School Violence: Are There Ways to Prevent It?

School Violence: Are There Ways to Prevent It?

Alvin Sherman Library 4009

School violence is reported in the media almost everyday. It occurs mainly at the middle and high school levels and covers a range of violent acts perpetrated by students against other students. Violent acts have run the gamut from bullying all the way to shootings and stabbings. Some of the major causes may include social status among peer relations, economic level of the family and inter-family relationships. Other factors that play a role in the increases in violent acts could include the principal’s role, school environment, and discipline. Moreover, it is often not the children who openly show signs of eminent violent behavior who commit these horrendous acts rather it seems to be the quiet, introverted, perhaps neglected child who performs these violent acts. These children are certainly at risk for problems later and need to be spotted early on. Since school violence is on the upswing, ways must be discovered to prevent these violent acts from occurring. One suggestion is a peer-conflict resolution program that could be utilized for this purpose. This program has not been as effective as once thought it would be. Thus, other programs need to be investigated to help resolve this problem.