School Violence Prevention!
There’s been a lot of news stories recently about the violence in our schools, particularly cyberbullying, and the horrible consequences of student’s feeling threatened and/or hopeless. When a catastrophe like Columbine occurs, it focuses our attention on the pressures and threats that students regularly experience. We all want to protect our children from harm, but there is another aspect of school violence that also needs to be corrected. In addition to the very real fears that many students have at school, we need to be aware of the dangers that teachers and other school personnel face on a daily basis.
In September 2006, a then-15-year-old student in Wisconsin (Eric Hainstock) took a pistol and a rifle to school with the grim determination to kill his high school principal. Even though a custodian discovered and removed one weapon from the student, it was not enough to keep that student from shooting the principal in the head and killing him. Known as the Weston High School shooting, it was a school shooting that occurred in Weston High School in Cazenovia, Wisconsin. It occurred only two days after the Platte Canyon High School shooting in Colorado, and only 3 days before the Amish School Shooting in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
Everyone agrees that school environments have become dangerous, but there seems to be little consensus on how to fix the problems. And more awareness is needed about the daily risks to teachers and other school personnel, as well.
In South Carolina, a teacher was terminated for reporting a rape threat from a student. She later sued the District and won, but what a miscarriage of justice it is that anyone would be punished for reporting threats on the job. And the problem is widespread.
From Wisconsin to West Virginia and throughout the other states, teachers, bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers and others are being routinely intimidated by student behavior.
Violence and threats are occurring in the classroom, the hallways, the cafeterias and even on school busses. And most schools under-report disciplinary problems because reporting recurring discipline problems can single a school out for federal targeting and a potential for decreased funding. (Just one more side-effect of NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND.)
In studying the problems across the nation, it seems that the majority of problems are instigated by ‘repeat offenders’, those students who are habitually disruptive and who have learned that there are little to no repercussions for acting-out. Set Our Teachers FREE! A Plan to Save Public Education, written by a teacher with teaching experience than spanned over 50 years, spells-out the problems with the disciplinary codes in our public schools. Hostile and/or violent students routinely threaten teachers and fellow students with no fear of any consequences. In fact, many of them have learned to use bad behavior as a way to avoid classes that they don’t wish to attend.
Set Our Teachers FREE! proposes a ‘three strikes and you’re out’ policy with repeat offenders. Disruptive students need to be placed in alternative schools. As the author, Don Kingsland states,
“And speaking of valuable classroom time, I would like to see a “three strikes and you’re out” system implemented in our secondary schools, rather than the current “fifty strikes and you’re still in class” that most schools have at present.”
Alternative schools need to be available for problem students, with firm discipline and intensive training programs. This would eliminate wasted teaching time, which is valuable time lost due to disruptive and unruly students. Discipline can then be the norm in the classroom, instead of the current terrorism of bad behavior which is so prevalent.”
“It may be hard to believe, but it’s true that young people actually enjoy the chance to thrive in a structured environment. They appreciate the stability of knowing the rules for success.”
Teachers and other school personnel are expected to shoulder the blame for all of the problems in our educational system, while simultaneously being forced to work in an environment with discipline problems that are spiraling out of control. In no other sector of employment, (with the exception of military and police work) would we expect employees to tolerate these daily threats to their safety and well-being.
Teachers and students deserve the right to work and learn in a safe environment. That won’t happen unless some big changes happen soon. If you are a teacher or parent, take action now. Read Set Our Teachers Free! and learn about The Kingsland Plan. Read the book and share the information with others. It’s time for a change!
Brennan
Filed under: Education News
Everything promoted above is actually a strong argument in favor homeschooling–the route we’ve taken.
Only so people like myself just message in their thoughts about articles such as this one. The problem needs to be the board of educational dinosaurs through out the States who wont step in and conduct changes to the school system as the environment for kids and teachers also change. When you have boards of a school dismissing teachers cause kids know they wont be accountable then there is a major problem beginning with the board.
I don’t know if there is a hierarchy in school boards but the top officials are not doing a pleasing job as which no one will stand up to cause all we do is type about it and discuss among ourselves!
Did you know America comes dead last to school test scores compared to any other democratic country. I hate the schooling in this country thats why when I have kids I will think of home school or send them to London. How come schools still teach students the same boring never use again knowledge just for kicks or something subjects when enticing them to learn about cool stuff this modern age would be more intriguing. So why are kids killing themselves and others, well it has to do with our whole school system, Someone CHANGE IT!
i run a video site and will never have videos like what youtube have in sponsering the violence in schools displaying the videoos they make sometimes….
“And most schools under-report disciplinary problems because reporting recurring discipline problems can single a school out for federal targeting and a potential for decreased funding. ”
Though Canadian, we face many of the same problems, which is why we chose to homeschool our kids. It is particularly disheartening that teachers are unjustly punished for reporting threats, but from the above quoted text appears be completely systemic.
A child’s education should be a place where they can learn in safety and security, to give them the tools that they will need to face adult life. Teachers cannot be expected to provide such an environment if they live in fear of the very kids that they are supposed to be nurturing.
School Violence Prevention!
We have all seen the stories in the news about school violence. Did you know that teachers and other school personnel are exposed to the same threats as students, and the problem is escalating. Teachers, bus drivers and even cafeteria personnel are wor…