Research reports are divided on the causes of school violence. They say that when students are likely to live in poverty, witness drug abuse at home, have parents arrested and/or sent to prison, then it is not surprising how many students behave well, rather than some of them are violent. Access to weapons seems a clear cut cause or contributor to school violence. Crimes with guns and knives wouldn't take place without the students having access to those weapons. Media studies are sometimes contradictory, but some show that exposure to either real-world violence or violent live-action television shows or violent cartoons increases children's aggression. Some studies have also implicated violent movies and video games. The presence of gangs at schools is another element that is presented as a cause for violence.
Violence no matter where it occurs is usually a traumatic, tragic event, but when it happens in our schools to our children, it is an extraordinarily shocking occurrence. The headlines, large and looming, spread across the front page of every newspaper in the country. It makes first line mention in all the news stories for the night and sometimes for weeks and months to come. All over America school violence is becoming more than just the bully on the playground. It is escalating to great proportions and this problem must be dealt with by our society. School violence starts out with the bully on the playground, or the pushing and shoving in the lunch line, but given the right set of circumstances what might have been prevented with some supervision instead turns into something deadly. There are many psychologists and clinical psychiatrists who along with independent researchers compile extensive lists and do studies on what may be the cause of school violence. The only common denominator that exists between them all is the fact that there is no one determining factor.