Students learn their role when guns are brought to school

by Leanne Tokars (ltokars@wsbt.com)

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Funeral director goes to Greene Intermediate to talk about guns

Funeral director Roosevelt Cobb visited Greene Intermediate Center on Thursday, Feb. 14, 2008 to talk to students about telling an adult when a weapon is brought to school. (WSBT photo)

By WSBT News1

Story Created: Feb 14, 2008 at 2:35 PM EST

Story Updated: Feb 24, 2008 at 8:41 PM EST

SOUTH BEND — After two separate incidents involving guns found at South Bend schools, one school is reaching out to its students.

Fifth graders at Greene Intermediate Center are learning about their roles when a weapon is brought to school.

They’re 9, 10 and 11 years old and the message is fairly simple: See a weapon at school, tell an adult.

“They can make things happen. They're more powerful than they think,” said Roosevelt Cobb, a local funeral director who took time to talk with the children.

But some students say they wouldn’t tell an adult if they saw a weapon because they don’t want to be considered a snitch.

Cobb says the consequences could be deadly.

“I've seen too many really young people coming across in instances where if someone would have informed that guns were involved or someone was in possession of a gun, these kids would have never come through my doors,” said Cobb.

When the 11-year-old student brought a gun to Greene, school officials found out only after other students told them.

The concern is that won’t happen next time.

“A lot of things are beyond my control, because I cannot control what exactly happens in a child's home. But, of course, once they get to school I'm responsible,” said Sherry Bolden-Simpson, principal at Greene Intermediate Center. “I need to let students know that they can come to me and I will protect them and we will listen to them."

But after hearing the lesson, their important roles and what could happen if a gun goes off, South Bend school board member Dawn Jones asked the students one last question: “If you see someone with a weapon at school, how many of you would tell an adult?"

Many students did not raise their hands.

Jones says that shows how powerful peer pressure is for students.

This isn't the only way they're reaching out to the kids. Jones says they're meeting in smaller groups. They find, in that situation, it’s easier for the students to open up about issues.

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