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School Violence
Violence has replaced communicable diseases as the primary cause of death among American children. Violence among youth, especially in schools, is one of society's most pressing concerns. No matter where they are, parents want their children to be safe and secure... sometimes that might even precede a quality education. There is a growing perception that not all schools are safe places of learning.
Parenting that indulges, neglects, abuses, or ignores children, and that fails to provide strong, positive guidance, discipline, and nurturing, contributes to the spread of violence in schools. Such parenting is often seen in Families where parents lack the will or do not have quality time to spend with their children.
The lack of parental supervision at home is the major factor contributing to violence in schools; however, a second major factor is the presence of gang or group membership. Peer group pressure is perhaps the fastest growing and most disturbing cause of acts of violence among youth both inside and outside schools.
Younger students (Grades 6-10) are much more likely to be victims of violence than are high school students. Youth who lack basic skills and a strong sense of worth are more likely to be drawn towards violence.
Teachers believe that violence inside the school occurs in hallways or under staircases, in the lunch room or cafeteria, or in unattended classrooms. Students also agree that most acts of violence occur in these places, noting that the gym and locker rooms are prime sites. Students are also victimized in restrooms. Most acts of violence occur where adult supervision is minimal or where there are large crowds moving to and fro.
Parents and teachers need to adopt conflict resolution strategies to try to teach youngsters new ways of channeling their anger into constructive nonviolent responses to conflict.
In schools it is important for teachers to focus on individual students in order to prevent them from becoming chronically disruptive or violent.
To help prevent violence in schools, follow these tips adapted from the American Psychological Association's Teach Children to Resist Violence and from the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice's A Guide for Safe Schools: Early Warning, Timely Response.
For Parents:
- Give your children consistent love and attention. Every child needs a strong, loving, relationship with a parent or other adult to feel safe and secure and to develop a sense of trust.
- Children learn by example, so show your children appropriate behavior by the way you act. Settle arguments with calm words, not by yelling, hitting, slapping, or spanking. If you punish children by hitting, slapping, or spanking them, you are showing them that it is okay to hit others.
- Talk with your children about the violence they see on TV, in video games, at school, at home, or in the neighborhood. Discuss why violence exists in these contexts and what the consequences of this violence are.
- Try to keep your children from seeing too much violence: limit their TV time, and screen the programs they watch. Seeing a lot of violence can lead children to behave aggressively.
- Make sure your children do not have access to guns. If you own firearms or other weapons, unload them and lock them up separately from the bullets. Never store firearms where children can find them, even if unloaded. Also, talk with your children about how dangerous weapons can be.
- Involve your children in setting rules for appropriate behavior at home; this will help them understand why the rules should be followed. Also ask your children what they think an appropriate punishment would be if a rule were broken.
- Teach your children non-aggressive ways to solve problems by discussing problems with them. Ask them to consider what might happen if they use violence to solve problems, and about what might happen if they solve problems without violence.
- Listen to your children and respect them. They will be more likely to listen to and to respect others if they are listened to and treated with respect.
- Note any disturbing behaviors in your child such as angry outbursts, excessive fighting, cruelty to animals, fire-setting, lack of friends, or alcohol/drug use. These can be signs of serious problems. Don't be afraid to get help for your child if such behaviors exist, and talk with a trusted professional in the community.
For Students:
- Be a role model by never physically or verbally harming, bullying, teasing, or intimidating others.
- If your friends tell you about troubling feelings or thoughts, listen well and let them know you care. Encourage them to get help from a trusted adult. If you are concerned, talk to an adult you trust.
- When you are angry, take a few deep breaths and imagine yourself on a lake or at the beach or anywhere that makes you feel peaceful. After you are more calm, identify what is making you upset. Decide on your options for handling the problem, such as talking the problem out calmly with the people involved, avoiding the problem by staying away from certain people, or diffusing the problem by resolving to take it less seriously. After you decide what to do (or not do) and act on your decision, be sure to look back and decide if what you did helped the situation.
- Work with your school to create a process for students to safely report threats, intimidation, weapon possession, drug selling, gang activity, and vandalism.
- Help develop and participate in activities to promote understanding and respecting differences.
- Volunteer to be a mentor for younger students and/or provide tutoring for your peers.
- If you feel intensely angry, fearful, anxious, or depressed, talk about it with an adult you trust.
- Get involved in your school's violence prevention and response plan. If a plan does not exist, suggest starting one.
- Click here to learn about Conflict Management Skills.
- Click here to learn how to Make a Difference in your school and community.
- Click here to learn how to Stay Safe with Personal Safety Skills.
For School Officials:
- Develop a comprehensive violence prevention plan that does not label or stigmatize children. Involve staff, parents, students, and members of the community in the creation and implementation of this plan.
- Create a school environment that is safe and responsive to all children. Students should be able to share their needs, fears, concerns, and anxieties, and also safely report threats.
- Ensure that opportunities exist for adults to spend quality personal time with children. A positive relationship with an adult who is available to provide support is one of the most critical factors in preventing school violence.
- Discuss safety issues openly. Schools can reduce the risk of violence by teaching children about the dangers of firearms as well as appropriate ways to resolve conflicts and express anger.
- Offer supervised, school-based before and after-school programs that provide children with support and a range of options, such as counseling, tutoring, clubs, community service, and help with homework.
- Be prepared for a crisis or violent act. Provide in-service training for all faculty and staff to explain what to do in a crisis, including the evacuation procedure, communication plan, and how to contact the parents.
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