By DONNA KENNY KIRWAN

PAWTUCKET — Despite several well-publicized incidents that have occurred in recent days, school officials maintain that the city’s public schools are safe, but that the community needs to be involved in addressing the issue of teen violence.

Pawtucket Police are also now saying that an assault of a 13-year-old girl that was initially reported on Tuesday to have taken place at Goff Junior High actually occurred at another location.
Detective Sgt. Robert Winsor confirmed that an assault did occur, but it did not take place in the girls’ bathroom as the victim originally reported.
He would not say where the assault occurred or release other details about the incident, saying that police are still looking into the matter.
However, a review of Wednesday’s police log shows police were again called to Shea on Wednesday morning for a report of an assault and a disorderly conduct complaint.
While admitting that it has been a turbulent few months since school began, Schools Superintendent Hans Dellith pointed out that most of the fights involving students have taken place outside of the school buildings and off school property.
He maintained that the staff monitors the school buildings and immediate perimeter to ensure safety, and that the fights and other incidents that have occurred inside the schools are infrequent and isolated.
Dellith noted that the Thursday incident at Shea involving a 16-year-old boy happened outside the school, and that Friday’s incident involving the group attack on a 15-year-old girl took place down the street from Shea. He also noted that the reported assault at Goff did not take place on school property.
 “There are obviously things we can’t control,” said Dellith. “Overall, the schools are absolutely safe. But we can’t guarantee what takes place outside the schools doesn’t enter the schools.”
Dellith maintains that the recent beatings and other incidents involving students are indicative of issues that need to be addressed by parents, educators, church leaders and others involved in youth programs.
Just last week, the School Committee approved a plan to post police as school resource officers at Shea and Tolman high schools by March. Dellith also said that in the wake of the recent incidents, school officials will be asking police to be more vigilant,
He is hoping to hold meetings with parents and other interested parties to discuss ways to stem the rising tide of bullying and violence.
“I hope we as a community can get together on this,” said Dellith. “I’m trying to figure a way to get more of the community interested in this. The parents, especially, must become more involved and be encouraged to be more vigilant about their children’s activities.”
According to information Dellith received, some of the school incidents were prompted by accusations and inflammatory remarks made by the victims on computer Web sites and chat rooms, such as MySpace.com, after school hours.
Dellith is greatly concerned about students’ growing use of sites such as MySpace, because he has seen the damage that can result. He pointed to the recent national case in which a teenage girl committed suicide over negative remarks posted on MySpace. “I see more violence coming out of it than the good,” he stated.
“As a school community, we’re doing what we can. But we can’t do it without the help of parents and community leaders.”
Winsor, who heads up the police department’s Youth Bureau, said he hasn’t found a direct link to Internet threats with the recent incidents, per se.
He said Thursday’s incident involving the 16-year-old male had apparently been precipitated by an earlier altercation from a week or so ago involving the victim and some other students. However, he acknowledged that Friday’s incident that left a 15-year-old girl unconscious was “a bad one.”
Winsor noted, however, that with school-age kids, there is always the chance of a fight, but police more commonly see one-on-one altercations. He added that the two more recent group attacks are, he hopes, aberrations.