To explore how to maintain safe school environments, we must first define the causes of school violence. When Eric David Harris and Dylan Bennett Klebold opened fire inside Columbine High School on April 20, 1999, injuring 24, and killing 13 (including themselves), they were simply displaying the unfortunate 'symptom' of their 'disease'- a deeply-rooted lack of emotional literacy. As Sandra Bloom notes, 'A few incidents of violence are directly related to limited skills in reading, writing, and computation, but rather, limited emotional literacy' (Bloom, 2004, p.172). While installing metal detectors, hiring full-time security officers, and developing perimeter lighting may help minimize the 'symptoms' of the epidemic problem, to …show more content…
(The Economist, 2001, p.1). It is seemingly evident that when pupils are taught ways to deal with their feelings and emotions, they are much more inclined to approach ?social conflicts? with peaceful compromises and hopefully, long-term solutions.
With administrative concentration on the academic integrity, as well as emotional IQ of their students, the pandemic (http://thesaurus.reference.com/), increasingly surging, nationwide problem of ?bullying? would become less prevalent. When an individual ?picks on? another, it is often the case that he/she is lacking in emotional literacy him/herself- whether it be because of lack of social skills, confidence, or because he/she was once ?bullied? by another individual. Thus, when adolescents are more comfortable with themselves and happy ?within their own skin,? they are less likely to feel the need to belittle others. Obviously, ?bullying? is rarely ?taken to the extreme? (what leads to school shootings, for example), but, again, to ?root out? the causes of school violence, school officials need to attend to and attempt to help diminish the disposition for individuals to resort to unhealthy, destructive coping mechanisms when dealing with internal or peer-to-peer dilemmas- even if the coping mechanism be verbal abuse of another individual.
Utilizing Security Technologies to Maintain Safe School Environments
As part of the initiative to maintain safe
Whereas the causes of school violence are mostly theoretical, the effects of mass school shootings are stark and terrible. In the past twenty years there have been many incidents, both small and large scale, of shooting in schools. Two of the most well known of these are the Columbine shooting in 1999 and the Sandy-Hook shooting in 2012. Twenty-six people were killed in the Sandy-Hook shooting and thirteen in the Columbine shooting (“School Safety Timeline.”). One boy described his experience at the Sandy-Hook shooting as, “I saw some of the bullets going past the hall that I was right next to, and then a teacher pulled me into her classroom” ("What Happened in Newtown”). It is hard to imagine the terror and life-long effects that such an incident would cause among children. These stories cause a fear in many students that makes it difficult to create an environment for learning. It is obvious that something must be done to protect children of all ages in public school.
The intention of this paper is to look at and present some issues and strategies that members of a school community think about when trying to create safer schools. Particularly when addressing an active shooter in a school setting. A major issue to consider when trying to keep all schools safe, is the simple fact that no two schools are the same. Understanding this can lead us to the conclusion that it is impossible to have one global plan or program that can be 100% effective in all schools. “Violence prevention programs work best when they incorporate multiple strategies and address the full range of possible acts of violence in schools. For any set of policies to work, it must be established and
Youth violence is one of the major concerns all over the world today. Youth violence is an unavoidable consequence in the 21st century and it cannot be stopped but it can be reduced. Youth violence involves young people hurting other young people. Youth violence typically includes teens between the ages of 10 to 24, but it can also begin in early childhood age. Most common youth violence are Bullying in schools, School Shootings, Childhood abuse, Suicide, Poor parenting, Pressure, Violent Tv shows, Media, the internet, social media, Violent games and much more. Youth violence can be found at schools, home, our neighborhoods and all over the places. Teen violence has made an impact causing many devastating incidents in our world today. Teens act on violence and no one answer to why and what causes teen violence.
Schools are no longer a safe havens for furthering knowledge; instead violence is occurring at alarming rates. Common occurrences in schools include: physical altercations, severe property damage, and bullying behaviors. According to “ThefutureofChidren.org,” youth violence in schools costs the public 158 billion dollars each year. In this decade, that rate of children inflicting violence on other children and teachers is staggering. Today’s teachers are being trained on gun safety, school lobbies are being installed with bullet proof glass, and counselors hold
Incidences of school shootings have dramatically risen within the past few decades. Events like the Virginia Tech and Sandy Hook shootings have increased the fear of Americans worried for the safety of their children. Annually, many children, as well as adults, are faced with the risk of losing their lives to mentally ill criminals in a place commonly held as a safe haven—school. 160 school shootings have occurred in America since 2013, with an average of nearly one a week (“The). This is unacceptable and something should be done to prevent acts of terror like this from arising.
As violence in the community makes its way into the schools, it is pertinent that school administrators have a plan in place to help reduce and eliminate acts of violence within their classrooms (Lunenburg, 2011). Becoming proactive, rather than reactive, is crucial because according the to the National Crime Survey conducted in 2004, “the number of crimes committed at or near the 85,000 U. S. public schools was estimated at more than 3 million annually, with 185,580 people injured…on any given day, it was not uncommon for students to carry guns to school” (Lunenburg, 2011, p.
Columbine, Sandy Hook, and the UT Tower shooting are just a few examples of the terror parents, teachers, and students face today. More and more massacres and threats are affecting our schools on a daily basis. No one should fear to receive an education and certainly no parent should fear their child entering the doors of an elementary school. What can we do to prevent these tragedies from happening again? How can we strip the worry from the men, women and children involved in our educational systems at work today? The only options to putting an end to the untimely and unfair deaths of our teachers and students is tighter security, psych evaluations, and armed personnel. This means of security should not only be present in high schools or Jr. Highs, but should be present in all of our educational buildings, including colleges, elementary schools and child care centers. All of the places listed should be aware and willing to respond with any force necessary to protect their lives and the lives of others. More security cameras, attending at least one anti-bullying program per school year, teachers need training to psychologically assess a troubled student, and armed teachers should all play a role in defending and keeping our schools safe. This is not taking our freedom but protecting our right to live and learn.
