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Thursday, December 8, 2005
December 8, 2005 – The Detroit Public Schools is teaming up with the Detroit Police Department to beef up security at many of the high schools and middle schools that report high incidents of violence and disorderly behavior that hamper the learning environment.
This short-term strategy is just one of many initiatives the District is launching to create a safer environment at some of its most troubled schools.
This relationship with DPD is the outcome of a Wednesday meeting that included representatives from the Office of the Mayor of Detroit, the Detroit Police Department and Detroit Public Schools system. The meeting was precipitated by a rash of incidents in recent weeks that had occurred at or near several DPS buildings.
According to the terms of an agreement between the District and the City of Detroit, the Detroit Police Department will maintain a highly visible presence outside some of the school buildings in the coming weeks at the end of the school day. Their presence will augment that of police and security officers from the District.
“This is a short-term solution to increase security at our hotspots,” said William F. Coleman III, CEO of the Detroit Public Schools. “We are moving quickly to re-assure our parents, our students and the community. We need to make all of them feel comfortable that all of our schools are safe and conducive for learning.”
Details of the agreement between the two agencies are still being worked out. But District officials say improved communication between the District’s Department of Public Safety and the Detroit Police Department will be one of the hallmarks of this working relationship.
At this time, there are no plans to outsource the District’s security operations to the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, which has been actively campaigning for the contract. Such a decision will be up to the 11-member elected school board, which will be sworn in next month.
In addition to this still evolving working relationship with DPD, the District plans to expedite these additional steps in its continuing attempt to enhance security at the schools:
• It is exploring a significant increase in the number of police officers employed by the District.
• By December 20, all of the District’s schools will be equipped with base communications stations that will enable the schools to communicate directly with the District’s Department of Public Safety.
• The District is working to expand its Parent Academy, a program that trains parents as volunteers in schools. The program has been piloted in three schools. At least two sessions to train parents as volunteers have already been scheduled for this month. “These parents will serve as additional eyes and ears,” Coleman said.
• Beginning in January, the District will initiate a series of town hall meetings with a cross section of the community – parents, students, principals and staff, faith-based groups, representatives of health agencies – to try to find ways to tackle the problem of violence among young people.
“We need to get to the root of the violence,” said Coleman. “We need to teach students and our young people to learn to talk to each other rather than solve disputes with fists or weapons. We also need to keep them occupied outside the classroom. That’s why I have been actively promoting strategic partnerships with groups like the Girls Scouts, Boys and Girls Clubs, the Detroit Public Library, the Science Museum and the Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History.”
About the Detroit Public Schools
The Detroit Public Schools, founded in 1842, is one of the nation’s largest public school systems. Detroit Public Schools is a school of choice and is open to children who live outside the city. The District offers a variety of highly competitive academic and career technical programs.
