Violence among students is a challenge that is faced by schools and institutions all over the world. Violence in the schools may come in various forms and manner, from the bullying to the gun violence incidences to gender based violence than at the moment, the issue of gang violence in the institutions. Violence in schools leads to unrest in the schools, bad blood amongst the students and by the fact of them knowing that a fight or an attack may occur at any moment, the students will not be at ease as they carry out their day to day activities. This fact of them being uneasy will in most instances, be visible in their performance.
This essay is tasked with looking into having the ability to come up with a unit within the school’s security agency which will be tasked with the duty of coming up with various methods of tackling this issue of violence amongst the students in the schools. However, in order to be able to effectively tackle this menace, one must know the various causes of violence in the schools and further how it can be handled.
Causes of Violence in Schools
The factors that cause a child to end up being involved in violence in the schools are factors which are caused by either, the policies of the school or the students themselves while at times it is due to the background that the child is exposed to. Crisis Consultant Group carried out a research pertaining to the root causes of school violence in the institutions and it were realized that the causes of violence in the schools may be caused due to the following reasons.
The Disciplinary Systems are not Realistic in Tackling the Issue
It was realized that the fact that the institutions normally rush to either break up the fights or they have punishments such as suspension, detention or expulsion of the individuals who are realized to be involved in the forms of violence. However, punishment has been realized not to effectively tackle the issue of violence; rather, the teaching personnel should try to have in place the guidance counseling session with the individuals who are involved in these acts.
In order to tackle the issue of gang violence in schools, it was realized that the fact that schools may allow strangers to have contact with the students during the break times, it may be the fault line in tackling the issue of gang violence in the schools, so the best move is for the schools to have in place, rather strict visiting policies in their institutions.
Lack of Cooperation between the Guardians, Teachers and the Guidance Counselors
The research findings were able to show that due to the lack of cooperation among the elders in the society who are always around the students in their everyday life, the lack of cooperation and communication amongst them, this will create a difficulty in the students’ problems being tackled in all avenues. This mainly is due to the fact that if one of the parties realizes that the child is starting to show traits that may lead to him or her engaging in violence or being a victim communication is vital in order to come up with strategies that will protect or reform the student at all times.
Lack of Connection amongst the Students
It is realized that in some instances, there may be hate or rather bad blood amongst the students within the institution. For example, the hate may be caused by racial differences, sexual orientation, and the likes. This hate and disconnect may lead to the students engaging in violent acts such as fights or bullying due to this disconnection.
Further, the research showed that the institutions need to have in place programs that will help the students to better how they interact with each other and how they are supposed to handle occurrences of violence in the schools. This is due to the schools and other institutions having in place measures which equip only the learning personnel.
Lack of Understanding or Disconnect between the Students and the Teachers
Incidences of Drug Abuse among the Students
Over the past years, it has been realized that the number of students who engage in drugs and substance abuse, from alcohol to hard drugs like meth and cocaine, has increased. One of the effects of drug abuse among the students is the fact that it causes impaired judgments to the students. Due to this impairment of their judgment, they will in most instances, end up getting easily provoked and at times may attack the other students due to a mere joke.
These causes may further be classified into the environmental classification, due to the fact that these causes are mainly due to the acts and omissions of those around them. These are:
Home environment. This entails the actions that the individual is exposed to while he or she is back home or the actions that the parents and guardians engage in or do not engage in as required. These may include acts such as one parent being violent against the other or in some instances, one parent being a drug abuser. Research has shown that the students who are exposed to these environments in most instances end up being violent t their peers.
Neighborhood environment: The general environment may also play a role in determining the occurrence of violence in the institution. This is since it is realized that in instances that the student lives in a violent neighborhood, then he or she will in most instances lead tend to be more violent in his actions. This is due to the fact that psychological theory of social learning, an individual’s surroundings and acts of the others around him or her, will always tend to affect how he or she acts. So in case, the student is always exposed to violence in his day to day activities, they may end up being violent in their ventures too.
