That likely will give the board plenty to think about as it continues to consider whether to give itself or Superintendent Brad Allison the final say on how to implement a safety plan in schools.

In Wednesday's public forum, 17 people spoke passionately to the board.

Of the 17, nine supported arming school police. Of the nine supporters, six were retired or current officers from the Albuquerque Police Department, the Albuquerque Public Schools Police Department or the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department.

Mark Shea, assistant director of school police, defended the force, saying that 27 "well-trained and very professional" officers were on the payroll and that they put the safety of children first. He also described guns as a "traditional tool of law enforcement."

Fernando Abeyta of the SouthWest Organizing Project, a grass-roots social reform group, came before the board again to stress that guns are not the answer to keeping children safe. He also said the discussion has missed a vital part of the community.

"The district has failed to bring young people to the table," Abeyta said. "The only tools (police) need are minds, words and a compassion for young people."

"Guns intimidate students more," said Rio Grande High School freshman Elena Garcia. "They raise the risk of shootings in our school."

Ken O'Keefe, an individual from the community, said he hoped the board would consider the public as an important voice in the discussion.

"We don't want to be cut out of this process," he said.

The board has not yet publicly attempted to connect arming school police with the recent information released about declining violence in Albuquerque schools in the 2000-01 school year. The report states some incidents of violence and vandalism continue to drop, and that fewer gangs are present in schools.

The number of guns reported to have been found in schools dropped from 14 to five in one year, the report says.

Despite the report's findings, board President Leonard DeLayo said he was troubled that some schools prominently, Rio Grande and Albuquerque high schools continued to have high numbers for violence and vandalism and that some are showing a rising trend in reported incidents rather than a decline.

APS Police Chief Gil Lovato said a plan is in the works to bring all of the numbers down and said the board would be presented with those plans soon.

The board will hold a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. Monday in the John Milne board room at the APS Central Office, 725 University Blvd. S.E., to make a final vote on how authority on keeping schools safe will be allocated in the future to the board or to the superintendent.

INTERVIEW WITH .....GILBERT LOVATO

BYLINE: Susie Gran sgran@abqtrib.com / 823-3682

SECTION: Pg. A6

LENGTH: 1234 words

Where's the safest place for kids? School, says top APSofficerGilbert Lovato has spent more than 30 years fighting crime first on the streets, now in the classroom.

The 54-year-old Lovato has been the chief of the Albuquerque Public Schools Police Department for 10 years. He supervises 25 sworn officers who respond to police calls on campuses throughout the city.

As another school year begins, Lovato said what he likes most about his job "is being able to help kids and being able to provide a safe learning environment for them."

However, he said he's convinced "school safety begins at home, and I encourage parents to spend more time with their children, find out what's going on at school and, if something is wrong, report it to the principal."

Lovato: Despite recent occurrences, schools should not be singled out as dangerous places in our communities. Our schools are safe. Just like the safest mode for traveling is still by aircraft, the safest place for our student population during the day is on school campuses. A student is much more likely to become a victim of a violent crime off campus.

While one homicide on campus is one too many, preliminary data from the U.S. Department of Education indicate that less than 1 percent of the 2,500 children nationwide who were murdered or committed suicide in the first half of the school year 1997-98 were on school property, at a school-sponsored event or on the way to or from school.

According to "Not Even One," a 1997 report on children, youth and firearms deaths in New Mexico, our school district is no different. That report shows 248 children and youth dying at the hands of firearms in New Mexico from 1996 to 1998. Forty-two percent of those occurred in Bernalillo County. Not one occurred on a school campus.

This is not to say that it will never happen, and we all need to continue to work to make our school district a safe learning environment.

Tribune: Do you have tips for parents on how they can help keep their children's schools safe?

Lovato: Without safe schools, teachers cannot teach and students cannot learn. The key here is parent involvement. Parents can get involved through their parent and teacher organizations or the school safety committees.

Every school in the APS system has a safe school plan. The community needs to be involved in the design and implementation of that plan. Safe school plans, of course, are only one component to creating a safe learning environment for our students. Parents should also work collaboratively with the school administration on issues such as dress codes, behavior standards, school rules and campus access control.

Parents should review with their children the APS Student Behavior Handbook, which contains a wealth of information for parents. This handbook sets the tone for what is expected of our students along with student rights.

Tribune: Bullying is a problem on some elementary school playgrounds. What advice can you give parents of children who are having problems with bullies?

Lovato: Bullying on campus should not be tolerated. Bullying, if not addressed, can lead to more serious consequences that can result in serious injury to a student. The victim needs to be protected, and the bully needs to take responsibility for his or her action. Parents, staff and students need to work together to make sure that this sort of behavior does not continue.

Tribune: What is the most common crime on the high school campuses, and how are schools dealing with it?

Lovato: Fights and assaults are the most common. However, this is not true at all high schools. APS is dealing with this in a number of ways. The school district has a zero-tolerance policy in place.

Our principals work very hard with their staffs to make sure that schools are safe. While I don't believe any student should be denied an education, suspending a student for violent behavior may be the only alternative. Again, students need to have the best of conditions, which include their safety in order for teachers to teach and students to learn.

The district also has campus security, APS police officers, APD and the Sheriff's Department to assist school staff in not only breaking up these fights but deterring them. We know that most of these fights are going to occur during lunch or at the end of the school day and we concentrate on this issue during those periods of time. I want to emphasize this type of disruption is caused by only a small portion of our students.

Tribune: For years, school police and school officials have been confiscating weapons from students. What is the weapon most frequently confiscated and under what circumstances? Do you feel metal detectors would be a deterrent?

Lovato: Knives, usually pocketknives, are the most frequently confiscated. These are not being used aggressively as weapons by students. Frequently, students have a knife at school because they used it over the weekend and forgot to leave it at home. These knives are reported by other students who observe the knife or while searching students for various infractions.

Most of the firearms confiscations were based on student tips because students want to be safe. I don't believe metal detectors would be a deterrent. Our school campuses have too many entrances. In addition to that, we have to remember that most of our schools are open late into the night for custodial cleaning, extra school activities, etc. I believe that if someone wanted to bring a weapon on campus, he or she could do so.

I think metal detectors would have a serious psychological impact on students and staff creating a feeling that their schools were unsafe. Metal detectors may have a place at events such as school dances, athletics events, etc. where you have received valid threats about weapons being brought to these events.

Tribune: Some school districts have removed lockers in their fight against drugs and weapons. Do you think this is a move APS should consider?

Lovato: I think there are valid reasons for doing this to minimize the transportation and storage of drugs and weapons. The decision should ultimately come from the school administrator and his or her staff who can better assess the need for this at their school. Some principals currently may be considering this move.

Tribune: Has the school police force grown over the years? Are more officers needed?

Lovato We have an allocation of 25 sworn officers. The number of full-time employees has remained the same for the last 10 years. Although we have APD officers and sheriff's deputies to assist us during the day, the school police is the primary responding law enforcement agency to calls on our campuses before and after the school day, on weekends and holidays, including full coverage of summer schools when the APD officers are off.

There are 35 APD officers, one assigned for each high school and middle school during the school year. In addition to responding to calls, the school police maintain the district's intrusion alarm system, provides for traffic control at athletic events, investigates employee misconduct cases and provides training to school personnel. A district this size could always use more officers.Interview With ... appears Mondays in The Tribune