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Phoenix students debate violence Most say it's better to tell on someone who brings a gun to school By DAMIAN MANN PHOENIX - More than 100 Phoenix High School students debated Thursday how they would handle threats of violence, especially given the unspoken rule against tattling on friends. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I knew somebody who brought a gun to school and killed one of my friends," said student Kyle Prewitt. "I'm one of the last people who would tell on anybody, but sometimes you've got to draw the line." The students spoke during a forum organized by the Phoenix-Talent School Board to make students aware that they are the first line of defense against violence. The forum included students from Armadillo Technical Institute, a charter school. Student Zeb Tolman said he didn't feel threatened at school but he wouldn't take a chance if he heard about possible violence. "It's better to tell and be wrong than not tell and have something happen," he said. But other students said that if their friends joked about killing someone, they wouldn't necessarily take the threat seriously. Students were shown videos on how to prevent violence, particularly focusing on the need to immediately report any threats to school officials. Most students said they felt comfortable enough to approach a school official if they found out about a real threat. A handful of students even said they had seen guns on campus. One student wondered if it counted that a student came to school with a gun rack in his vehicle. Superintendent Dave Willard said the number of students who have gun racks has declined over the years. He also told the students, "I think you guys would be surprised at how much we hear." Willard said students are always "dissing" each other, making it more difficult to determine if a threat is real. But if there is any reference to killing, he said, "When we hear talk like that, we suspend or expel somebody." Keanon Ferguson said he thought most students could differentiate between a real threat of violence and an off-handed remark. But Kasey Stierle said it was often difficult to tell if someone is joking or not. "I don't think talk like that should be allowed in the schools." Megan Capp said, "It's important how we phrase things and how we speak to each other." Overall, the students felt the campus was a safe place to be. Chrystal Morgan attended a middle school in the Littleton, Colo. area and would have transferred to Columbine High School at the time of the massacre. "I know a lot of the kids who went to Columbine," she said. "I feel much more secure going to this school." Principal Bruce Rhodes attributes the sense of safety to the small number of students who attend the campus - about 780. Most students said that the number of cliques has declined at the campus, making it easier to know what's going on. They agreed that the size of the campus makes it more difficult to hide anything. Willard said the common theme among students who commit violence is that they are isolated, lonely and picked on. "The root of violence is that people feel rejected," he said. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.