School violence has become an increasingly important focus of study in recent years, precisely because of its apparently increasing prevalence in the United States today. Violence perpetrated by young children against other young children has never taken the epidemic levels it does today. Many scholars have made the central quest of their research to determine why this is the case and secondarily, how to prevent this phenomenon. And indeed, the statistics are upsetting. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC, 2012), there have been 116 student deaths in 109 separate incidents of school violence during the past seven years. This translates to an average 16.5 student homicides per year. In order to deal with this terrible phenomenon, the CDC suggests that the first step is to define the problem. As such, the CDC (2012) defines school violence as "youth violence that occurs on school property, on the way to…...
mlaReferences
Astor, R.A., Benbenishty, R., and Estrada, J.N. (2009). School Violence and Theoretically Atypical Schools: The Principal's Centrality in Orchestrating Safe Schools. American Educational Research Association. Retrieved from: http://buildingcapacity.usc.edu/AERJASTORBENBENESTRADA515%5B1%5D.pdf
Center for Disease Control (CDC). (2012). Understanding school violence. Retrieved January 29, 2013, from http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/schoolviolence_factsheet-a.pdf
Center for Disease Control (CDC). (2012). School-associated student homicides. Retrieved January 29, 2013, from http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5702a1.htm
Schechter DS (2011, February 16). Forecasting Aggression: What Makes Some Troubled Youth Turn Violent? Cerebrum. Retrieved January 29, 2013, from http://www.dana.org/news/cerebrum/detail.aspx?id=30762
School Violence
Violence in schools is increasing at an alarming rate as more teenagers gain access to weapons. It is important to devise a plan which could reduce this violence and make schools safer for future generations.
Facts about School Violence
Although fears concerning school violence have increased in the last several years, recent 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 (www.preventioninstitute.org/schoolviolence.html)."
Although deaths from violence are rare in schools, there are some facilities that have a serious problem with violence, creating fear for the 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…...
mlaReferences
Austin, Charles. (20 November, 2003). Fair Lawn plans to update school policies.
The Record (Bergen County, NJ).
Erickson, Doug. (22 November, 2003). EAST HIGH TROUBLED, SOME SAY; GROUP
SAYS RACIAL TENSION SHOULD BE BETTER HANDLED. Wisconsin
It appears that the combination of bullying, treatment as an outcast and a propensity or obsession with violent images resulted in school violence.
In addition to such factors and social hierarchy and bullying, mental illness is often one of the issues that perpetrators suffer with. In the most recent and severe case of school violence, the Virginia Tech Shootings, it appears that the gunman (Seung-Hui Cho) suffered from mental illness and it has also been reported that he was bullied prior to entering college (Jenson 2007). There were many warning signs that this particular student was troubled and there were even efforts to get him help.
Since the Tech shooting it has been revealed that students and professors alike believed that the gunmen was disturbed and could commit a violent act on campus. These concerns led one professor to remove Cho from her class because he disturbed the other students and…...
mlaReferences
Austin, V.L. (2003). Fear and Loathing in the Classroom: A Candid Look at School Violence and the Policies and Practices That Address it. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 14(1), 17+.
Bender, W.N., Shubert, T.H., & Mclauchlin, P.J. (2001). Invisible Kids: Preventing School Violence by Identifying Kids in Trouble. Intervention in School & Clinic, 37(2), 105+.
Bon, S.C., Faircloth, S.C., & Letendre, G.K. (2006). The School Violence Dilemma: Protecting the Rights of Students with Disabilities While Maintaining Teachers' Sense of Safety in Schools. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 17(3), 148+.
Brown, R.T. (Ed.). (2004). Handbook of Pediatric Psychology in School Settings. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Following a principal-components factor analysis of the six environmental-insecurity measures, the analysis revealed that approximately 68% of the total variance was due to two factors: economic insecurity and social insecurity. These two factors then became the control variables in their study.
The findings revealed that a higher percentage of high school students in culture-of-honor states than in non-culture-of-honor states reported bringing a weapon to school at least one time in the previous month. The researchers then make the following hasty generalization based thereon: Since the deadly violence is done with weapons, the association between the culture and the bringing of weapons to school then supports the hypothesis that school violence might be greater in culture-of-honor states. In order to obtain a violence indicator that does not rely on self-reported behaviors, they conducted another study: Study 2.
Study 2 sought to answer the question whether or not culture-of-honor can predict "actual levels"…...
