Prince George’s County school officials are crediting an anti-violence program that began last year with improving student behavior.

“We have seen a decrease in unruly behavior, conflicts and suspensions in those schools, and we are extremely pleased by the return to safe and orderly learning environments,” said Beatrice P. Tignor, chair of the Prince George’s County Board of Education.

Though they did not have exact statistics, officials said during a Monday news conference that the Violence-Free Zone initiative has been a success at Bladensburg High School, where it started last year, and Largo High, where it began this year.

The county school system is teaming with the D.C.-based Center for Neighborhood Enterprise to place young-adult volunteers, called Youth Advisors, in the schools as mentors, mediators and hall and cafeteria monitors .

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If an adviser sees two students arguing, for example, the adviser steps in to calm the situation before it escalates into a fight. The advisers also talk with students about their lives outside of the classroom so disputes that start in the community do not migrate into the schools and cause disruptions.

“This program has the potential to maintain a climate where students respect one another and are focused on the acquisition of a high-quality education,” said John Deasy, the Prince George’s County schools’ chief executive officer.

A spokeswoman for the Montgomery County Public Schools on Wednesday said the system doesn’t have violence-free zones but does have uniformed police officers in some schools.

In the District, the Metropolitan Police Department is responsible for school security, which includes the use of private guards.

jrogalsky@dcexaminer.com