What to Do About School Violence

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What to Do About School Violence

Highly publicized incidents of school violence have heightened awareness of the need to deal with this complex problem. Such cases actually are quite rare, but schools commonly deal with smaller acts of “violence” all the time: students harming other students, whether it's the kindergarten bully or the junior high sexual harasser.

To put things in perspective, the National SAFE KIDS Campaign cites studies showing school-age children are nine times more likely to sustain an unintentional injury than to be the victim of an intentional injury while at school.

You can teach your child how to avoid becoming a victim. He can learn to be assertive without being aggressive. Help him learn to speak up confidently if he doesn't like something another student is saying or doing to him. Bullies are less likely to pick on children who don't back down easily. However, if he feels another student is about to harm him, it's better to walk away and seek the help of a teacher than get into a physical confrontation.

Many children are reluctant to tell on a bully for fear of retribution. But threatening situations can escalate, and adult intervention is usually the only way to stop the problem. Keep the lines of communication open so your child will be more likely to confide in you. Give him plenty of opportunities to discuss what's on his mind, especially if you sense he's worried about something at school. Then you'll be in a position to make school officials aware of problems, relieving your child of that burden.

Safety Savvy

For more tips on keeping your school safe, contact the National Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) at 800-307-4782 or visit its Web site at www.PTA.org. Other sources include the U.S. Department of Education, 800-USA-LEARN (800-872-5327), www.ed.gov, and the National School Safety Center, 805-373-9977, www.nssc1.org.

Lessons in Compassion

One of the most important things you can do is teach your child to be compassionate to others. Help her understand that teasing another child is a form of verbal abuse that can cause real harm. So is ignoring or snubbing a classmate who's different. Teach your child to stand up for others who are being tormented, too.

Take bullying seriously. When a first grader taunts a classmate, parents may be inclined to think that “it's just the way kids are.” But the values you impart at this age will affect how your child will treat others when he moves into higher grades.

(For more information on teaching kids how to protect themselves, see Teaching Kids to Navigate the Streets, Early Lessons About Personal Safety, and Teaching Your Kids Street Smarts.)

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When Your Child Is the Bully

If your child is quick to anger, gets into frequent fights at school, and is often rejected by other children because of the way he acts, you should discuss your concerns with a professional who can suggest ways to curb his violent tendencies.

Watch Out!

Kids who behave aggressively may be imitating what they've seen on television. While TV violence may not cause aggression, it certainly doesn't help kids who watch a lot of it. Limit the amount of it your child sees by noting which TV shows are rated V for violence. Find out about the ratings on the movies he wants to see, too.

What Schools Can Do

Find out what steps your school is taking to keep students safe from violence. Many are turning to surveillance cameras, metal detectors, and security guards, but the foundation of a violence-prevention program should be early intervention with troubled students. Here are some questions to ask of school administrators:

  • Are staff and students trained to identify early warning signs?
  • Is the staff responsive when a student complains about abuse from another student?
  • Is action taken swiftly to avoid continuation of the problem?
  • Are there interventions, such as referrals to counselors, rather than just punishments for students with behavioral problems?

Safety Savvy

Training programs in how to spot troubled students should be extended to all staff, not just teachers and administrators. Sometimes it's the bus driver or the cafeteria worker who witnesses kids harassing others.

Involving Students in Problem-Solving

Some elementary schools are adopting programs to deal with bullying on a regular basis. The formats vary but usually involve a regular time in each classroom where students sit in a circle and bring up any situations that bothered them. This helps children understand how what they do affects the feelings of others. The teacher moderates and keeps the discussion from becoming accusatory.

Some middle schools and high schools have created peer mediation programs—sometimes called student court—to help classmates resolve differences. Student volunteers are trained to hold mediations between classmates who are in conflict. If the parties come to an agreement, they can avoid administrator-imposed sanctions.

What Your Community Can Do

The underlying causes of school violence are complex and require multi-faceted approaches. Working with your school administration and parent-teacher association, you can tackle school safety on many fronts by creating a community dialogue. Participants should include law enforcement officials, social workers, volunteer service groups, religious organizations, and social service agencies, among others.

Together you can:

  • Create conflict-resolution programs for students.
  • Review school discipline policy and enforcement.
  • Develop after-school activities so children have adult supervision and positive things to do with their time.
  • Pass laws and promote enforcement of provisions to protect children from gun violence at school.
  • Provide community mental health resources for children and families in need of them.

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