Sworn officers or specially-trained staff members can patrol the campus and keep a close eye on at-risk students or potentially threatening situations. Moreover, sworn officers can watch out for drug selling or drug use at school. This is a highly specialized job that cannot be left up to teachers or school staff to perform, as they have their own jobs to worry about. Furthermore, when the threat of violence is immanent, these trained officers can alert the local law enforcement stations and call for required assistance if required. Having the ability to communicate instantaneously with law enforcement is one of the most important ways schools can reduce violence.
Preventative measures and educational tools to increase awareness about violence go a long way. However, prevention must be supplemented by proactive measures such as zero tolerance policies. Any student who is impaired while at school would be subject to suspension and/or the…...
Violence in Schools
Incidents of violence at school can be divided into nine categories: deadly weapons, threats of violence, fighting, child abuse, sexual abuse, bullying and hazing, vandalism, theft, and disruptive behavior. It is clear however, that these types of violence are not mutually exclusive and are often combined. Fighting can involve deadly weapons, bullying can include threats of violence, and sexual abuse can be part of hazing (Thomas).
Additionally, American youth are increasingly being exposed to violence through television, video games, movies, and music. This has raised concerns that children exposed to violence may become desensitized and attempt to resolve conflict in a violent manner. Crime and violence affects not only families but society as well ("Crime, Violence and Your Child").
According to the National Center for Children Exposed to Violence (NCCEV) school violence can hinder the learning process and lead to violent revenge and a range of mental health issues including…...
mlaWorks Cited
"Children & Violence." National Center for Children Exposed To Violence. 4 April 2006. Web. 11 November 2012.
"Crime, Violence and Your Child." Healthy Children, American Academy of Pediatrics . 5 June 2012. Web. 11 November 2012.
Langman, Peter. Why Kids Kill: Inside the Mindsof School Shooters. New York: Palgrave MacMillian, 2009. Print.
Moylan, Carrie, Todd Herrenkohl, Cindy Sousa, Emiko Tajima, Roy Herrenkohl, and M. Russo. "The Effects of Child Abuse and Exposure to Domestic Violence on Adolescent Internalizing and Externalizing Behavior Problems." Journal of Family Violence. Vol. 25, Issue 1, (January 2010): 53-63. EBSCO. Web. 11 November 2012.
Antidepressants and School Violence
A persuasive essay, arguing link school shootings Columbine Virginia Tech, mass shootings, Aurora Theater shootings, Gabriel Giffords shooting, gunman/perpetrators psychotropic medications SSI Antidepressants, Stimulant medications italin, Adderall Concerta a, Atypical Antipsychotics, smoking cessation drugs Zyban Champix.
Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris took an arsenal of guns and improvised on April 20, 1999 and went on a killing spree at Columbine High School near Littleton. The two students killed themselves after killing their teacher, and twelve other of their classmates. These actions are among many other separate incidents that have occurred in the recent past raising a concern over what could be the cause (Jacqueline & Barry, 2005).
According to Clash Daily (2013) among the multiple shootings and suicides that have occurred in the last two decades one thing is common. The weapon used in these atrocities does not feature as the common aspect. The evidence from studies such…...
mlaReferences
Clash Daily. (2013). Psychotropic Drugs: The Common Denominator in Mass Murders Clash Daily Retrieved 4th June, 2013, from http://clashdaily.com/2013/04/psychotropic-drugs-the-common-denominator-in-mass-murders
David, H., Andrew. Herxheimer, & David, B.M. (2006). "Antidepressants and Violence: Problems at the Interface of Medicine and Law," PLoS Medicine, Volume 3(9), 3.
David, H., & Graham, A. (2009). Antidepressant drug use & the risk of suicide. International Review of Psychiatry, 17(13), 163-172.
Grace, E.J., John, R.W., & Peter, S.J. (2005). Efficacy and Effectiveness of Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy and Pharmacotherapy. Mental Health Services Research, 1(3), 125-157.
At the age of 23, the alcohol abuse factor was replaced with a three-item lifetime alcohol disorder screen instrument that emphasized on binge drinking and five items from the Drug Abuse Screening Test. Other behavior problems consisted of stealing, selling drugs, gang violence, carrying a weapon, arson, burglary, trespassing, pregnancy and drunk driving.
The results showed that early drinkers were more apt than nondrinkers to use other substances, steal and have school problems. Compared to nondrinkers, early drinkers at 7 were 19 times more likely to engage in weekly smoking any hard drug use and 14 times more likely to be involved with weekly marijuana use; 4.5 times more apt to steal; 3 times more sure to be sent out of or skip class; 2 times more likely to often miss school and 1.5 times more prone toward having poor grades.
