School Violence-Prevention, Essay Example

School violence has become a matter of serious concern in recent times in many countries in general, but of more significance in the United States.  School violence can be seen as any behavior that goes against the educational mission of a school or climate of respect or obstructs the intent of the school to be free of aggression against persons, property, drugs, weapons, destruction and disorder. Violence in schools has taken various dimensions and in most cases dangerous weapons such as guns and knives have been involved.  The violence has been carried out by students towards their fellow students and also in some cases towards the school staff. The resultant effects have been injuries to other students and in extreme cases death has occurred as a result of school violence. School violence is just one aspect of youth violence. Youth violence has increasingly become a major public health concern in the country (Bennett, 108).  Youth violence can be seen as harmful behaviors that start early and become more profound during young adulthood. Some examples of youth violence include acts of bullying, use of weapons and rape.  Those who are on the receiving end of these acts of violence suffer physical injuries, momentous social and emotional damage and to some unfortunate extent, even death.

Research findings from a study done by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in 2007 show that a significant number of students carried some kind of weapon to school; and the most common weapons of choice included guns and knives (16).  More findings from the study indicated that about twelve percent of students had been involved in a physical fight while at school more than once (8).  There have been several incidences in the recent past where school violence has resulted in death of other students. Data from the U.S Center of Educational Statistics for the  past seven years indicate that one hundred and sixteen students were killed  in one hundred and nine separate incidents- approximately 17 students being killed each year ( 26). Most of these deaths occurred as a result of school shootings that were carried out either by a fellow student or an intruder from outside the school. Some of the most high profile shooting events in the United States that resulted in the death of other kids include the Columbine High school shooting in 1999 where 2 students killed 13 fellow students before taking their own lives (23). Another incident occurred at Virginia Tech Institute in 2007 where 33 students were killed.  Majority of the violence occur in densely populated inner city public schools. The fact that these acts of violence have in most cases been carried out by students on their fellow students is an indication that this is a problem that requires radical approach by authorities and communities at large.

There are many factors contributing to school violence and these factors are multifaceted and varied.  These factors may be social, physical or behavioral.  According to forensic psychologists, students who kill or injure their fellow students are very different from other criminals like drug dealers or people who peddle drugs (Philipott, 33). Many of these students usually begin having obsessions of killing or causing injury to their colleagues.  These students make threats directed towards those whom those they feel are taunting or intimidating them (34).  Generally, all these are ignored by other students until when it is too late. Coming up with a decision to kill or harm fellow students is not an impulsive occurrence, but something that takes long periods of cold planning. By using weapons like guns towards their fellow colleagues, the perpetrators of these acts of violence gain a sense of power which they feel deprived as a result of being offended by others who in that instance are powerless and cannot do anything.  Through use of violence and death, these students are able to get the power and attention that they seek (35).  Physical factors that might predispose one to violent behavior include birth complications that might lead to one’s brain receiving less oxygen which ultimately leads to brain dysfunction and future learning challenges. Furthermore, violent behaviors among kids have also been linked to head injuries.

Some kids also have problems conforming due to a difficult personality as a result of behavioral problems. They find it difficult to blend and participate in general school activities and hence in most cases they are ignored or taunted by other students. Some become rebellious while others become depressed and opt to take medication which ends up producing severe behavioral reactions.  These reactions could be in the form of acts of violence towards others.  Coming from a broken family is also another key likely contributing factor to violent behavior at school. Moreover, bullying has been cited as one of the major cause of violent behavior by the victims who undergo the bullying. Persistent exposure to bullying by fellow students often leads troubled youths to violent revenge or retribution (Bennett, 118). Most of the 1990’s school shooting incidents occurred to some extent as a result of the perpetrators having undergone constant bullying by other kids.

