Duval starts middle school anti-violence program

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As the debate on how to cut down on violence in Jacksonville continues, one new plan is being put in place to try to make sure that children know how to deal with conflict from a young age.

Duval County Public Schools Superintendent Nikolai Vitti announced a new five-year partnership Tuesday with the Non-Violence Project.

The $15 million, privately funded program aims at intervening in middle schools to provide counseling and mentoring to selected at-risk students.

Vitti said Tuesday that the school district has stood by and been reactive for far too long, making decisions based on things that have already happened. He said it's time to start being proactive and stop things before they start.

Vitti said the program will be rolled out at the beginning of next school year, starting with the 10 middle schools that have been deemed most at risk, with eight more starting the program between October and December, and the final six starting in January.

"We are behind in Jacksonville when it comes to thinking about prevention and developing relationships," Vitti said. "These are the kinds of programs that I think are going to make a profound difference for our children."

"We know that we can increase the likelihood that the child will improve their behavioral health, overall wellness, and they will be able to understand their educational expectations," said Julio Avael of the Non-Violence Project.

Vitti said a child will be deemed at risk based on his or her attendance record, referral history and history of violence at schools. He said counselors at each school will work in small groups with those students to help deal with any problems they have.

"Let's look at what happened with the First Coast student last weekend. That was a fight. That was a fight that ended up now with the loss of life because kids cannot talk through challenges and conflict," Vitti said.

The timing of Tuesday's announcement is not directly linked to the shooting over the weekend, according to Vitti, but he said it certainly makes it more relevant. Police said 18-year-old Johnnel Johnson was shot and killed at an after-prom party. The shooter has not been caught.

Vitti said the schools have learned that students sometimes decide to fight at schools because they feel safer fighting in schools than they do outside, for fear they could lose their lives. Vitti said that is part of the reason for the program.

"As a city and as a school district, we are behind when it comes to violence," Vitti said. "We have always been reactionary as a community, whether that is arresting or suspending. That is not a solution to the problem. The solution is finding students who show signs of violence and intervening, getting to them early."
 
Vitti said he has a good relationship with Avael from when the two worked together in Miami when the program was put in place there. Both said they are confident the program will be able to prevent some of the major school violence issues that the city has seen recently.

Vitti said he has recently met with groups of students from multiple high schools and has had a very direct message for them.

"I am tired of receiving phone calls in the middle of the night about our students being killed in the community, or about our students bringing guns or weapons to schools," Vitti said. "I'm tired of it. I'm tired of it, because our children deserve better."

The current plan is for the program to be implemented in the 24 traditional middle schools in Jacksonville starting next year, but Vitti said he hopes eventually the program can be used in the non-traditional middle schools to help those students as well.