Early experimenters were also more likely to engage in problem…...
mlaWorks Cited
Ellickson, Phyllis, Tucker, Joan and Klein, David. "Ten-year prospective study of public health problems associated with early drinking," Pediatrics, May 2003 v111 i5 p949(6)
Psychology Human Services
Violence in schools is becoming prevalent as one of the worrying aspects in the society. This particular paper seeks to analyze the violence in schools from an educational and psychological point-of-view. According to studies and scholarly research, bullying is the most common form violence prevalent in schools. Scholars suggest that school violence signify a variety of manners referring to physical damage, psychological harm, and property damage. Literature indicates that the most prevalent form of violence in schools comes in the form of bullying. Bullying is seen as behavior intended to harm someone, occurs recurrently, and shows a distinct difference of power between the bully and the victim. The link between parental violence, history with violence and unfortunate socio-economic state of affairs and violence amongst children is perceived in the literature. The psychological aspect of having such scenes and the experiences projected on the children is considered to instigate…...
mlaReferences
Benson, M., Fox, G. L., (2004), When Violence Hits Home: How Economics and Neighborhood Play a Role, in National Institute of Justice - Research in Brief, September 2004, 1-6.
Clarke, E. A., & Kiselica, M.S. (1997). A systemic counseling approach to the problem of bullying. Elementary School Guidance and Counseling, 31, 310-315.
Clark, S. L. (2011). Factors related to school violence victimization: the role of extracurricular activities.
Fuchs, M. (2008). Impact of school context on violence at schools. International Journal on Violence and Schools, 7.
My Role as the School CounsellorIt would be prudent to note that various research studies have in the past indicated that school counsellors have a significant and crucial role to play in school violence prevention. Indeed, as Miller (2008) points out, school counselors should respond to violence as well as work to prevent it (113). It therefore follows that in this case, my role as a school counselor will be both preventive and responsive. From the preventive point of view, I have a responsibility to collaborate with other members of staff to ensure that the school environment is safe and conducive for learning. This is a role I could perform by identifying any violent intent or vulnerabilities. The said intent and/or vulnerabilities could be inclusive of; aggressive behavior among students, expression of violence among students (i.e. via drawings and writings), dark and poorly lit hallways, etc. Next, I will also…...
mlaReferences
Miller, T.W. (2008). School Violence and Primary Prevention. Springer.
Twemlow, S. & Sacco, F.C. (2012). Preventing Bullying and School Violence. APB.
School Shootings: How to solve Bullying and Violence within Schools School shootings have become something of an epidemic in modern day America. Like the flu, they seem to arrive every season, every year, sometimes appearing in deadlier strains than seen in previous appearances. Following an outbreak, authorities scramble to find ways to effectively address the phenomenon, but, unable to identify the source of the problem, they invariably settle upon superficial or politically correct solutions that serve only to tamper down the furor and clamor of communities that rise up in protest against the ease with which it all appears to happen: child is bullied at school, child buys guns, child takes revenge with a stockpile of weapons, an AK-47 with a bump stock, an arsenal that would make a Marine blush. Yet, in spite of the nearly universal knee jerk reaction that inevitably occurs following an episode of school violence, the…...
mlaWorks Cited
Breggin, Peter R. “Suicidality, violence and mania caused by selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs): A review and analysis.” International Journal of Risk & Safety in Medicine, vol. 16, no. 1 (2004): 31-49.Jaffee, Laura Jordan. “Rethinking School Safety in the Age of Empire: Militarization, Mental Health, and State Violence.” Disability Studies Quarterly, vol. 38, no. 1 (2018). Kauffman, Joel M. “Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) drugs: More risks than benefits.” Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, vol. 14, no. 1 (2009): 7-12.Maynen, Dawn. “Jessie Klein: The Bully Society: School Shootings and the Crisis of Bullying in America’s Schools.” Journal of Youth Adolescence, vol. 42 (2013): 1630-1632.http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/5230/4878
Delinquent ehavior and Family Violence
an Intimate Link
Research reveals that children who grow up in a home atmosphere of violence tend to develop delinquent behavior (DESA, 2003). The family as a social institution has been going through much change in form, with one-parent families and non-marital unions crowding out the traditional type. Children in disadvantaged families who have few resources and opportunities for better employment confront much insecurity and trouble.
