There are many misconceptions about the prevalence of youth violence in our society and it is important to peel back the veneer of hot-tempered discourse that often surrounds the issue.... While it is important to carefully review the circumstances surrounding these horrifying incidents so that we may learn from them, we must also be cautious about inappropriately creating a cloud of fear over every student in every classroom across the country. In the case of youth violence, it is important to note that, statistically speaking, schools are among the safest places for children to be.
Final Report, Bi Partisan Working Group on Youth Violence
106th Congress, February 2000
Public policy towards children has moved towards treating them more
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Department of Education show that crime of all sorts is down at public schools since 1990, some studies say by as much as 30 percent. Less than 1 percent of all violent incidents involving adolescents occur on school grounds. Indeed, a child is three times more likely to be struck by lightning than to be killed violently at school.
Still, fueled by media hype, fear of the unthinkable and perhaps even a bit of guilt, more parents are demanding that school boards implement strict policies to deal with kids who step out of line.
So-called zero tolerance policies being implemented across the country are snaring large numbers of regular kids in broad nets designed to fish for troublemakers.2
The nets are indeed broad. In a report issued in the spring of 2000 by the Justice Policy Institute in Washington and the Kentucky-based Children's Law Center:
- A seventeen-year-old junior shot a paper clip with a rubber band at a classmate, missed, and broke the skin of a cafeteria worker. The student was expelled from school.
- A nine-year-old on the way to school found a manicure kit with a 1-inch knife. The student was suspended for one day.
The report notes that many of these children are also referred to juvenile court:
- In Ponchatoula Louisiana, a 12-year-old who had been diagnosed with a hyperactive disorder warned the
Violence at school is defined as physical or verbal attacks on a person while on school grounds or on school property ("School Violence essays", 2017), or any activity that is able to create a disturbance in an educational system (Blanco, 2017). In today's societies, School violence is spreading dramatically, which has caused many problems among students, families and faculty of schools.
Ever since the terrible tragedy at Columbine High School, there has been a numerous list of recent school shootings in America. Youth violence is a major issue in today’s society. Many people dread what causes adolescents to be so violent, committing horrible crimes.
A sudden increase of youth violence in public schools in early 1990 has caused many to raise concerns about violent behaviors in schools. In the past, the most common form of violence that took place in schools was bullying, physical fights, or
On an unseasonably cold March morning in 1993, high school sophomore Edward Gillom exited his first period classroom and made his way through the crowded hallways of Harlem High School. After engaging in a heated argument, allegedly over a girl, with Ronricas “Pony” Gibson and Ricoh Lee, Gillom pulled out a .38-caliber gun and opened fire. Gillom’s shots fatally wounded Gibson and left Lee with a non-fatal gunshot wound to the neck (Washington Ceasefire, 2011 pg 1). The shooting in Harlem, Georgia sparked national attention as one of the first high school shootings and added to the alarmingly high rates of gun violence by adolescents during the 1990s. According to the Virginia Youth Violence Project, forty-two homicides took place in
“Violence is one of the most urgent issues facing our nation’s schools. All over the country, Americans are asking why some young people open fire, apparently randomly, killing or wounding other
Teen Violence is a big dilemma in today’s society. Violent behaviors usually start from family and peers, as well as teens observing it at there neighborhoods or communities. These behaviors are reinforced by what youth see on television, on the Internet, in video games, movies, music videos, and what they hear in their music. When children are disciplined with severe corporal punishment or verbal abuse, or when they are physically or sexually abused, or when they witness such behavior in their home, it is not surprising that they behave violently toward others. Teen Violence has had such an impact in our youth today that it leads many destructive things and that’s why we have so much violence today.
