Monday, July 27, 2009

School Violence

It is important that teachers and students feel safe at the schools they attend. Most schools are relatively safe but the amount of school violence that is seen today is unacceptable. Parents, teachers, and administrators expect schools to be a safe place of learning. School violence happens when the students choose to act on the concept of youth violence. Youth violence can start young for some students and continue throughout their time as a student in schools. Youth violence can consist of bullying, slapping, punching, and even weapon use. If a teacher is suspecting a student to have a violence problem their are some risk signs that the teacher can look for. Some risks include: poor behavioral control, antisocial beliefs and attitudes, low parental involvement in students life, poor academic performance, and low commitment in schools activities. Although, most people feel safe at the school they attend their is always a risk of school violence and every parent, teacher, and student should be aware of the consequences. According to youth violence.com, "more than 780,000 young people ages 10 to 24 are treated in emergency departments each year for injuries sustained due to violence (CDC 2006b). On average, 16 persons between the ages of 10 and 24 are murdered each day in the United States (CDC 2006b). " Youth violence is a serious problem that needs to be stopped before it happens because violence can have lasting harmful effects on a community, friends, and family. Prevention should reduce risk factors and promote protective factors. For prevention to work it should address levels that influence youth violence. Levels might include: individual, relationship, community, and society. Promoting awareness of youth violence and fostering the commitment to social change are both effective prevention strategies. Having an understanding of school violence is how school violence is going to stop!

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