School Violence Essay, Research Paper

when 57% of violent crimes committed by juveniles occur on school days, even though only about half of the days in a year are school days you know there is a problem. Or maybe it is more visible with the knowledge that 25% of inner-city school students report carrying a weapon in school, and 44% report carrying weapons out of school. No one really needs statistics to see we have a problem. You can watch any news program and hear others horror stories.

Our nations schools once a protected haven for learning and growth, are no longer safe for teachers or sutdents in many of our nation’s communities. From homicide and assalts, to concealed crimes, such as child sexual abuse, vilence in schools affect everyone. today, the problem in our schools is firearms, weapons, substance abuse and gangs. Many people equate school violence with large urban areas: however, violence has invaded suburban and rural schools as well. Not only public schools, but also private schools are also invaded.

Guns in schools have increased to the point that approximately one in four major school districts now use metal detectors to reduce the number of weapsons brought into schoosl by students. In 1994 a study showed that almost one in thirteen high school students carried a gun to school. The juvenile offenders are sometimes fellow students, and other times non-student peers, who threaten and attack students, administrators and teachers.

Guns claimed the lives of 88% of the 15 to 19 year old homicede victimes in 1991. researchers attribute this high percentage to the increased use of guns instead of fists to settle arguments. As of 1996, fifteen states; California, Floroida, Connecticut, Iowa, Nevada, New Jersey, Virginia, Wisconsin, Hawaii, Minnesota, Maryland, Nor Carolina, Delaware, Rhode Island, and Texas have passed laws making adults who own guns criminally liable for shooting committed by children who have access to the weapons.

In the first nationwide investigation of its kind, researchers report more than 50 school-associated violent deaths each year in the United States, according to an darticle in this week’s violence theme issue of The Journal of the American medical Association. The report states that homicide was the predoinant cause of death with 85 cases or 90.9% Suicide with 20 cases or 19.1% followed this. Firearms were responsible for the majority with 81 cases or 77.1%. These deaths occurred at 101 different schools in 25 stats.

Of the 105 deaths, 76 were students, 12 were staff and the remainders were not associated with the school or community. Dr. Stennies, from the CDC comments, “These deaths are disconcerting because we believe schools should be safe havens for our children and it is appropriate to take action to make them so. But schools are part of the community and reflect the events of our whole society. Every year, 6,000 school-aged children die from murder or suicide., and the best way to protet students is to reduce violence outside of school.”