SAFE SCHOOLS PROGRAM TARGETS PROBLEMS

Safety is not just a concern on school buses. Missouri has allocated $10 million in grant funding to help schools establish and improve security measures. Of that, $1.2 million has been issued to schools in Southeast Missouri. The districts must match these safety grants with local funds.

Some schools in Missouri battle undeniable safety issues such as gangs, drugs and ongoing incidents of violence involving both students and teachers. In these schools, money will mainly be used to install such equipment as metal detectors and other brick-and-mortar protection.

Southeast Missouri schools have their share of discipline problems, but most have been fortunate that few incidents have involved violence on school grounds. Some of the money in this region will be used for video monitors on school grounds and buses, additional outdoor lighting or fencing or other precautionary measures.

Safe School Grants are also being used in Southeast Missouri for such programming as alternative schools. This seems a very good use for the funding to address a real problem at hand.

In Cape Girardeau, the Alternative School serves students from the Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Nell Holcomb, Zalma, Jackson and Meadow Heights districts. Recent state grants have allowed the program to expand to five teachers and up to 80 students. It will soon move to new quarters in the Cape Girardeau Civic Center.

Students attend a 3 1/2-hour sessions in either the morning or afternoon.

Alternative School programs keep disruptive students in school but out of regular classroom situations.