"Bullying, harassment and mean-spirited teasing have come to the forefront as the cause of much of the violence we see in schools today," says Jeff Sprague, co-director of the University of Oregon’s Institute on Violence and Destructive Behavior. Sprague was the primary writer of a report titled "How Safe Are Oregon Schools? Status and Recommendations," which is being released today (March 19) by Oregon Attorney General Hardy Myers at a 10 a.m. press conference at the State Capitol in Salem. "This report recommends improving school security and building design to discourage crime; and, just as importantly, it shows Oregon schools what they can do to prevent the type of harassing behavior that often leads to violence," Sprague says. He also notes that violence and weapon carrying in schools have decreased on the whole despite recent sensational school shootings. Sprague is a member of the Attorney General’s School/Community Safety Coalition, which was formed by Myers following the 1998 shootings at Thurston High School in Springfield. The coalition includes members of more than 30 education, emergency services, mental health and other organizations. The full text of the report will be available at the press conference, and afterward on the Department of Justice’s website, <http://www.doj.state.or.us>. Sprague will be available for comment from his office at the University of Oregon at about 1 p.m.

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