School violence is the act that threatens and alters the school environment with harmful consequences on students and educators’ wellbeing and impact students in a negative way (Reininghaus, Castro, & Frisancho, 2013). It is obvious now than ever that we lives in a world where the safety and security of individuals are in question, especially that of school students where safety against school shootings remain everyone’s major concern. The terror of Virginia Tech mass murder in 2007 and Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012 traumatized the nation. As of the time when Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting took place, the massacre was considered the second-deadliest school shooting in the United States when Adam Lanza, a Twenty-year-old carried armory of hundreds of rounds of deadly ammo, that was enough to kill nearly every students in the school (Lee, 2013). Thus, the causes of this growing problem of school violence are: Bullying, psychiatric drugs and access to weapon.
Experts say that the old methods that were once used to help bring down the rate of bullying are now no longer effective because they are out-of-date. Ortiz states, “In the past, administrators often relied on individual conversations, sporadic motivational speakers and other piecemeal attempts focused on telling students not to be mean”. It is quite obvious as to why these methods are now considered to be very elementary and inefficient. As our society advances, our methods of coping with complexities need to advance as well. Luckily, school districts will implement ideas of having more in-depth approaches that stress on the importance of respect and peer-to-peer remediation. Schools all across the United States are taking a stand against bullying by focusing on crucial campaigns that strive on more inclusive approaches such as the “No One Eats Alone” campaign and the “Stop, Walk and Talk
With the number of mass school shootings and incidents of violence in schools that have been reported since April 20, 1999; the public is crying out for stricter laws to help protect our children. In direct response to the Columbine High School shooting, schools across the country adopted a variety of “safety” measures that included mandatory uniforms to prevent the wearing of gang colors and allowing faculty to more readily identify intruders, installation of metal detectors and security cameras, ID badges to be worn at all times, and the increased presence of armed guards on campuses. While these measures are all intended to protect our children the fact that we are still experiencing violence in our
During the past decade, school safety has been at the forefront of many school districts safety polices and plans. With recent high profile school shootings, the question school districts continue to ask is how do we keep our schools safe? Administrators face heavy scrutiny when weighing approaches to school safety and student discipline. Likewise, school employees have the right to work in safe environments devoid of life-threatening behaviors (Fenning and Bohanon, 2006; Skiba and Rausch, 2006). America’s founding fathers understood the importance of a public school education. They believed educating its citizens would allow them the opportunity to learn new skills while becoming successful and productive people in society. However, our founding fathers did not predict the severe behavior changes our schools face in educating disruptive and dangerous students. America’s school districts are charged with providing solutions for disruptive and dangerous students (Fenning and Bohanon, 2006; Skiba and Rausch, 2006). School officials must address these issues with research-based interventions and collaborative resources that provide a safe learning environment for all stakeholders (Elliott and Mihalic, 2004; Schoenwald and Hoagwood, 2001). Boards of education continue to support school efforts to rethink best practices for disciplinary alternative middle schools (DAMS). Many school districts focus on research-based interventions and resources that manage aggression and
In the Greater Cincinnati area, schools have “tightened discipline codes, locked school doors...and adopted dress codes barring book-bags, coats, and other clothing...” (Mathis A3). Many people believe that tightened security will not only prevent guns and weapons from invading school premises but will discourage potential offenders from dangerous attempts. Such extravagant measures, while encompassing a broad range of potential violence, will still leave open many opportunities for disaster. The beep of a metal detector is not enough to alter a person’s intent; the absence of a book-bag does not close all avenues to a plotting mind. “We still have accomplished nothing if more metal detectors and security guards give us more Jonesboros, where kids pull a fire alarm to shoot their classmates as they’re exiting the building,” said Sandford A. Newman, president of Fight Crime (Mathis A3). We are locking doors while windows stands gaping open.
“I still believe that there are enough good people on both sides of this issue who care more about protecting our kids than defending effortless access to guns for those who would do our kids harm,” he said. “I still believe we have the courage to change.” stated by former president, Barak Obama. An increasing number of children are hesitant or afraid to enter the halls of an educational facility such as a school due to the greater risk of school shootings. Students should never feel unsafe or endangered while acquiring their education, which is the most significant accomplishment in any person's existence. School violence is a major social issue which needs to be contained for students to feel the most sheltered environment as they secure an essential, their education.
I don’t believe that it is the sole responsibility of the schools to provide intervention and strategies for preventing violence in adolescents. However, since six to seven hours of every child’s life between the ages of five and eighteen are spent at school, schools must provide for and maintain expectations of safety. As a parent, I want to know that when my child goes to school each day they are being protected and educated to avoid conflict and violence.
The United States is facing an epidemic of seriously violent crimes in middle schools and high schools across the country. At least fifty people have died due to a series of high school shootings. These shooting rampages have occurred across the United States in 13 cities ranging from Pennsylvania to southern Mississippi and to western California. Just when the murder rampages seem to be subsiding, another tragedy occurs. Preventive measures have been taken by the government and school systems. For instance, in 1994, Congress passed the Drug-Free Schools and Community Act, which provides for support of drug and violence prevention programs. However, these programs have not been effective in taming the ferocious dispositions of the