What Safety Issue???

Just three weeks after passing the uniform policy because of the sharply increasing gang problem, insisting that uniforms were necessary to ensure the safety of our students, the school board had the nerve to issue the following press release:

The School District of Osceola County, FL
Blaine A. Muse, Superintendent

Press Release
May 7, 2008 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts: Dana Schafer, Director of Community Relations -- 407-870-4007 or 407-908-8811 (cell)

New State Report Confirms Osceola Schools Are Among The Safest Places To Learn

According to the 2006-2007 School Environmental Safety Incident Report (SESIR) recently released by the Florida Department of Education, the Osceola County School District was five times lower than the state average of the number of incidents of crime, violence, and disruptive behaviors taking place on campuses. Osceola County schools had 6.44 incidents per 1,000 students, while the state average was 30.78 per 1,000 students. As such, Osceola County ranked 4th out of all 67 counties in Florida for the fewest incidents on campuses for the 2006-2007 school year, following only Liberty, Pinellas, and Holmes Counties. Osceola leads all other Central Florida School Districts in the fewest number of incidents per 1,000 students.The number of incidents per 1,000 students for the Osceola School District has drastically decreased over a eight-year period from 116.72 in 1999-2000 to 6.44 in 2006-2007. Last year alone, the district saw a decrease in incidents in such categories as harassment, fighting, weapons possession, and alcohol/tobacco/drugs. The district is continuing to work on decreasing the number of disruptions on campus, including gang-related activity.

"These decreases in the number of incidents that we've seen on our campuses speak volumes to the importance placed on student safety," said Superintendent Blaine Muse. "Our schools continue to work hard to deal immediately with any situations that may arise, and to encourage students to make positive behavior choices through such programs as the Positive Behavior Support Program." The district also credits New Beginnings Education Complex, Zenith Middle School which focuses on improving achievement levels for overage middle school students, and numerous Alternative Programs for responding to the individual needs of students.

In January 2008, the Osceola School District and a number of community partners were awarded over $8 million for a four-year grant from the Federal Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative to reduce youth violence, to increase mental health services, and to create a safe environment for all children in Osceola County's schools. "The Safe Schools/Healthy Students grant will help us continue to reduce barriers to learning, and to teach our children positive social skills that will accompany them throughout their lives, enabling them to make wise choices," said Chuck Butler, Assistant Superintendent for School Services and Grant Administrator.

The School Environmental Safety Incident Reporting (SESIR) system, used by all Florida school districts, collects data on 22 incidents of crime, violence, and disruptive behaviors that occur on school grounds, on school transportation, and at off-campus, school-sponsored events, during any 24-hour period, 365 days per year. Incidents are reported by schools to the districts which, in turn, provide the data to the Florida Department of Education.

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I'm willing to bet that any further improvement in discipline in our county will be attributed solely to the uniform policy, not the $8M Federal Safe Schools grant.