School Violence

            
             Violence among youth, especially in schools, is one of American society's most pressing concerns. Youth, like adults, are now more frequently using guns instead of fists to settle disputes. Also, whereas youth violence had once been thought to be an urban public school problem, stable suburban and rural communities are now also experiencing it, as are private schools. Concern about this increase in youth violence can be channeled into a variety of innovative and potentially effective programs. The monitoring and searching of students, community efforts, and the attitudes of students" peers are three possible solutions for school violence.
             The most common school security measure is the monitoring of students when they move through hallways and in places where they congregate, such as restrooms and the cafeteria. School staff members have traditionally served as monitors, but increasingly, schools are hiring security guards to patrol the building and to provide security at events. In more violence-prone areas, schools may even form partnerships with the police to visit periodically or to patrol the halls regularly. To keep students from bringing in weapons, some schools use metal detectors, and others administer systematic or random searches of students" bodies, possessions, and lockers. Since there is a strong relationship between student violence and the use and sale of drugs, special efforts should be made to keep schools drug-free through both monitoring and searching.
             The community can also have a positive effect on stopping school violence by targeting this problem in the home. Through careful planning, community activities can focus on breaking family cycles of violence. The most effective are long-term interventions providing a range of family services. These services may include the efforts of religious and recreational organizations, social service, and even law enforcement agencies.