With these causes of violence in the schools, then it is clear that each and everyone in the society is responsible for these actions of the students. Thus, it means that each and every person in the society should have in place measures that will help the individuals to be able to combat this vice in the society. This is due to the fact that it is better to prevent the occurrence of these acts rather than having to stop a fight or deal with the repercussions of the fights and attacks, which may be as serious as one losing his life or even the students being arrested.
Strategies that May Be Taken In Order to Combat Violence in Schools
In order to prevent school violence, various measures must be taken. These include;
Individual Strategies
These are strategies that target the individual personally, will in most instances target the decision-making capabilities of the students. These strategies are rather meant to help the students to make the rational decisions and with these decisions, they will be able to avert resulting to violence. These strategies are meant to empower the students and explain to them whatever better means of settling disputes. These may include guidance and counseling or in some instances just going and thinking of the repercussions of their actions in cases that they resort to violence, such as jail or even death.
In addition to this, the issue of hatred amongst the students can be combated by them going being more loving and accommodating to the various individuals within their surroundings. This includes them understanding that the issue of one being of a different race, having a different sexual orientation from them does not make him or her less human and they are further protected by the law.
Relationship Status
As earlier stated, disconnection in terms of the relationship between the students themselves, the students and the teachers or the institution’s personnel with the parents, are among the causes of the violence among the students. Tackling the issue of building the relationship amongst the various parties is a vital step that may be of help to the tackling of this issue of violence within the schools.
The betterment of the relationship amongst the various stakeholders in the schools may be achieved in various manners.
Firstly, the school has the obligation to have in place programs which involve all the various stakeholders, from the parents to the teaching staff and further the members of the community at large. These include having in place programs such as school-based violence prevention programs which in turn will help the students be exposed to ways they will be able to improve how they socialize with one another and to enable them have the ability to know how to solve their disputes and differences amicably.
Secondly, the institution has the obligation of having in place programs which will enable the teachers and the students to have a better relationship and improve on how they relate with one another. This act of them being able to understand that in some instances the teacher is obligated to punish them and further enable the students to understand that the teachers are not the problem rather they are the solution to the matter.
Lastly, the constant interaction of teachers and the parents would be a major boost on these strategies of trying to combat the violence in the learning institutions. This may be through the annual PTA meetings or the teacher having the right to summon the parents to come to school in order for them to be able to exchange ideas in terms of the problems they may have noticed pertaining to the student. This exchange of information will, in most instances, reciprocate in the constant monitoring of the student’s behavior and this will enable the problems to be tackled before they erupt into a major issue.
Community Strategies
It is true that the community that surrounds the students may have an impact in determining how he or she handles differences with his or her peers and other individuals in the institution. This, in turn, means that the strategies that will be decided upon, in order to combat the problem of violence in the schools, the society must be involved in effectively. These members of the community must be tasked with the duty and knowledge of how they may be able to stop the fights in instances that they spot an occurrence.
In addition, to this, the members of the public should further be told to have in place measures which will promote peace in their communities. These include happenings such as having multi-cultural events or in having seminars, parades, and events which are aimed at ensuring promoting peace in their society (Juvonen, 2001). If the members of the community have in place these measures as required they will have the ability to ensure that the society or the environment that the students live in will be an environment which is free from fear and instances of violence amongst the students.
With this knowledge of the various reasons for the emergence of violent students in the society, the security forces should have a unit which is tasked with the ability of tackling the cases of violence amongst the members of the public and further have in place measures which may be of use in helping to tackle this issue. However, this unit should be comprised of officers or volunteers who exhibit certain traits and further they be clearly explained to what they may be required to do when they are chosen for this task. These include;
Recommendations
In order to come up with a unit which will, in turn, help the members of the community and further the students to avert instances of violence in schools, the individuals must have various traits and responsibilities. These are;
Selection Criteria for the Unit’s Personnel:
A social and jovial individual who has a way with the young in the society.
