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Violence in city schools

Violence is a common occurrence in city schools. Easy access to drugs and lethal weapons is an obvious factor. However, underlying causes such as deteriorating social and economic conditions cannot be overlooked. Efforts to improve the situation in city schools have increased during the past decade, but much needs to be done to assure students a safe, disciplined environment in which to learn.

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 poll that surveyed high school students around the country found that 11 percent of the students had been shot at in the past year and that 15 percent admitted carrying a gun (Brown 12). The U.S. Department of Justice found, in a recent study, that half of all violent crimes against youths 12 to 19 years of age occurred in school buildings, on school grounds, or in the vicinity of school (Garcia 23). These statistics demonstrate why school safety has become o...

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Violence in city schools. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 01:30, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1707220.html