Students at Markham Middle school located in Watts, CA., finally have something positive to look forward to at school—education sans violence. Markham is located in a violent neighborhood known for its seven notorious street gangs, and is bordered by four public housing projects. Recent campus violence-related statistics over the last year include: a suspension of 278 students due to attempted physical harm, 196 for defiance, 19 assaults against staff, 14 related to theft, 9 for sexual harassment, and 6 for possession of marijuana.
The absence of safety has recently drawn the ire of the community—namely former substitute teacher Michelle McGinnis, turned Prosecutor who decided that the time for reform was long overdue. Specifically, McGinnis has advocated that students desperately needed a program aimed at augmenting opportunities for children to be safe, and secure while studying on campus. This in turn, has yielded a robust community-based approach, armed with private donations has helped to pay for the first ever LAUSD on-campus Boys & Girls Club facility, for a new washer and dryer, for new school uniforms, and tennis shoes—a push to encourage students to engage in basketball during lunch instead of engaging in incessant fights.
While it is too early to postulate on the long-term benefits of the new program, proponents have pointed to the program’s early success as a cause for optimism—as arrests are already down 19%.
Link: : http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-markham11feb11,1,1844220.story?ctrack=3&cset=true
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