How to Prevent Violence in Schools

Violence in schools is a pressing social issue that relates to the youth and children. There are concerns from school professionals, parents and the general public over the escalating violent behavior at schools. New media and daily experiences show that all stakeholders are worried about the rising cases of violence. Parents, teachers and the public are advocating for safe schools where students can access quality education and are free from any form of violence. Several schools are coming up with plans and strategies that will help them implement safe schools. Such plans achieve their objective if they are developed by the teacher, parents, government agencies and representatives from the surrounding community (Volungis & Goodman, 2017). Such individuals should develop a consensus on what should constitute a safe school. Similarly, they will consider the applicable rules that will help them achieve this goal. 

Violence Prevention Mechanisms 

Some of the violence prevention mechanisms include the use of metal detectors at all points of entry to ensure that the students are not armed and therefore will help to protect the rest of the students from aggressive behavior of an armed student. However, the use of metal detectors will not fully address the issue since the cause of the aggression has not been addressed. Similarly, students can still find items in the school compound and even in classrooms that can be used to harm others. Strict laws can also be used to address violence in the schools. Different agencies are involved and are determined to come up with rules that will enable the apprehension of suspects. Some of the laws include the No Child Left Behind that restricts firearms in the school district. The first amendment, however, protects students from punishment by the teacher and from searchers by the school administrators. Different states have enacted complete bans on weapons in schools and therefore weapon ban in schools fall within the purview of state lawmakers. Schools can also develop programs that address violence in schools. The teachers and the school community can play a significant role in enhancing such programs. According to Volungis & Goodman (2017) “In fact, federally funded threat assessment suggest the teacher-student relationships in schools is a critical area to be considered as an avenue to preventing school violence” (p. 2). 

School violence has negative impacts on the students ranging from psychological and physical at the individual and systemic level. It is, therefore, a wish of all stakeholders that such violence is prevented to reduce the negative impact and its effects on the quality of education. According to the federal bureau of investigation (2015) youth violence in the U.S. has drastically reduced in schools and surrounding communities. According to Robers, Zhang, Morgan & Musu-Gillette (2015), “The percentage of students ages 12-18 who reported that gangs were present at their schools decrease from 18 percent in 2011 to 12 percent in 2013” (p. 38). However, increased media coverage has continued to increase public awareness. According to Volungis & Goodman (2017) school violence is now an international concern that needs global collaboration in order to develop preventive measures. 

The aforementioned negative impacts among others, school violence is a major issue that has attracted significant attention from professionals and scholars as they try to understand the phenomenon and come up with strategies that can bring a long-term solution to the problem. Researchers study the issue from different perspectives in order to understand the predictive and preventive approaches that will achieve the desired results (Volungis & Goodman, 2017). According to the authors, the connectedness that the teachers have with their students can affect school violence. “More specifically, it was found that if students felt they had a close and trusting relationship with at least one teacher, the more likely they were to communicate their knowledge of a potential violent act” (p. 3). Once the students feel more connected to their teacher, they are likely to be less violent. The level of attachment that students have with the teachers is likely to influence their perception of injustice. Student teacher relationship is, therefore, a significant factor in school violence. The ability of a teacher to develop strong skills that foster strong teacher-student connection will go a long way in reducing violence in the school. 

Teacher-student communication skills are another issue that can prevent violence in schools. Teachers should be able to reframe and challenge the students in their day to day interactions. The ability to harness such skills can have a significant impact in critical interpersonal interactions (Volungis & Goodman, 2017). Such interactions include incidences where the teacher engage and observe the students who are in emotional distress and can therefore validate, offer an alternative and try to solve the problem. According to Hill & O'Brien (2014), “Helpers tend to have several characteristics in common. They listen carefully and emphatically, are nonjudgemental, encourage exploration of thoughts and feelings, assist others in gaining new perspectives on the problems and motivate others to take action to improve their lives.” The author further notes that attending and listening, open questions, reflection, and validation of feelings, paraphrasing, reframing, challenging, self-disclosure and summarizing are some of the common and helping communication skills used in school counseling and in mental health. 

There is no single skill that can address violence in schools. According to Volungis & Goodman (2017), “No single skill leads to school violence prevention. Rather, it is the whole that is greater than the sum of its parts: in this case, school connectedness” (p. 7). It is, therefore, appropriate to foster a positive school climate where students are less likely to consider violence as a way of addressing distress (Ttofi & Farrington, 2011). Similarly, being connected with the students will ensure that information concerning a student who is considering violence is shared with a trusted teacher and therefore the situation can be addressed before it gets out of hand. 

According to a research by the Public Health Research Agency of Canada, violence in the school community can best be addressed by promoting a healthy relationship. It is, therefore, appropriate to consider initiatives that foster healthy relationships enhance the positive behavior of a child, and develop a supportive environment. Similarly, it is critical to consider gender issues, the needs of the children and involve student leadership and adult guidance. According to Ttofi & Farrington (2011) “school based anti-bullying programs are often effective and that particular programs elements were associated with a decrease in bullying and victimization” (p. 44). The author further points out that “The quality of a program is undoubtedly important, but so is the way in which it is implemented” (p. 45). Parents play a significant part in bullying prevention programs. It is critical to collaborate with the community in order to ensure that bullying programs are successful (Volungis & Goodman, 2017). Such programs should run for at least two years and should promote healthy relationships while reducing the use of aggression and power. Adults should strive to create a positive environment and promote healthy relationships while ending violence against children and the youth. 

References 

Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2015). Uniform crime reports for the United States. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. 

Robers, S., Zhang, A., Morgan, R. E., Musu-Gillette, L. (2015). Indicators of school crime and safety: 2014. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics, U. S. Department of Education and Bureau of Justice Statistics, Office of Justice Programs, U. S. Department of Justice 

Ttofi, M., & Farrington, D. (2011). Effectiveness of school-based programs to reduce bullying: a systematic and meta-analytic review. Journal Of Experimental Criminology ,  7 (1), 27-56. doi: 10.1007/s11292-010-9109-1 

Volungis, A., & Goodman, K. (2017). School Violence Prevention.  SAGE Open ,  7 (1), 215824401770046. doi: 10.1177/2158244017700460