With very limited resources against an increase in family size, many children are neglected and suffer abuse and violence right at home. The absence of a father in the new form leads boys to seek or develop patterns of masculinity after the delinquents with whom they hang around. They take these delinquent groups as family substitute. These define their roles and contribute to developing habits like cruelty (DESA).
A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,943 Korean adolescents of whom
707 were juvenile delinquents to…...
mlaBIBLIOGRAPHY
Buel, S.M. (2002). Why juvenile courts should address family violence: promising practices to improve intervention outcomes. Journal of Juvenile and Family Court:
Harvard Law School. Retrieved on May 22, 2013 from http://www.juvenilelaw.org/articles/2003/DomesticViolence.pdf
DESA (2003). Juvenile delinquency. Chapter 8, World Youth Report, Youth Social
Policy and Development Division: Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
Violence in Schools and Other Issues Violence in schools is an issue that impacts the community because it puts the children of the community at risk and it makes schools unsafe. Families, administrators and teachers have to come up with ways to reduce the risk—whether through the installation of cameras and law enforcement officers in the halls, or through the use of strict punishments of students who engage in on-site violence. Violence in schools is a problem that has to be dealt with from a gun perspective as well: such as, should teachers be armed? Is there a sufficient security plan in place that teachers can follow in the event of a school shooting? Are there enough school counselors on staff to assist in monitoring and helping students with emotional issues? There are numerous questions like these that have to be asked and answered by the community to adequately address the…...
What Methods Can Schools in the United States Implement to Prevent Violence in Schools?
Introduction
Statement of the problem
The recent upswing in high-profile violent incidents in the United States has focused increasing attention on the causes of this public health threat and what types of response are most appropriate. The debate over the most appropriate responses to increased violence in American society has also extended to the nation’s schools. Although it has always been present to some extent, violence has become a major problem in the nation’s schools in recent years (Kelly, 2010; Killam & Roland, 2014). While the potential for enhanced awareness of the problem and improved reporting mechanisms may account for some of the reported increase in school violence in recent years (Blosnich & Bossarte, 2011), the research that follows will clearly show that any level of violence in the schools can be enormously harmful to students and staff alike…...
They predict age and gender variations relate to bullying concerns. Of the 25 cartoons implemented in the study, two depict characters with different shades of skin color where skin color appeared to be an issue. One cartoon relating to sexual orientation was not used in several countries. Smith et al. report Olweus to assert bullying to be characterized by the following three criteria:
1. It is aggressive behavior or intentional "harmdoing"
2. which carried out repeatedly and over time
3. In an interpersonal relationship characterized by an imbalance of power. (Smith et al., 2002, p. 1120)
In their study, Smith et al. (2002), participating researchers in the 14 countries to completed the following
1. Listed and selected bullying terms as well as social exclusion in the applicable language.
2. Used fundamental focus groups with participating children to confirm usage and extensive comprehensive of terms.
3. Using cartoons, sorted tasks to describe ways terms relating to bullying…...
mlaREFERENCES
Anti-Bullying programs for schools. (2009). NoBully.com. Retrieved March 3, 2010 from http://www.nobully.com/index.html
Beaty, L.A., & Alexeyev, E.B. (2008). The Problem of School Bullies: What the Research Tells Us. Adolescence, 43(169), 1+. Retrieved March 3, 2010, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5026476147
Beran, T.N., Tutty, L. & Steinrath, G. (2004). An evaluation of a bullying prevention program for elementary schools. Canadian Journal of School Psychology. Vol. 19, Iss. 1/2, p. 99
116 . Retrieved March 3, 2010 from http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1188387401&Fmt=4&clientId=9269&RQT=30
The topic of violence is a broad one because violence is persuasive in our society, there are competing theories about the causes of violence, and violence begins to impact people at a very young age. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, there are eight types of violence children may be exposed to or experience: bullying, child maltreatment, community violence, domestic and intimate partner violence, school violence, sexual abuse and sexual violence, sex trafficking, and teen dating violence. These different types of violence not only impact children, but also adults in the community,....
Restorative Justice vs. Punitive Measures in Schools: A Comparative Analysis
Restorative justice and punitive measures represent contrasting approaches to behavior management in schools. While restorative justice focuses on repairing harm and empowering students, punitive measures emphasize punishment and control. This essay will compare the two approaches, exploring their principles, processes, and implications for student well-being and school climate.
Principles and Processes
Restorative justice is guided by principles of accountability, empathy, and community involvement. Students responsible for misconduct are encouraged to take ownership of their actions, understand the impact on others, and repair the damage they have caused. This involves facilitated dialogue between students,....
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