Jackson Free Press

When Brittany started dating Jack (not their real names), she was involved in her high school's athletic program, spent time with a large group of male and female friends, and had a personality that radiated happiness.

Two years later, Brittany, now 15, is a changed person. She is reserved and no longer involved at her school. Her once-close female friends rarely see her, and when they do, it is only in groups of three at a time with Jack's permission. Jack, now 16, forbids Brittany from having any contact with other males; he checks her cell phone daily to make sure she has not texted anyone else or has another male's number. Once, Jack caught Brittany talking to another male in a group of friends. He yelled and cussed at her, asserting his control in a way that made everyone else in the group uncomfortable.

Jack forces Brittany to have sex with him, and tells her the only reason that people like her is because she's with him. Brittany denies she is in an abusive relationship, although a countless number of her friends and family have told her otherwise. She believes Jack loves her, and that he controls her because he is scared of losing her.

Violent and abusive behavior is common for teens. Approximately one in five female high-school students experience abuse from their dating partner, and physical aggression occurs in one in three teen dating relationships, the American Bar Association reports.

On Jan. 29, Attorney General Jim Hood announced the Mississippi Teen Dating Violence Awareness initiative, a program aimed to raise awareness about and help prevent teen dating violence in the state.

Pearl, Stone County and Corinth high schools are the pilot schools for the initiative, one school each in the northern, central and southern areas of the state. The attorney general's office is also in contact with schools in the Natchez area and in the Delta about beginning the initiative.

"We need to raise awareness of the issue of teen dating violence, as well as educate students, parents, faculty, staff and community leaders on the signs of domestic violence, and how to recognize the signs of abuse in children and teenagers," said Keisha Varnell, project assistant for the Mississippi Coalition of Domestic Violence.

In summer 2008, the National Association of Attorneys General adopted a resolution to put a teen dating-violence education curriculum in every public school district in the nation. Since then, the state Departments of Education and Health, the Mississippi Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the Mississippi Coalition Against Sexual Assault have worked together to 
develop the curriculum.

"Our ultimate goal is to create lesson plans in every subject in every grade level, K through 12," said Margo Evans of the attorney general's domestic violence division.

Lesson plans for health classes are available nationally. In Mississippi, there are also lesson plans at the high-school level for history, economics, marketing, social studies, government, Mississippi studies, psychology, visual arts, language arts and theater. Current lesson plans include "Domestic Violence and Cost/Benefit Analysis," "Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Harassment" and "Preparing a PSA on Teen Dating Abuse."

"This is a very important curriculum," Varnell said. "It could be beneficial to any school, not just high school, but even middle-school students and personnel could benefit form this curriculum."

Pearl High School teachers integrated the initiative curriculum into regular class activities. Computer classes made a video, pamphlets and newsletters about dating violence. The Web class created a survey about dating violence that the attorney general's office plans to use in the other pilot schools to gather statistics. The art classes designed a mural and had a poster contest.

Teachers also use statistics or facts about dating violence as bell ringers, brief activities at the beginning of class to get students thinking. For example, math classes have used dating violence statistics to better understand mathematical concepts.

Evans hopes the initiative will decrease the domestic violence rate in the future.

"A lot of the times the students that are in homes where their parents have healthy relationships don't know the signs of an abusive relationship," Evans said. "This will bring awareness to them."

She added that the initiative will show students who grow up with parents in abusive relationships that the behavior they witness at home is not normal. It might also help students who are abusive realize their behavior and encourage them to seek help to change their ways.

Mississippi also has new policies and procedures for faculty and staff to help them better handle instances of teen dating violence. "I think the teachers have really learned that it could be more of an issue in the schools than they were originally thinking," Evans said.

Pearl High School Assistant Principal Richard Smithhart says the program can help prevent future problems. "I don't know how you measure (success), other than the fact that you just kind of notice that students are more apt to come talk with you about things," Smithhart said. "I've had several teachers say they've had students come talk to them about specific things in their relationship with whomever they're dating."

The attorney general's office has also received positive feedback about the program from Pearl High School. "The students have really shown an interest in the program, (and) the teachers have really gotten involved," Evans said. "The principal sent me an e-mail saying that he passed by a few of the classrooms and the level of enthusiasm has been great."

Evans said that her office hopes teen dating-violence education will be taught statewide next year. "We also are planning to push this towards legislation (during) the next legislative session ... mandating that teen dating-violence education be taught in health classes," Evans said, adding that 11 states already have similar laws in place.