Chalkbeat

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Chalkbeat

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New York
October 21, 2008

Students take a stance on school safety, discipline

The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) and local youth organizations regularly condemn metal detectors and policing of schools, saying they make students feel like criminals. So I was surprised when I was in the Bronx last week and heard students saying something different. I was at a workshop at a conference on youth violence prevention, and participants were asked to cross the room if they agreed with statements by the facilitator, move to the middle if they weren't sure or partly agreed, and stay on the other side if they disagreed. Nearly all the students crossed the room, indicating they agreed, in response to two questions related to NYCLU's campaign: Should the city have a curfew for teenagers, and should the city schools have metal detectors? Although students in the workshop crossed the room in favor of them, other students I spoke to later expressed concerns about whether metal detectors really keep schools safe. Their views are after the jump.