Administrators for Jefferson Parish Public Schools are seeking to include elementary students in the system’s violence prevention program, according to nola.com. Currently, the program is geared toward middle and high school students, grades six through 12.
According to the Web site, fourth and fifth grade students are much more likely to get in fights than older students in the district. As of March 19, there have been 561 fourth-grade level suspensions and 286 fifth-grade level fighting-related suspensions. Middle and high school students account for a total of 1,400 suspensions.
Since 1999, the violence prevention program’s goal is to provide students with conflict resolution skills to help them during a confrontation. The program lasts for four hours on Saturdays. Parents are required to attend and pay a $75 fee. Additionally, students must complete four hours of community service at their school.
In the past three years, the number of suspensions for fighting among all grade levels has dropped from 3,057 in 2006-07 to 2,256 this school year.
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