A.V. SCHOOL DISTRICT OKS ADDING DEPUTY.

Byline: John Sanders Staff Writer

An additional sheriff's deputy will be assigned to Antelope Valley Union High School District campuses to keep an eye on gangs or other misbehaving groups.

Rotating among the district's seven campuses, the deputy will work with the eight campus supervisors and one sheriff's deputy now assigned to each high school.

``This person will be primarily responsible for identifying, monitoring and discouraging young people from participating in groups (whose) sole purpose is doing illegal things,'' said the district superintendent, Robert Girolamo.

The deputy's salary will be paid by the district, using state funds earmarked for safety and security.

District officials decided to hire the additional deputy after Girolamo and deputies from several campuses attended the National Youth Gang Symposium in Las Vegas.

``One of the unfortunate statistics that we're seeing is that there's an increase in young people who are forming up groups that are essentially doing illegal things,'' Girolamo said.

The deputy will watch groups of students who seem to have potential for wrongdoing. The deputy could talk to them or their parents to try to head off trouble, officials said.

``With a lot of the things that have taken place in the United States within the last couple of years,'' Girolamo said, local school district officials want to intervene and prevent danger.