Other kids who kill or injure others in schools do so as a result of having learned violent behavior by virtue of coming from a dysfunctional family. These could be families where domestic abuse is rampant or parents have poor relationships with authority figures like the police officers. Kids who come from this type of environment are more likely to react with aggression to school authority and fellow kids at school. Increasing changes in the schools culture in the last fifty years has brought about challenges as result of students from markedly different social backgrounds learning together (122). Differences in attitudes and perceptions are more likely to promote cliques based on social and racial backgrounds. An example is the emergence of gangs in schools and whose activities have more often than not resulted in violence. Yet another cause of school killings and injuries has been the easy accessibility of firearms and other weapons (124). Recent estimates on the number of weapons, especially guns and knives being brought to schools indicate that almost a quarter a million guns and double the number of knives are being brought to schools at any given day (National Center for Education Statistics, 67). These weapons are the same ones being used to propagate violence to fellow students. Almost two million cases of school violence were reported in 2008. Most of these involved children between the ages of 12 and 18. Almost two hundred thousand of these involved cases of serious violent crimes including rape, sexual assault, murder and robbery (69).

There are several measures that can be put in place by the state or the county to prevent violence in schools. There is need to include all the relevant stakeholders to work together so as a team to identify the sources of violence and how best to deal with it. The various levels of government need to work together as a team. School districts, police departments and other government agencies such as the health and homeland security should be involved in identifying and preventing likely factors that might lead to violence in schools. There is need to involve different professionals in monitoring students lives in school. A student’s life would be better understood if different professionals are involved in the student’s day to day life at school. There is therefore need to bring on board law enforcement officers, mental health professionals and those involved in school administration so that a complete picture of a student is understood and hence it becomes easy to handle whatever complex problems students might be going through.  There is need for states to come up with acts that provide professional development when it comes to classroom management by teachers. Local educational boards should be compelled to come up with appropriate codes of conduct for all students and teachers which should specify specific action points that need to be taken in case of violation of weapon prohibitions.

Furthermore, states and counties should consider coming up with legislative changes and reforms that are aimed at reducing juvenile violence in schools. They could consider putting under custody for evaluation any kid or teenager found with dangerous weapons, especially firearms and knives. They should also consider legislation that will compel all schools to make reports to law enforcement agencies of all crimes committed in the schools. Schools should also be compelled to come up with toll free call lines from where potential crimes can be reported and appropriate measures put in place to prevent the possibility of happening. In addition to toll free hotline, websites dedicated to preventing violence should be formed in each state so that different people and stakeholders can be able to share resources on the best way to reduce school violence in their areas. States should also come up with clearly defined anti-bullying policies which should apply across all schools and which should be strictly enforced. Schools should also be encouraged to develop curriculum which are specifically designed to assist students develop the necessary skills that would assist them to effectively interact with other students from different cultures, socio-economic backgrounds and academic ability. The curriculum should emphasize on helping students develop interpersonal skills, self-control and emotional awareness. Finally, states should carry out regular safety assessment of schools to assess any potential threats and put in place appropriate measures to counter them.  States should also consider passing tough laws that would consider giving tough punishments like expulsions to any students found to be in possession of weapons in school. There is need for a zero tolerance policy towards possession of weapons around all public and private schools. Much effort should also be directed towards ensuring that violence on the streets does not enter the school environment.  Therefore putting in place programmes that seek to change the school environment to be different from that of the streets in which the schools are located should be a priority. Putting metal detectors and cameras will ensure that weapons from the streets do not cross over to the classroom.

In conclusion, violence in schools has continued to be a major challenge in the current learning institutions. Violence in school has been associated with various causes, most of them being physical, social and behavioral in nature. Efforts to reduce violence should involve a multi-dimensional approach that involves different stakeholders in the state as well as legislative and social reforms that would tackle the complex nature of this issue. All in all, the adoption of any of these measures will only succeed if they fully consider the unique requirements of kids growing up and facing numerous challenges both at home, in the neighborhood and the school.

Works Cited

Bennett, Johnson. The root of school crime and violence Chicago: McGraw Hill. (2008)

Philipott, Scott. “School violence and teacher professional disengagement.” British Journal of Educational Psychology, 77, 465-477(2007)

United States. National Center for Education Statistics. Violence and discipline problemsin U.S. Public Schools. Washington, D. C.: The United States Department of Education (2007)

United States. Center for Disease Control. Youth violence: School violence. April, 2008, 06, December 2009 <http.cdc.gov/resources/violence>