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Since
1994, the Fulton County Sheriff's Office has been educating middle
school aged children on the dangers of gangs and gang activity. Beginning
Tuesday, April 10th, the national Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.)
program will be taught for the first time in a City of Atlanta Elementary
School. Fourth and fifth grade students at Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary
School on Northside Drive will receive four (4) weeks of specialized
training by a certified G.R.E.A.T. instructor from the Fulton County
Sheriff's Office.
As
part of a national effort to reduce gang involvement throughout America,
Sheriff Jacquelyn H. Barrett and specially trained deputies from the
Sheriff's Office remain committed to educating kids on appropriate
behavior at school and in the community. The Fulton County Chapter of the
Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge #64, provided the necessary funding for
the program at Bethune. Classes will be taught Tuesday through Friday from
10 a.m. to 12 p.m. The four (4) week elementary component was developed by
the Phoenix Police Office in Phoenix, Arizona.
While
students and teachers at Bethune Elementary are excited about the first
day of G.R.E.A.T, seventh grade students at Bearcreek Middle School in
south Fulton County will graduate from nine (9) weeks of G.R.E.A.T.
training tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. Four hundred (400) students will
receive certificates and graduate t-shirts at a special ceremony in the
school gymnasium.
With
the help of federal funding and private contributions, the Fulton County
Sheriff's Office was able to teach the G.R.E.A.T. program in ten (10)
schools this year. G.R.E.A.T. funding for the 2001-02 school year is
anticipated, and plans are underway to scheduled classes following summer
break.
For
further information, please contact Sergeant Clarence Huber at (404)
730-4148.
Sergeant Huber can also be reached on his digital pager at (404)
833-8884.
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