The individual must have a high level of morality and able to be a role model to the children in the society.
The ability to work in a school environment without or no supervision.
The person should be fit to be able to break up fights in instances that they break out in his presence and further help him or her from instances of attacks.
Poses qualities of low temperament levels, flexible, reliable and patience.
The individual must have the ability to create a good rapport with the teaching personnel in the institution.
Poses a commanding appearance but be understanding and further have the ability to speak in a soft manner in order to be able to calm the enraged students when need be.
Must have the ability to tackle emergency situations with utmost precision and further in a manner that will help quell the tension in times that an attack occurs.
The individual must possess great leadership skills among his or her peers and further have the ability to be obeyed and respected by the students.
Prior experience as a road deputy or a patrol officer will be mandatory.
The candidate must have great knowledge pertaining to the school rules, the federal rules pertaining to the issue of violence among the children in the society. This may be stipulated as per the laws governing juvenile laws of the nation and other relevant statutes.
The candidate must be of very high integrity.
Roles and Responsibilities of the Unit
Have the ability of effectively providing policing and law enforcement services in the school institution. These activities include having the ability to get to the root cause, identifying the culprits and handling the matter in a manner that is as per the stipulations of both the national and federal laws.
Have a good rapport with the students in the institution, hence giving him the ability of spotting acts which he or she may consider to result in the violence in the institution.
The unit will further be tasked to work hand in hand with the guidance and counseling department, in order to be able to have in place programs which will help to change how the students perceive some situations. This education and knowledge are vital for the proper administration of justice for the minority groups in the learning institutions due to the fact that they are in most instances the major victims of the school-based violence (Juvonen, 2001).
Tasked with the duty of having in place the various programs which will provide mentoring opportunities for the students. These mentoring opportunities will enable the students to act in the desired manner.
Carry out frisking of the students each time they enter the school. This will help enable the issue of students sneaking in weapons, into the school in order to protect themselves or at times to attack their peers (Hank, 2012).
Have in place violence prevention programs in conjunction with the school. These programs will enable the members of the community and the students in the school to be able to adequately know how to tackle this issue of violence among the students. Further, these programs will help equip the members of the public on how they are supposed to react to instances of violence in their vicinity.
Conclusion
With this knowledge of how to tackle the issue of violence in the schools, the individuals who will be realized to have these set traits and the ability to perform in these activities as stipulated will form the unit which will may be used to tackle and ensure that the instances of violence are as low as possible. These individuals will in turn help the society to be one which is conducive for the proper learning and study for the students, free from fear or discrimination and other forms of violence.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014, October 27). School Violence: Prevention. Retrieved June 25, 2016, from Injury Prevention and Control: Division of Violence Protection: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/youthviolence/schoolviolence/prevention.html
Crisis Consultant Group. (2014). Violence in Schools – 4 Root Causes. Retrieved June 25, 2016, from Calm Every Storm: http://www.crisisconsultantgroup.com/school-violence-prevention/violence-in-schools/
Hanks, J. C. (2012). School Bullying: How long is the Arm of the Law? Chicago: American Bar Association, Section of State and Local Government Law.
Juvonen, J. (2001). School Violence: Prevalence, Fears, and Prevention. Retrieved from http://www.rand.org/pubs/issue_papers/IP219/index2.html
King, L. (2010). Stopping Violence In Schools. United Nations Educational, Scientific and CUltural Organization, 7-23.
National Crime Prevention Council (1998).Stopping School Violence. Retrieved from http://www.ncpc.org/resources/files/pdf/school-safety/stopping_school_violence.pdf
Parker, C. (2014, March 18). How to reduce violence and crime at school and colleges. Retrieved June 25, 2016, from Hastac: https://www.hastac.org/blogs/carlaparker/2014/03/18/how-reduce-violence-and-crime-school-and-colleges
