School Violence: Causes, Statistics, and Prevention

Introduction

Violence in schools is increasing at an alarming rate as more teenagers gain access to weapons. It is important to devise a plan that could reduce this violence and make schools safer for future generations.

Facts About School Violence

Although fears concerning school violence have increased in recent years, studies show that "most children are safer in school than out of it. Fatal incidents of school violence remained relatively uncommon in 1999, with the odds of dying a violent death in school being one in two million. Additionally, most injuries that occurred at school were unintentional, not the result of violence." Although deaths from violence are rare in schools, some facilities have a serious problem with violence, creating fear for staff, students, and their parents. This fear can prevent students from performing well academically, since it increases the amount of stress they are under and, in many cases, increases truancy.

In the 1996–97 school year, "more than half of all U.S. public schools reported experiencing at least one crime incident, and 1 in 10 reported at least one serious violent crime. Although fewer school-associated violent deaths have occurred in recent years, the total number of multiple-victim homicide events has increased, from 2 events in 1992–93 to 5 events in 1997–98." During 1999–2000 there was a decline in deadly violence and weapon use; however, "the proportion of students who were injured with a weapon at school remained as high in 2000 as it was during 1983–1993, when the epidemic of youth violence was at its peak."

In 1997, the top three causes of injury in school were falls, sports-related injuries, and assaults. In 1999, "14.2% of students nationwide had been in a physical fight on school property one or more times during the preceding 12 months." A survey of school violence patterns conducted in 1998 revealed that "10.6% of students reported that they had been bullied 'sometimes' or 'weekly,' thirteen percent reported bullying other students, and 6.3% reported being both a perpetrator and a target of bullying."

The most frequent type of bullying these students experienced was insults concerning appearance or speech. Males reported bullying more than females, while "girls were more likely to report being bullied with derogatory rumors or sexual remarks. Boys more commonly reported being slapped, hit, or pushed."

In 1997, crime and violence were greater in middle and high schools than in elementary schools. Students "ages twelve to eighteen were victims of more than 2.7 million total crimes at school in the 1999–2000 school year, with students under age fourteen being more likely to be crime victims."

Shooter Profiles and Mental Illness

An interesting fact that researchers found when studying student shooters and killers is that "the majority do not share common traits — students varied in age, race, ethnic and family backgrounds, and school performance. In addition, behavior and mental problems were not consistent" (Klug, 2001). Researchers explored shootings that occurred from 1974 to 2001, concentrating on "37 school shootings in 26 states and found that 75% of the acts were planned ahead of time and in almost all cases, the student shooter told a peer or sibling about his or her intentions. Alarmingly, more than one incident took place in Arkansas, California, Kentucky, Missouri, and Tennessee" (Klug, 2001).

According to the United States Surgeon General, ten percent of the country's children and adolescents "suffer from mental illness critical enough to cause some type of harm, while it is estimated that fewer than one in five of these children receive treatment" (Klug, 2001). An approach to assist these children is outlined in the "National Action Agenda for Children's Mental Health Report, which calls for promoting public awareness, reducing the stigma associated with mental illness, and improving the assessment and recognition of mental health needs in children" (Klug, 2001).

Currently, children do not have a central mental health care organization, and "there is a lack of a basic mental health care infrastructure and many institutions have fragmented mental health care, ranging from schools to primary care, and child welfare to the juvenile justice system" (Klug, 2001).

Conclusion

School violence is a crucial problem facing children today. It is imperative to not only find ways to reduce the violence, but to implement them as well. It is up to adults to protect future generations and provide them with a safe learning environment.