Case Studies with Questions and Answers
Chapter 13: The School and Crime Prevention
Chase Middle School, in a large Eastern City, is experiencing a growing problem with the lack of satisfaction with school safety. Students and teachers have expressed increased fear in attending school due to a number of events that have occurred recently in school. During the fall system, two high profile arrests were made on different days on school property in which one athlete was arrested with a semi-automatic weapon and another student was arrested with 2 handguns and a knife. Both students were expelled from school. The school is also experiencing increased gang activity and rival gangs in the large city are both represented in the school. This creates additional pressures for those not affiliated with any of the gangs.
With the increase in violence has also come an increase of bullying among younger students by older students in the school. Although teachers have attempted to diminish the amount of bullying and punish those offenders witnessed perpetrating the act, the student to teacher ratio is nearly 200-1 and teachers actually witness the events on a limited basis.
With a staff shortage and a hiring freeze placed by the state, the principle's hands are tied on hiring new staff. Recently the school was awarded a small 300,000 dollar grant from the Department of Education to update security measures on school grounds. The school is currently debating what to do with the grant. Answer the following questions based on the information above.