Last modified: Saturday, October 25, 2008 11:45 PM PDT Elected board addresses gang, dropout issues By JESSICA KELLER ARGUS OBSERVER ONTARIO—With at-risk students, school violence and high school dropout rates receiving extra attention on the national level, local education officials are taking a closer look at those challenges and how they impact the Ontario School District. Gang presence at schools and dropouts were two areas of concern the Ontario School Board addressed during its annual goal-development session. Wednesday, the board members met to expand on their goals, but their conversation also drifted toward gangs and possible solutions that could help all at-risk students stay focused on school and complete their education. After hashing out the actual language of their dropout rate goal, board members focused on the problem of gangs at Ontario schools. The School Board is now considering supporting an ordinance the Ontario Police Department wants to present to the City Council that would establish anti-gang zones at, and around, the local schools. OPD Capt. Mark Alexander approached the School Board about the issue at its October regular board meeting, but the subject was brought up again by board members Wednesday. “I guess that’s what I walked away wondering how big a problem this is,” board member Nancy Alvarado said. Board member Kathie Collins said she has spoken with parents who witnessed gang member recruitment of students while picking a child up from school. Ontario School District Superintendent Dennis Carter said students in gangs do display colors and associate themselves with different, opposing gangs, which causes Ontario High School administrators and teachers concern if they line the hallways on separate walls from each other. “I guess I hadn’t really thought of this as a problem,” Alvarado said. After some discussion about the effectiveness of a proposed ordinance, board members then questioned what the school district could do, as well. “We’re never going to solve the problem when we lose control of those kids as soon as the bell rings,” School Board member John Phillips said. Collins proposed developing a possible gang policy at the school district level and also brought up the idea of implementing a uniform policy at the high school, in addition to the middle school. Expanding on an idea of creating partnerships and programs for at-risk students brought up by Alvarado, board members also wondered if there was a way to provide support in other areas as well, specifically curricula or vocational partnerships for at-risk students who don’t intend to go to college but could use a jump-start on developing a vocation before leaving school. Board members discussed developing partnerships with different businesses to provide internship opportunities for students to build an interest in a trade and gain some hands-on experience. Carter told the board, one of the easiest ways to aid students and, perhaps keep them interested in school, was to develop curricula and classes that would be used by students should they enter a trade. He said there was some room for exploration of that idea, especially with the new state requirement of a third math class to graduate. Rather than the usual algebra, geometry and algebra II sequence, he said, a vocational math class could be offered teaching math skills commonly applied in different vocations and trades. He said, in his opinion, while the curriculum might need special tailoring, he didn’t think it would deviate far from the teachers’ realm of experience. The School Board members agreed to look into that and other possibilities, such as grants, but members said first high school administrators and teachers should be brought into the discussion before pursuing any specific idea.