Term Paper on "Violence in Public Schools"

Term Paper 11 pages (3463 words) Sources: 11 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

School Violence

Violence in schools has been a subject at the center of debate for several years. School violence is a problem throughout the world, but in recent years a great deal of attention has been given to violence in American schools (Austin, 2003; Smith, 2003). The purpose of this discussion is to examine school violence as it relates to the causes and prevention measures. The research will explore the impact of social hierarchy, bullying, and mental illness on school violence. In addition the research will discuss social isolation and the ways in which school violence can be prevented. Let us begin our discussion by explain school violence and why it has become an issue of serious concern in recent years.

School Violence

According to Austin (2003) school violence presents a serious safety concern for students and staff alike. The school shootings that took place in Paducah, Kentucky, Columbine, Colorado and Blacksburg, Virginia killed and maimed several students. Over the years school violence has claimed many lives and left many unanswered questions (Fishbaugh et al. 2003).

According to Bon et al. (2006)

Violence in schools is a matter of international concern, and while the United States does not have the highest levels of school violence among countries, recent studies show that there are many kinds of violence (e.g., physical assault, sexual assault, death threats) that students and teachers deal with in schools (Akiba, LeTendre, Baker, & Goesling, 2002)."

The violence occurring in schools has left many students and staff with psychological and emotional scars that may take a lifetime to heal. As a result of these shootings and other shootings within the United States and the world, there have been several efforts geared towards understanding why school violence exist and how to reduce or eliminate the likelihood that it will occur.

Although discussions concerning violence in schools often concentrate on school shootings, school violence also refers to several other types of actions. These actions are inclusive of pushing and shoving, littering, theft, tardiness, breaking rules, foul language, and disruptiveness (Moeller, 2001). Each of these actions is viewed as types of school violence. In fact in some cases they serve as clear warning signs that a student may eventually act in a manner that is more aggressive (Moeller, 2001).

There are several theories as to why school violence has become so prevalent. For the most part it is evident that many perpetrators of school violence have been victims of bullying by their peers. It is also clear in some cases that perpetrators suffered from mental illness. The next section of this discussion will focus on the impact social hierarchy, bullying and mental illness on school violence.

The impact of social hierarchy, bullying and mental illness on school violence

In the case of Columbine High School, the two gunmen (Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold) may have been bullied and seen as outcasts by other students at the school. In addition, after the shooting occurred, a great deal of information concerning the schools social hierarchy was uncovered. Social hierarchy is defined as According to Moffatt (2000) one of the major issues in the Columbine shootings was social hierarchy. The author explains that most of students that attended the school were well to do and came from identical or nearly identical socioeconomic backgrounds. However, at Columbine High School and many high schools throughout the nation the social hierarchy was not based on socioeconomic status. In the case of Columbine it appears the social hierarchy placed student athletes and the athletic program at the top of the social order at the school (Moffatt 2000).

This social hierarchy was made evident through the manner in which parents, teachers and school administrators favored student athletes by presenting them with special privileges that other students did not have (Moffatt 2000). In the months following the shootings students and people in the community revealed some of the privileges and special treatment shown towards the athletes or jocks at the school. According to these accounts one athlete was reportedly allowed to park his $100,000 Hummer all day in a fifteen-minute parking space. Other athletes were accused of bullying and sexually harassing students and were allegedly left undisciplined or minimally disciplined. In one case, a female student pressed charges against an athlete for sexual harassment, and an administrator from Columbine tried to talk the mother out of the charges because it would "ruin [the athlete's] possibilities of playing on the football team (Moffatt, 2000, 139)."

In addition some students reported that teachers and school administrators showed biased toward athletes while being harsh with students that were not athletes (Moffatt 2000). Teachers were particularly harsh toward members of Harris and Klebold's group, known as the trench coat mafia.

The disdain that some students had for athletes was evident throughout the school with graffiti that stated "Columbine will explode one day. Kill all athletes. All jocks must die (Moffatt, 2000, 139)."

The author also points out that both students and parents were aware of the bias towards athletes. In addition, parents and students reported that physical and sexual abuse, and racial discrimination were permitted to go on without any consequences as it related to student athletes (Moffatt 2000). In fact there were reported attacks against Jewish students including physical and verbal harassment. The student athlete responsible for the offense was not punished by school administrators.

Ultimately the parents of the Jewish student reported the athlete to the school board and police became involved in the situation and the student was charge with harassment and given probation. However the student athlete was still permitted to play football. Even individuals outside of the school were aware of the biased treatment of student athletes and warned the Board of Commissioners that violence amongst students was increasing in the Columbine area and needed to be addressed (Moffatt 2000). However, the school did not take this warning seriously and the shooting at Columbine occurred soon after the warnings were issued.

In the case of Columbine the author explains that the perpetrators were viewed as undesirables because they were not student athletes. It is believed that overtime Klebold and Harris began to despise the favoritism shown to athletes by school administrators and teachers (Moffatt 2000). The author points out that the athletes bullied Klebold and Harris and other students that befriended Klebold and Harris. This type of bullying led to a formation of a group that was referred to by athletes as the trench coat mafia. The trench coat mafia preferred dark gothic clothing and often wore trench coats. On the other hand the athletes often wore white clothing and sportswear. Ultimately the trench coat mafia became the polar opposite of the jocks in both physical dress and in terms of the social hierarchy at the school. The author asserts that "Living at the bottom of the social hierarchy did not cause Klebold and Harris to commit their atrocities, but it probably acted as a catalyst for their rage as well as providing confirmation that they would always be outsiders (Moffatt, 2000,140)."

With all this being understood, it is interesting to note that many of their victims were not the individuals that were jocks. It seems the gunmen were indiscriminate concerning the students that they killed or injured. The anger that these gunmen felt was directed towards students that never teased or taunted the gunmen for being outsiders. It may be safe to assume that the gunmen may have been angry at the entire situation and as such this anger was taken out on everyone at the school. It is also evident that the conflicts that can occur as a result of social hierarchy is real and can be dangerous if it is not properly addressed.

In other school shooting cases bullying of the perpetrator by other students have brought provocation. Such was the case in Minnesota, when 16-year-old gunman Jeff Weis killed seven people and himself at a school on Red Lake Indian reservation. This young man had a difficult upbringing living in poverty, having a father that committed suicide and a mother that was disabled.

In addition, after the shooting occurred, classmates described the young man as a loner who was repeatedly bullied by classmates. Indeed, the theme of bullying is often present when school violence occurs. After a couple of shootings in the 1990's, particularly columbine, school administrators and law enforcement agencies began to take a closer look at bullying in schools.

According to a book entitled Handbook of Pediatric Psychology in School Settings children who have been exposed to long-term events such as bullying can develop very intractable problems that place them at further risk for later adolescent and adult pathology (Brown, 2004 pg55)." This is an indication that bullying can have long lasting affects on children and young adults and in some cases it results in aggression. In the cases mentioned above bullying was a factor but it does not appear to be the only factor. It was also reported that the Columbine killers… READ MORE

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