VIOLENCE PUTS BURDENS ON SCHOOL DISTRICTS

California voters approved The Victim's Bill of Rights amendment in 1982.

The amendment was designed to enhance the rights of law-abiding citizens and victims of crime. Contained in the amendment was a provision guaranteeing citizens safe public schools.

"This applied to both students and staff," said Jim Hatfield, a Southern Illinois educator who prepared a paper on violence and security in public schools.

The California amendment guarantees include:

-- The right to be protected against foreseeable criminal activity.

-- The right to be protected against student crime or violence that can be prevented.

-- The right to be protected from dangerous individuals negligently admitted to the school.

-- The right to be protected from school administrators, teachers and staff negligently selected, retained or trained.

The amendment has increased the burden on California school districts to place security as a top priority, given the possible ramifications of violating its mandate, said Hatfield, principal at Egyptian High School near Tamms.

Six years after the amendment was passed, San Diego schools budgeted $1.8 million with a police force of 46 to combat crime in the city's schools. Police investigated more than 4,000 criminal incidents in the school system that year.

"About 25 percent of the nation's larger districts have buildings that are equipped with metal detectors now," said Hatfield. "Cairo High School is the only area school of which I am aware that uses detectors at entry on a daily basis."

Hatfield said some schools in the area do use hand-held metal detectors at sporting events to keep weapons from entering the facility. Given the frightening statistics of the availability of handguns, this will probably become more common, said Hatfield.

A 1993 Harris poll reports that 59 percent of the nation's sixth- through 12th-graders say they can get a handgun if they want one in less than an hour. Specifically, the survey said 72 percent of black students, 55 percent of white students, 79 percent of Hispanics and 47 percent of Asians have easy access to handguns.

Another frightening statistic, said Hatfield, comes from the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It revealed that one high-school student in five carried a gun, knife or club for protection at least once during a one-month period in 1990.

Hatfield found in his research that searches with detectors have been upheld by the Supreme Court as constitutional. Guidelines, however, must be in place to insure that individual rights are not violated.

Two of the guidelines pertain to metal detectors. One is a recommendation to be able to justify the use of detectors. One court, said Hatfield, has stated that the need for safe schools is justification enough. Another is to give advance warning of the use or possible use of metal detectors.