Rats
Students paid for tattling on peers
By Larry Copeland, USA TODAY
Last month's school shooting in Minnesota has stirred interest in organized "snitch" programs that pay students for telling on classmates who carry guns or drugs or violate school rules.
Last week in central Georgia, the Houston County school board became the state's first school district to enroll in the national Student CrimeStoppers program, started in 1983. Students can earn up to $500 for alerting school officials about firearms. They can get up to $100 for fingering classmates involved in vandalism, theft or drugs.
Another Georgia school, Model High School in Rome, said last week it implemented a program that pays students up to $100 for information about thefts, drugs or guns on school property. "It's not a reaction to anything that's happening on campus," says Tim Hensley, spokesman for the Floyd County schools. "It's a proactive attempt from the principal's standpoint."
"There's a balance here between creating a society of snitches and creating a sense of community responsibility," says Russ Skiba, professor of educational psychology at Indiana University in Bloomington.
By Larry Copeland, USA TODAY
Last month's school shooting in Minnesota has stirred interest in organized "snitch" programs that pay students for telling on classmates who carry guns or drugs or violate school rules.
Last week in central Georgia, the Houston County school board became the state's first school district to enroll in the national Student CrimeStoppers program, started in 1983. Students can earn up to $500 for alerting school officials about firearms. They can get up to $100 for fingering classmates involved in vandalism, theft or drugs.
Another Georgia school, Model High School in Rome, said last week it implemented a program that pays students up to $100 for information about thefts, drugs or guns on school property. "It's not a reaction to anything that's happening on campus," says Tim Hensley, spokesman for the Floyd County schools. "It's a proactive attempt from the principal's standpoint."
"There's a balance here between creating a society of snitches and creating a sense of community responsibility," says Russ Skiba, professor of educational psychology at Indiana University in Bloomington.
