YOUTH, CRIME AND EDUCATIONAL ISSUES SEMINAR SET JUNE 13

Teachers, parents and law enforcement officials will be able to share experiences and discuss issues during a free one-day conference scheduled for June 13.

The Cape Girardeau School District, U.S. Department of Justice and Cape Girardeau Police Department will sponsor a seminar on youth, crime and educational issues at Southeast Missouri State University.

The conference, which will last from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and be held at Dempster Hall Auditorium, is titled "Violence, Crime, and Racial Conflicts -- How Public Schools and Police Can Address These Issues."

The conference will feature several highly regarded presenters who will speak on such issues as gangs, dealing with the media and crime situations in schools.

The keynote speaker will be Dr. George McKenna, a renowned Los Angeles-area educator and school district official whose success as a principal was dramatized in a made-for-television movie starring Denzel Washington. McKenna's presentation will open the conference.

"I think this is a unique opportunity for people in our community, whether they're from the police department, public schools, parochial or private schools, or parents in the community to come hear speakers talk about issues that could make our schools better," said Cape Girardeau school superintendent, Dr. Dan Tallent. "I really believe there will be information I would like to hear as a parent, as a schoolteacher and administrator, and good information for and about law enforcement officials as well."

The conference is a four-state effort involving Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska. Other contributing agencies to the conference are the Southeast Missouri Regional Professional Development Center, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department, the U.S. Attorney's Office and the Missouri Center for Safe Schools.

For additional information call the Cape Girardeau School District at (573) 335-8820 or Joe Rodriguez of the U.S. Department of Justice at (816) 426-7437.