Violence in city schools

Alarming statistics are being generated on the extent of violence on school campuses. In the period 1986-1990, at least 71 persons were killed with guns at school (OERI 3). A 1991 survey revealed that during a 12-month period, 2 percent of teachers at all grade levels reported being physically attacked, and 8 percent threatened with bodily harm (OERI 7). Almost twenty percent of teachers said that they had been verbally abused by a student in the previous four weeks (OERI 7). A 1993 survey by the Harvard School of Public Health found that 62 percent of parents admitted that the availability of guns has caused their children to be worried about safety at school (Brown 13). The same survey found that 20 percent of parents know a child who has asked for a gun for his or her own protection (Brown 13).

School-related crime has created a frightening environment for the average student. Every day, an estimated 270,000 guns accompany students to schools, and nearly 3 million thefts and violent crimes occur on or near school campuses each year (Garcia 23). A 1993 Louis Harris

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during the last 30 years children have lost approximately 12 hours of parental time a week" (Brown 13). Sociologists are not the only group who believes that lack of parental monitoring is a major contributor to school violence. A 1994 survey of adults conducted by the San Francisco Chronicle found that more than three-fourths of respondents believed that youth violence resulted from a failure of parents to supervise and discipline their children or the breakdown of the family unit. Only 8 percent of respondents believed that youth violence resulted from genetic factors (Garcia 24). A contributing factor in the increased amount of crime in city schools is substance abuse among the student population. A relationship exists between drugs, alcohol, and violence. Today's adolescents are heavily involved in the drug culture, and drug-related activity is increasingly invading the school environment. Students come to school high and some brazenly use drugs on school property. Drug dealing, once a rare occurrence on school campuses, is not uncommon. Given the disruptive effect of drugs in a learning environment, the creation of drug-free schools in the educational system is a critical issue. In 1989, 70 percent of public
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Approximate Word count = 2602
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page)

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