DPS Superintendent’s statement on school violence

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

William F. Coleman III, superintendent of the Detroit Public Schools, today issued the following statement about the two disturbing incidents that have occurred at our schools this week:

“Like most parents, I was troubled by the stabbings that took place in the parking lot of Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School late Thursday afternoon, and by the discharge of a firearm outside Osborne High School late Friday morning.

“The safety and welfare of our 130,000 is my top priority.

“That’s why we have a zero tolerance policy for the kind of behavior that could disrupt the classroom environment or harm students, teachers or staff.  It’s also why we’ve been developing creative techniques to teach our young people to avoid violence. These techniques include conflict resolution strategies, an aggressive call for heightened parent involvement, and partnerships with civic organizations and faith-based groups.

“But we realize that these strategies alone will not eliminate the problem. These incidents of violence in our schools, though rare, are typically outgrowths of problems that begin in our neighborhoods and spill over into our buildings. In other words, this is not just a school problem; it is a community problem. For the sake of our children we must all work together to solve it.

“In the meantime, we continue to aggressively review our security procedures in order to eliminate any lingering weaknesses and to try to make certain that such incidents do not happen again.”