To the Editor:
We were very pleased to read about the recent visit to Chicago by Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Attorney General Eric Holder at the behest of President Obama. They pledged to initiate a "sustained national effort" to address the issue of student violence after the beating death of 16-year old Chicago student.
We commend the administration for taking a pro-active position on the issue of student violence. In Alexandria, although the issues are on a much smaller scale than Chicago, many parents have been eager to address the same issues and work to create a safer and more secure environment in the school system.
As parents of a new middle-schooler, we along with other newbie and experienced parents, have been shocked by the level of physical altercations and verbal confrontations in our schools. On behalf of the GW PTA, Beth spoke about this issue to the Alexandria School Board and to the principals at GW recently and we are heartened by the pro-active response on the part of the administration and school board members.
The principals at GW responded quickly with efforts to open the discussion to parents. They held a very well-attended "Listening Session" to hear parents’ concerns and answer questions. In this meeting, they assured parents that this issue was a priority for them and that they had already enacted and will continue many efforts to reduce incidents:
* Open communication through monthly "Listening Sessions" with parents. These sessions are scheduled during day and evening hours to be accessible to working parents.
* Open communication through monthly meeting with students at each grade level
* A presentation to students on bullying
* Pro-actively addressing potential behavior issues before they happen
* Increased adult presence in the halls and after school
* Strengthening incident prevention
In addition, the superintendent was very helpful. As part of his pledge to personalize the learning experience of each student, he promised to look at the counselor-to-student ratio since a position has been cut at the schools. He also promised to work to improve our cultural competence as a school system.
Why is student safety such an important topic when there is admittedly such a great need and emphasis on closing the achievement gap? It’s important because safety and achievement go hand in hand. Students need to feel safe before they can concentrate on learning. Some of us can remember — and the rest of you can imagine — the dread felt during last period when you were afraid a bully may be waiting for you after school, or the knots in the stomach just before lunch when you were afraid you were going to be snubbed by a group of girls. These fears greatly interfere with the overall well-being of a student and that student’s ability to learn.
Some say there are no more incidents this year than in previous years. Although reported incidents may be on par with previous years, are students best served by maintaining the status quo? Shouldn’t our expressed expectation be zero as the acceptable number of incidents?
Some parents dismiss these issues as just a by-product of attending an urban public school. Does "urban" mean we settle for lower expectations of behavior and conduct? One teacher told us of concern that some students do not see success in their future. Are we implicitly expecting too little of some students in achievement, as well as behavior?
As they develop their identities, students look to us, as parents, as teachers, as administrators, and as a community, to reflect our expectation of them. We need to send a collective message that we expect achievement, that we expect appropriate behavior, that we expect mutual respect, and that in turn, we will do our part to help them pursue their dreams. Our work has just begun.

Tim and Beth Lovain