HOWELL — Superintendent of Schools Enid Golden presented the Howell K-8 School District's Violence and Vandalism Report for the 2007-08 school year during a recent meeting of the Board of Education.

The state requires school administrators to present the report to the public each year.

Golden said there were 16 incidents of violence, seven incidents of vandalism, three incidents in which weapons were involved and no incidents of substance abuse.

She said each case is handled on an individual basis depending on the incident and a student's past history.

"Students are provided their due process rights, parents are notified, and usually these types of behaviors result in suspensions. Sometimes there are expulsion hearings with the board, but no child has ever actually been expelled to date.

"Many times the child study team needs to be involved and a full evaluation is performed. In some instances, students cannot return to school and are provided home instruction pending a psychiatric evaluation," the superintendent explained.

Golden said the school district offers a variety of programs in an effort to deter students from committing acts of violence and vandalism.

"Each school has an ongoing character education program which fosters respect for others. Our guidance counselors and student assistance counselors provide assemblies on such topics as substance abuse and bullying," she said.

Golden noted that one of the most intangible and prevalent forms of violence these days is cyber bullying.

Cyber bullying is the use of a device such as a computer or a cell phone by one individual to send threatening or belittling messages to another person.

"Cyber bullying has become a major issue with the growing use of instant messaging" on computers, she said.

The week of Oct. 19-25 was recognized as School Violence Awareness Week. Howell's schools all participated in activities to promote positive methods of conflict resolution.