BY DANA DiFILIPPO
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Cincinnati officials aim to expand a school safety program -- already tested in three elementary schools -- throughout the city to ensure students have a safer commute to and from school.
Cincinnati Councilman Todd Portune and Police Chief Michael Snowden spoke at a Cincinnati Board of Education meeting Wednesday,urging the board to help raise community awareness about their "Safe Pathways" plan.
"No child should be in fear on the way to or from school," Mr. Portune said.
More than half of the crimes committed by or against youth occur in the hours just before and after school, he said.
The Safe Pathways plan calls for:
A more visible police presence at or near schools.
Adult volunteers to patrol paths commonly used by children on their way to and from school.
Signs to identify homes and businesses where children can go if they sense a problem.
Adult chaperones on buses and at bus stops.
Better lighting and traffic control on problem-plagued paths.
Buses also could be rerouted in particularly troublesome areas. The safety measures would also apply to private and parochial schools in the city.
"We need to begin the process of trying to mobilize community support for this program," said Chief Snowden, who was accompanied by Lt. Col. Ted Schoch, Youth Services Section Commander Capt. Cindy Johns and Lt. Michael Cureton of the youth services section. The plan was tested last fall at Bond Hill Elementary after a 17-year-old was shot a block from school in April.
It was implemented at Rockdale Elementary in Avondale and Washington Park Elementary in Over-the-Rhine six weeks ago, Lt. Cureton said. It will be funded by existing sources and private donations; the Cinergy Foundation already gave $5,000, Chief Snowden said. Police surveys indicated that most students don't fear their school commutes. But statistics show that maybe they should.
Half of the pedestrian traffic accidents that occurred before or after school involved juveniles, and two thirds of the juveniles were at fault.
In September -- the first full month of school -- police went on 128 radio runs involving juveniles on their way to or from school; most involved incidents on buses or at bus stops. The calls included 42 fights or assaults.
Schools reporting the most crime last year were Winton Montessori, Schiel, Project Succeed, Chase and Washington Park.
School leaders greeted the plan with enthusiasm.
"This is a terrific initiative," board member Harriet Russell said. "I would like to see it in every school, particularly every K-8 school."
