training to staff members and other adults working at a

3-45  school to address the problem of bullying at school, placing additional

3-46  adults on school campuses and playgrounds at certain times, encouraging

3-47  parental participation at school activities, and clarifying the roles of

3-48  persons who volunteer at schools and school activities so that persons who

4-1  are not employees of the school district are not improperly placed in

4-2  supervisory positions; and be it further

4-3    Resolved, That the Legislature of the State of Nevada urges the

4-4  Department of Education to carry out fully and to offer training to

4-5  educators concerning the key components of Assembly Bill No. 521 of the

4-6  1999 legislative session which addresses school discipline; and be it further

4-7    Resolved, That the Legislature of the State of Nevada urges the Board

4-8  of Trustees of each school district to define properly the roles of school

4-9  counselors, school psychologists and school social workers and to inform

4-10  parents and pupils of those roles so that pupils may seek academic

4-11  guidance, personal advice or general assistance from the appropriate

4-12  person; and be it further

4-13    Resolved, That the Legislature of the State of Nevada encourages the

4-14  continuing efforts of the Board of Trustees of each school district, within

4-15  the state budget process, to employ additional professionals and school

4-16  support staff, including, without limitation, school psychologists, school

4-17  nurses and school counselors for secondary grades, who may assist with

4-18  providing services to pupils who have exhibited signs of violence or

4-19  delinquency; and be it further

4-20    Resolved, That the Legislature of the State of Nevada encourages the

4-21  continuing efforts of the Board of Trustees of each school district, within

4-22  the state budget process, to request special funding for counselors in

4-23  elementary schools to assist in providing pupils with services for early

4-24  prevention of violence and for early intervention in cases involving

4-25  violence; and be it further

4-26    Resolved, That the Legislature of the State of Nevada urges the Board

4-27  of Trustees of each school district to employ licensed social workers at

4-28  each school where counselors are needed because licensed social workers

4-29  offer unique services for the prevention of violence and for intervention in

4-30  cases involving violence, and are able to assist pupils and their families

4-31  obtain support services in the community; and be it further

4-32    Resolved, That the Legislature of the State of Nevada urges the

4-33  Department of Education to determine the best ratio for the number of

4-34  pupils per licensed social worker, and to consider using the ratio of pupils

4-35  per counselor set forth in the accreditation standards of the Northwest

4-36  Association of Schools and Colleges; and be it further

4-37    Resolved, That the Legislature of the State of Nevada urges the Board

4-38  of Trustees of each school district to consider using the assistance of the

4-39  universities and community colleges in this state to address the problem of

4-40  school violence, including, without limitation, using the services of

4-41  students of social work and trainees in social work; and be it further

4-42    Resolved, That the Legislature of the State of Nevada urges each

4-43  school to provide activities, such as school assemblies and dances, that

4-44  promote nonviolence and which may include, without limitation,

4-45  entertainment, motivational speakers and law enforcement officers, and to

4-46  involve pupils in organizing such activities; and be it further

4-47    Resolved, That the Legislature of the State of Nevada urges each

4-48  school to offer a wide variety of after-school programs that keep pupils

4-49  occupied during periods when crimes are most likely to occur and that

5-1  foster the pupils’ involvement and interest in productive hobbies and

5-2  activities; and be it further

5-3    Resolved, That the Legislature of the State of Nevada encourages each

5-4  local Chamber of Commerce to establish or expand programs, such as job

5-5  shadowing, that provide pupils with the opportunity to spend valuable time

5-6  with adults in the workplace; and be it further

5-7    Resolved, That the Legislature of the State of Nevada urges each

5-8  school and community to establish or expand mentoring programs that

5-9  place a caring adult mentor with a child and that provide services,

5-10  including, without limitation, tutoring for the child, personal support for

5-11  the child and support to the family of the child; and be it further

5-12    Resolved, That the Legislature of the State of Nevada urges the Board

5-13  of Trustees of each school district to incorporate in its school curriculum

5-14  the assets-building approach to teaching, which helps identify the positive

5-15  aspects of the life of a pupil and provides a framework for nurturing and

5-16  building upon those positive aspects; and be it further

5-17    Resolved, That the Legislature of the State of Nevada urges the

5-18  employees of each school to participate in continuing education that

5-19  encompasses the assets-building approach to teaching and the methods for

5-20  identifying factors that indicate when a pupil is at risk of exhibiting violent

5-21  or delinquent behavior; and be it further

5-22    Resolved, That the Legislature of the State of Nevada urges the

5-23  University and Community College System of Nevada to include in its

5-24  curriculum for training teachers the assets-building approach to teaching,

5-25  and to provide training concerning the methods of identifying factors that

5-26  indicate when a pupil is at risk of exhibiting violent or delinquent behavior;

5-27  and be it further

5-28    Resolved, That the Legislature of the State of Nevada urges the

5-29  Department of Education to adopt standards for evaluating the

5-30  effectiveness of programs that are currently used throughout this state to

5-31  reduce school violence so that resources may be applied only to effective

5-32  programs; and be it further

5-33    Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate prepare and transmit a copy

5-34  of this resolution to each public school and private school in this state, and

5-35  each university and college in the University and Community College

5-36  System of Nevada.

 

5-37  H