By Jeff Gilbride/Daily News staff
Daily News Tribune
September 30, 2008

WALTHAM — Forging strong bonds with kids and talking to them about their problems can help keep them out of trouble, said officials at yesterday’s conference on youth violence.

Preventing school violence was the focus of the 13th annual School Safety Summit at Bentley College attended by law enforcement personnel, educators and social workers from across Middlesex County.

Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone, one of yesterday’s speakers, said kids can be kept out of trouble by organizing teams of concerned adults who can reach out to troubled youngsters.

Police, educators and counselors have their work cut out for them, he said.

“There’s been an increase in the willingness for kids to express mean- spiritedness … it’s a lack of respect, tolerance and acceptance of people different from them,” he said. “The problem of bullying has only gotten worse with the expansion of the Internet.”

He discussed efforts like the Middlesex Partnerships For Youth Inc., a nonprofit organization providing resources and training to school districts and communities, including Waltham.

Leone said training sessions show communities how to deal with youth-related problems ranging from drinking and drug use to cyber-bullying.

Kevin Conzo said yesterday was his third year attending the summit.

“They teach you more how to approach the problems through education,” the Waltham school resource officer said. “It’s more about engaging the youth to come to the right decisions … have them feel like they are participating in the solution.”

In Waltham, four school resource officers are assigned to the district and are responsible for keeping students safe in schools. Two work at Waltham High School and Kennedy and McDevitt middle schools each has an officer assigned to them.

Waltham Police Capt. Don Feeney supervises the city’s school resource officers.

“A lot of this has to do with participation of the police and school administrators,” Feeney said. “We’re all working together.”

Feeney said one thing Waltham’s school resource officers have been training for is how to better prepare for school lockdowns, following last year’s incidents. Feeney mentioned episodes in May 2007, when both the McDevitt Middle School and Kennedy Middle School were locked down and officers found two knives in student’s lockers at Kennedy.

Waltham High School Principal John Graceffa said punishment for violence at schools is determined case by case.

“It can be expulsion, depending on the circumstances,” he said. “We try to work with parents and set up counseling.”

Graceffa said about 17 years ago Waltham High School began using a conflict resolution program, which involves a number of counselors. There are now two full-time conflict resolution counselors, both of whom are licensed social workers, and five school adjustment counselors who watch after students.

“We noticed new people were moving into the community. The community became more transient,” he said. “We saw some things and we said we want to do something (to address the changes in community). Our approach was pro-active. That’s one of the things in my 20 years being here that has made a remarkable difference in the (school’s) climate.”

Jeff Gilbride can be reached at 781-398-8005 or at jgilbrid@cnc.com