Administrators have responded to criticism by saying that they must treat all infractions the same way. This is not indicative of fairness, especially if a student who was caught with a pair of nail clippers was treated the same as a student who came to school with a firearm in their backpack. This is not to take away from the importance of taking a firm stand against violence. “To get a true picture of school violence, you must look at reported incidents, unreported incidents, and underreported
School violence can be prevented by parents, communities, teachers, and even classmates can help reduce violence and improve the overall school environment, Also, education and consequences must occur in the home by parents and educators to effectively help reduce school and youth violence. This strategy stands in contrast to use prevention strategies, such as metal detectors and other security measures to help determine benefits and evidence that may offer knowledge and experience in preventing school violence that can enhance approaches to end school
Fields and Emshwiller authors of “Policing the Halls: For More Teens, Arrests Replace School Discipline” report “In 2012 92,000 students were subject to school-related arrests” (Fields and Emshwiller A.1). Zero tolerance policies are a strict set of rules that certain school districts are starting to follow regarding weapons, drugs and more. These policies are relating to an extreme amount of juvenile arrests. Some argue that these rules are too strict because teens and kids are getting unreasonable charges. Another issue people have against this policy is that the principal and other school administrators are not involved with punishments. Some schools believe this policy is
At the end of this study, I wish to answer the following questions: How safe do children feel at school? How do parents rate their school as it relates to safety? Does school violence have a direct impact on student achievement? Finally, I will discuss recommendations for improving current school emergency/safety plans as well as strategic models of encouraging learning versus violence in our
Schools have become correctional facilities where instructors closely monitor and attend to behaviors. No longer are they a safe place where troubled students can find peace and acceptance. Instead, students are at the mercy of the rules and the people who govern them. Some scholarly institutions have established zero-tolerance policies to correct what they deem intolerable student behaviors. Teachers have the authority to suspend students for consequential incidences such violence or bullying but also for the simple act of having a butter knife at lunch or talking back. Zero-tolerance policies often lead to severe consequences that do not take into consideration the circumstances in a situation and provide absolutely no benefit to the offending
‘Trial Over Schoolboy’s Murder Due to Begin in Court Today’ was the headline on the tribune 242 website. Crime is on the rise in this country, so much so, that sending your children to school is not safe anymore. In the article, ‘Who Is in Prison?’ Minnis and colleagues argue that a significant number of inmates were expelled from school due to fighting and other forms of violence. Is there a possible that these inmates were criminal from a young age? Alternatively, are students provoked to the point where, their only means of protection is to bring a weapon to school? Apart from their home, school is the second place that children spend most of their days this should be a save ground for students. Pandora Johnson. pg113, stated that ‘the age-old practiced of
Youth violence has become a growing issue in the United States. According to the U.S. Secret Service, “in the previous decade, the odds of a high school student being injured or threatened with a weapon were about 1 in 14, and the odds of a teen being in a physical fight were 1 in 7” (Youth Violence Statistics 18). Statistics has also proven that youth violence and bullying within school environment intensified in recent years and has remained high. Indeed, youth themselves are the group allegedly affected by youth violence; however, they are not the only one. For instance, youth violence influences communities and the country as a whole by increasing the cost of health care, interfering social services, and curtailing
There is a fine line between dangerous threats that need to be addressed, and simple immaturity. Many of the incidents that children are enacting in school seem to be misunderstood by faculty and administrators as seriously dangerous issues when in fact they are nothing but immaturity and stubbornness transpired by children being children. Dr. Lawrence T. Kajs states “There is a need for educational reform of zero tolerance policies in school disciplinary management procedures” (Kajs). Kids get angry and jealous, and therefore start fights for unnecessary reasons. That is just part of growing up and the hormones that conjure up in their bodies is not something that is easy to control. Although, that doesn’t mean that they should be expelled from school for minor offenses, especially if no one is hurt in an incident. “Zero tolerance discipline policies, harsh sentencing laws, and the gentrification of color have devastating effects for the
On Friday, October 30, 2015, approximately 11:05 am Dontarius Long threw a pencil eraser striking Mr. Thomas Elijah in the chest. Mr. Elijah stated that the class was watching a documentary movie when Dontarius Long threw the pencil eraser. Ms. Julia Schroeder (Dean of Students) responded to Mr. Elijah call for help. She removed Dontarius from the room and escorted him to the SRO’s office for processing. Dontarius Long was arrested for Assault on a Government Official. The parent was called and informed that their child had been arrested and given a 10 day suspension from the school.