The violence in public schools has tremendously increased in the recent past as is evidenced by the statistics cited in reported cases. From the first ever-reported case of Brenda Spencer’s school killing, many more cases continue to occur (Gerdes 9). Some of the cases are reported to the authorities while majority are never mentioned outside the confines of the school walls (Gerdes 12). The paper seeks to give background information on violence in schools and the various reasons that lead to violence in schools. The consequences of the violence to both the aggressors and aggresses are discussed. The paper will conclude by explicating various modus operandi that can be adopted to avert the perpetration of violence within the public schools.
Background of violence in public schools
The first high-profile public school violence case reported occurred more than three decades ago when a female student named Brenda Spencer opened fire and killed the principal of her school (Brenda Spencer Interview 11). Since then, more students have taken to guns, shooting other students in the same learning institutions. The numbers have been so rampant with an astonishing average of four deaths per shooting and many other injuries both fatal and minor reported (Monahan, 22). The students use weapons such as guns and knives to commit the violent offences. Adequate research on the particular causes of the violence and the methods of mitigating them is yet to be undertaken to ensure that the high numbers are curtailed.
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"Violence In The Public Schools".
Causes of public school violence
An insight into the various causes of public school violence is derived from the Brenda Spencer case. The reason given for the indecent was anger and stress; that she hated Mondays as a day of the week was the sole reason for the shooting and murder. Studies undertaken however indicate that the major contributing factor for the spree of killings in public schools is the mental state of the offenders. The examination of the mental state of Brenda supports this fact. Recent cases of school violence perpetrations also confirm this assertion. During the trial cases of students charged with violence, their mental examinations showed a common trend of not having a proper state of mind. Stress is another cause of the violence in schools. Students are stressed by various issues ranging from those at school and those from their places of residence. With the lack of a proper way to control these tenets, they end up transferring the stress to other students.
The other major cause of public school violence is the ease at which weapons can be accessed within the community; for instance, the ease at which the students bring guns to schools and buses. This is a great concern since the weapons used in most of the cases are guns (Jena 6).
Consequences of the violence
Public school violence has many consequences to both the aggressors and aggresses. The victims of shooting sprees in the schools sustain injuries that can be fatal. The lucky ones survive with minor injuries. Other than the physical injuries, the other consequence that the victims face is emotional stress. The emotional duress is a dire consequence since it is internal and can build up anger and hatred. The aggressors grapple with the consequence of having to forfeit their studies as the legal process takes its course. At the end, they spend a considerable part of their lives behind bars depending on the severity of the committed crimes, which at times is life in prison.
Ways of reducing violence in public schools.
The recommended ways of reducing public school violence are determined by critically analyzing the causes of the violence in the schools. Schools should adopt a learning curriculum that will have lessons of stress management. Managing the stress resulting from anger or hatred proves essential in the efforts aimed at reducing stress. The schools should encourage an open policy where each particular student can come forward and express the anger, hatred or stress they face (Monahan 7). This prevents inner accumulation of stress directed on others. Schools should device ways of ensuring that weapons are not brought in schools. Systems aimed at checking on what the students bring to school must be established. The systems should also discourage students that might be tempted to carry the killer weapons to school by stipulating stiff punishments.
Federal laws also need revisiting to de-liberalize the gun ownership rights that have made guns easily accessible by citizens (Jena 6). Stringent requirements before the issuance of guns must be developed including the requirement to check the mental states of those related to persons applying to own guns (The Enforcement Gap 12). This move will reduce the ease at which the potential aggressors will access the guns.
Conclusions
The paper intimates that that the cases of public school violence have sharply risen since the first reported case, with the trend set to rise if interventions are not put in place to discourage and prevent the vice. The paper also establishes that stress is the main cause of the public school-based violence, with the perpetuators failing to manage the stress they experience both at school and at home. The ease at which the students can obtain guns is a common cause of the violence. It is essential that further research be undertaken in this particular area to completely curb the vice that has spread in public schools.
- Gerdes, Louise I. Violence. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2008. Print.
- Jena 6 and the Role of Federal Intervention in Hate Crimes and Race-related Violence in Public Schools: Hearing before the Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives, One Hundred Tenth Congress, First Session, October 16, 2007. Washington: U.S. G.P.O. :, 2009. Print.
- Monahan, Torin. Schools under Surveillance Cultures of Control in Public Education. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers UP, 2010. Print.
- Spencer, Brenda. Brenda Spencer Interview, 6 Jan 1986 [part of Navajo Rug Study]. 5th ed. New Canaan, CT: Readex, 2010. 5. Print.
- The Enforcement Gap: Federal Gun Laws Ignored : A Study of Federal Gun Prosecutions from FY2009-FY2012. Washington, DC: Americans for Gun Safety Foundation, 2009. Print.
