"STOP THE VIOLENCE"

"Stop the Violence"! Thats this years theme Dothan City "School Resource Officers",(S.R.O.), came up with in order to cut down on school violence. Students act as our future leaders of the community and have a large impact on issues of violence. The idea works like this: Students from both Dothan and Northview High School receive a t-shirt if they write an essay about their concerns and ideas about ways to stop school violence. Lt. Gonzalez says, "We dont have all the answers, so if we talk to students and find out what they are thinking and what they express through their essays and posters find out what they think,". Today is the deadline for students to turn in their essays, and while they will receive a t-shirt, S.R.O.`S gain ideas that they can implement in the classroom. S.R.O.`s are assigned to a specific school and are there from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. This allows them to interact with students and listen to their ideas. This year`s participation has been extremely high and parents can feel re-assured that this is just the beginning. These essays will give our law enforcement a better idea about our children`s concerns and how they put a stop to this growing problem. Officer Neal is the S.R.O. at Northview High School and says, "Juniors and Seniors are the leaders of our state and our future...what beter way to find out what`s going on than through them?". JANA JACOBS-REPORTER WDHN 18