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Gang violence in schools.

Gang issues are priority concerns for many urban, suburban, and rural school, law enforcement, and other youth-service professionals.We continue to see an upswing in school and community-based gang activity in our work on school safety across the country.School gang activity can escalate quickly. Educators need to understand school gang prevention and preparedness measures before a crisis hits.Graffiti: Unusual signs, symbols, or writing on walls, notebooks, etc.Colors are Obvious or subtle colors of clothing, a particular clothing brand, jewelry, or haircuts But not necessarily the traditional perception of colors as only bandannaTattoo Symbols on arms, chest, or elsewhere on the body gang literature Gang signs, sybols, poems, prayers, procedures, etc. in notebooks or other documents. Initiations Suspicious bruises, wounds, or injuries resulting from a jumping in type initiation. Handsigns Unusual hand signals or handshakes Behavior Sudden changes in behavior or secret meetingCommunicate to staff, students, and parents that schools are neutral grounds and that gang, drug, and weapon activities will receive priority response. Apply discipline in a timely, firm, fair, and consistent manner. Institute student anti-gang education and prevention programs. Establish a mechanism for student conflict mediation. Train school personnel and parents in gang identification, intervention, and prevention techniquesObtain input from youth on violence-related concerns and prevention strategies. Establish coperative relationships and communication networks with parents, law enforcement and other criminal justice agencies, social services, and other community members. Set up mechanisms and structures to promote information-sharing and coordination among agencies addressing youth, gangs, and related public safety efforts.Gang activity in many but not all schools and communities seemed to hit a peak in the mid90's, leveling off and declining in the late 90's in many areas. Of course, there are exceptions to this and it is important to say that the specific trends vary community to community. An upswing in school and community gang activity began appearing in many school communities around the 2003-2004 school year and today we currently see a clear upward trend in gang activity in many communities across the nation. Unfortunately, many of the gang prevention, intervention, and enforcement efforts in place in communities back in the 1990s have been disbanded, dismantled, and dissolved due to a lack of funding and community support, so many communities are starting fresh in dealing with gang problems.