Northeast News
March 16, 2011

James Elementary and its surrounding neighborhoods will soon be even safer.

Safe Schools Program of Kansas City recently announced it has selected James Elementary School as a pilot project for a new program to create safe zones around schools in Kansas City’s urban core.

James Elementary was selected since approximately 95 percent of its students walk to school. Moreover, the Northeast is home to a disproportionate share of the unemployed and undereducated in the metropolitan area.

Safe Schools has scheduled a community meeting for 6 p.m. at James Elementary Thursday, March 24, to discuss safety in the schools and in the community.

Slated to attend are representatives from James Elementary, Kansas City Police Department, Mattie Rhodes, Don Bosco, Kansas City Missouri School District, Indian Mound Neighborhood Association, LISC, KC Metropolitan Crime Commission, LINC, and the Northeast KC Health, Education, Labor & Public Safety (HELP) Center.

The purpose of the event is to introduce the Safe Schools Program and to listen and learn from the community about issues affecting the Northeast.

Safe Schools encourages those living near James Elementary to voice their opinions on issues, such as vacant and abandoned properties, drug dealing, graffiti, school safety and other safety concerns.

The new program’s goal is to improve the quality of education by creating safe schools and neighborhoods. It draws a 2,000-foot boundary around each school and works with area neighbors to make the 2,000-foot zone a safe place for students and neighbors alike. At James, the 2,000-foot boundary stretches from Gladstone in the north to Smart in the south, and from Drury on the west to Belmont on the east.

Safe Schools will eventually expand the program to other neighborhoods in the Northeast and Kansas City’s urban core.