Violence Issue in School - Coursework Example

School Violence Introduction School violence includes harmful behaviors such as bullying, punching, slapping, and use of weapons. Students engaging in such behaviors have a background of youth violence, a character that continues until one is a young adult. Such students believed to exposure to violence within the family and community. The parents lack conflict resolution skills thus the child learns that self-defense only gained through fighting leading to negative child image. Access to information on how to make explosives and access to firearms including excessive exposure to violence in television is also another way to breed such students. The fundamental step in stopping school violence involves understanding the roots and nature of the problem. Studies by the US Department of Justice and the Department of Education have suggestions to combat the problem. These departments collect and analyze data from various sources for a complete understanding of school violence. The problem School violence is not a problem that starts in adulthood rather a character planted in the student right from childhood. The parents are to blame for the bad character of the child, as they tend to be busy doing other things instead of nurturing the characters of the children. Literature shows that school violence is associated with various contributions as: i. Child abuse and neglect, where the child lacks adult supervision and positive interaction with adults after school, ii. Poor parenting and lack of interest in children activities. The child lacks a role model and the availability of a role model. iii. Access to information on how to make explosives and access to firearms including excessive exposure to violence in television, iv. Prejudices based on race, ethnicity, physical appearance, religion, social class, sex orientation, and disability. v. Peer pressure by other students to engage in harassment of other student vi. Drug use and substance abuse vii. Failure of parent to detect and give warnings when a child perceives injustice, is vengeful, or desires to be notorious. In the process of school violence, victims affected directly or indirectly. Affected victims i.e. offender or witness, suffer serious injuries, social and emotional torture and some die in the process of school violence. School violence victims reported to seek medical care for serious injuries as cuts, burns, bruises, and even broken bones. Some serious injuries from gunshot wounds and head trauma cause permanent disability. These are rare cases, but physical conflicts, harassment and treats are common. Students and teachers tend to fear and are not as confident as before when they enter the school compound. Learning is thus affected and is becoming more difficult in schools with a history of violence. Background School violence has been a problem for ages, but it has come into recognition after deadly multiple shootings have occurred in various places as California, Ohio, Minnesota, Littleton, and Pennsylvania among other places. School shootings experienced in suburbs, urban and rural areas. More than 40 schools experienced homicide of victims since 1992. The polls on education of by Phi Delta Kappa /Gallup have cited lack of discipline as the major cause of school violence. (Gallup 219). The number of crimes is more than 3 million in the 85000 US public schools (National Crime Survey, 2004). Students tended to carry guns and dangerous weapons before the state enforced the law of Weapon-Free School Act. The number of weapons carried then decreased tremendously (Alexander & Alexander 26). In 2007, about 6000 violent incidences occurred in New York City Schools. This was an increase of 15% from the previous year. Researchers from Xavier University in Cincinnati showed that school violence is not only a problem in the urban schools but also in the rural and suburbs. Of the principles that reported school violence between 2000 and 2005, 64% were from urban schools, 54% from the suburbs while the least, and 43% were from the rural areas. This showed an increased tread of school violence. In 2008, The National Schools Safety Centre approximated the number of schoolteachers physically attacked at school to be 8000. The number of students attacked is around 40000. The estimated cost in relation to school crimes and vandalism annually is $50-$700 million. The yearly replacement and repair costs amount to $250 million per year. One out of every four student’s report of having serious problems as threats, cyber bullying, physical fighting, and turf battles amongst other students (Guillian 78). Possible solutions Stopping school violence involves the collective measures of parents, students, teachers, law, principals, and the whole nation at large. The parents should have in mind that keeping firearms in the house is dangerous, and it exposes the family to physical risk. Parents should be reliable for actions of their children like the inappropriate use of firearms. Firearms locked and stored safely while children made to know that weapons not be touched without permission and supervision. Parents should actively check on the schooling of the child. They should talk regularly to teachers to check on the progress of the child and find ways of knowing their children’s friends. They should listen and talk to their children daily as they communicate clearly of ways to deal with problems. Here, they listen to children’s ideas and concerns as they teach them various approaches to problems. They should act as role models for their children by settling their conflicts peacefully and managing their anger without violence. Parents should set rules and clear limits of their children with respect to their families. Punishments following a mistake clearly defined as rightful behaviors defined. Self-discipline encouraged while wrong behaviors as calling names and teasing discouraged. However, these approaches could bring the child and the parent relationship distant, but they are a possible solution. They contribute highly in the nurturing of the child right from the time he / she is young. Teachers should report to the