Teachers get lesson on crime prevention

     By Judy DeLoretta
     View staff writer
      Teachers met Aug. 13 to learn how crime among teens can be prevented through community intervention and better relationships with teachers and other mentors.
      The teachers, who participated in the optional workshop, were led by Lisa Lybbert, who is the Teens, Crime and the Community program conference coordinator for the National Crime Prevention Council, and Dr. Maria Chairez, director of Secondary Success programs for the Clark County School District.
      Several of the Clark County School District instructors who attended the class agreed that teen crime got worse over the years with generations of drug abuse, low self-esteem, not enough jobs and the quality of family.
      Las Vegas teachers participated in the training program to learn about crime prevention and to bring the curriculum to their own students.
      No one is saying life was perfect in past generations, but many educators are asking where things went wrong and even more, what they can do about it.
      Possible questions include: Would things be better if there were more jobs available? Or if kids' lives at home were better? Or if kids raised in single-parent homes had same-sex role models? What about more attention on teaching kids there are consequences for their actions?
      Nobody has the answer, but now teachers agree many of their students are practically raising themselves.
      At Kenny Guinn Middle School, administrators are discussing moving forward by initiating a conflict-resolution program for students.
      "We need to look at kids individually, we need to look within and outside the school district," Chairez said. "Back in 1991, when I started the Horizon High School program, I had a student who was involved in a very violent crime. We asked ourselves what we could have done to help or even to prevent it from happening again."
      Chairez, through a colleague in Los Angeles, was put in touch with the National Crime Prevention Council.
      "McGruff does more than just fight crime," Lisa Lybbert said, referring to the council's mascot known as the crime dog. "There are programs designed specifically for crime prevention and teen-agers. The council emphasizes teen-agers staying out of trouble and we help to train teachers in cities across the United States."
      Chairez and Lybbert last month put their heads together to initiate the curriculum for teachers in a seminar, called Teens, Crime and the Community.
      "Since we've been doing it, the program has grown by leaps and bounds," Lybbert said. "It's really hands-on. Teachers love it because it involves problem-solving and critical-thinking skills."
      The program addressed teachers with ideas, as well as how to develop their own curriculum appropriate for their schools, implementation of crime-prevention programs, and a question-and-answer forum.
      Once the teachers learn the curriculum in the Teens, Crime and the Community workshop, they take it back to the classroom to teach their kids. The learning program targets every teen -- it's not considered a program designed only for at-risk kids.
      Curriculum may involve field trips to the courthouse or to Horizon, an alternative learning high school. Many kids, she said, may not believe a judge will impose a sentence because they're juveniles. This allows kids to see it for themselves.
      Chairez said it's important to put some labor into preventing teens from becoming involved in crime. She wants to see Clark County educators have materials on hand to give to students who need help, including simple handouts with community information, action projects and stories about drunk drivers.
      The hopes are that Clark County educators and administrators will have more ammunition to help kids avoid becoming involved in crimes, as well as to help them to prevent crimes.
      Chairez also has printed some handouts for teachers to give to kids. Some offer advice on dealing with bullies, and with breaking the code of silence for reporting crimes, but said there isn't extra money to pay for such materials.
      "I'm always trying to get more sponsors to help with printing costs," Chairez said. "We're approaching security companies as one possibility."