principal immediately any threats, signs of gang activities, weapons or any condition that encourage violence. Teachers choose committees of students who spy and report any form of underground plans to start violence. The principals, upon hearing such cases should not tolerate such cases. They should have clear policies on dealing with students found with weapons or involved in violence. Penalties of such cases should not favor a student, or any other culprit. Teachers should set norms for behavior in classrooms. They should encourage and sponsor anti-violence activities and programs. Students are then encouraged to join such activities. They should regularly invite parents to discuss the characters of their children at home. Students are involved in challenging activities that keep them busy allowing them minimal to engage in criminal activities. They then incorporated in discussions on violence and ways to prevent it. These approaches could make students secretive while planning their ills. They create a distant relationship with the teachers; however, they work if appropriately applied. The principals should offer trainings of anger management, mediation, stress relief, and other violence prevention skills to staff and students. Everyone within the school compound including the teaching, non-teaching staff, and students is involved in setting up solutions to violence. The principal ensures that communication lines kept open and easily accessible by anyone in need to pass information. The principal organizes ways to make it easier and possible for the engagement of parents in the daily activities of their children. He / she may organize volunteer activities during the weekends to enhance both parents and students participation in exuding responsibility. After such activities like tree planting, well-behaved students and best students in class and outside class rewarded. This encourages well-mannered students to keep up while those with questionable characters encouraged pulling up their socks. A distant relationship creates between the teacher, principals, and the students. The principal seen as an unapproachable person, especially if he/she is too strict and not friendly. These approaches are associated with some expenses. They call for budgeting, which is worthy. Recommended solutions The law keepers should know students of a given setting and let the students view them as mentors, peacekeepers and problem solvers rather than seeing them as enforcers. They should develop a strategy to discuss with the school about how they should handle criminal events, complaints and other outcomes that call for service. Law keepers can offer to train teachers on personal safety incase violence occurs. They should help school staff carry out a security survey of school buildings, identify requirements for locks, lighting requirements, and need for pruning, landscaping, and any other physical changes to the building to enhance security. Law keepers set seminars for students from various schools to attend where various topics brought to discussion. Topics as violence and its consequences, financial, social, and physical implications of violence discussed. Discussions on state’s juvenile and criminal justice systems punishments that arrested youths undergo done. The law enforcers can start a school resource program where an officer assigned to a school where he /she work with students providing them with expertise on dealing with violence and safety training. The law enforcer’s should work together with security persons in schools to identity culprits and find a way of dealing with them. Such culprits undergo guidance and counseling, and if no change then taken in to juvenile courts to get some discipline and to be rehabilitated. Other ways of helping such culprits are involving the parents who better knows their children. ‘Come together’ meetings with the principal parents and staff organized. The law enforcer’s then try finding out, and eliminating neighborhood trouble spots. This is by using problem-solving principles and community policies. Here, they also discuss how violence, potential violent situations, and threats handling. Such meetings made regularly to develop a common understanding of students from all angles and perspectives. Problems arising in learning institutions reviewed, their causes analyzed internally and externally, and possible solutions suggested. Conclusions School violence cases are increasing daily. Behaviors that lead into school violence can be identified and solved early enough. The aspects such as lack of interest in school, absence of anger control skills, and a case where a child is cruel to pets among other animals shows a potential culprit of violence. If a student has a tendency of secretly, stealing weapons to take to school or to play with then caution needed. A child who is possessed to watching horror movies or violent games in TV shows, and is involved with or has an interest in gangs is a potential violence victim. A student with mood swings and depressions, with a history of bullying, with unwarranted jealousy is a character of violence. If a child is extremely rude and cannot follow simple rules, and does not want corrections is a potential violent culprit. If these signs frequently seen, then the child or student needs help. The child needs an introduction to a counselor, teacher, religious leader or an elderly person for assistance. The earlier the problem identified the better. The parents are encouraged to study every move of their children so as not to breed school violence culprits. Works Cited Alexander, K., & Alexander, M. D. American public school law (8th ed.). Wadsworth: Cengage Learning, 2011. Ayers, W. City kids, city schools: More reports from the front row. New York, NY: The New Press, 2009. Friedman, L. S. Cyber bullying. Belmont, CA: Cengage Gale, 2011. Gallup, A. The Gallup poll cumulative index: Public opinion, 1998-2008. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2009. Guillain, C. Coping with bullying. Chicago, IL: Heinemann-Raintree. 2012. National Crime Survey. Crimes committed on school grounds. Washington, DC: Author. (2004). Read More