Welcome to the forum thread for "School Violence: What Can Be Done to Make Schools Safer?," the Justice Talking show for the week of August 27 - September 2, 2007.

The shooting at Virginia Tech put the spotlight on violence at colleges and universities. And in 2006 a shooting in an Amish community near Lancaster, Pa., pointed out that school violence can occur anywhere in the nation, from inner city high schools to suburban or rural elementary schools. But will lockdowns, random searches and metal detectors make students safer? And do programs to reduce bullying really work? On this edition of Justice Talking we take a look at the ways policymakers and educators are trying to prevent school violence.

Please post your comments on this Justice Talking issue using this thread.

Thanks for your participation!

Laura Sider
Outreach Coordinator

sadly, whenever a tragedy at school occurs we learn later the signs were there.  Cognitive disabilities were known, not adequately addressed, bullying or exlusion were important factors, teachers tried to alert "the system".

Dare I suggest a few avenues?

I.  When a child is diagnosed with a disability, physical, sensory or cognitive PLEASE ADDRESS THE SITUATION!

II.  Why do we allow bullying in schools?  We KNOW it is a precursor to criminal behavior later on.

III.  Social affiliation among students is of course voluntary.  However, schools can teach the importance of social justice in human relationships.

I was a girl who suffered this abuse from bullies.  First boys (twice put in the hospital) then girls.  This continued until I dropped out of school in 9th grade.  I am now 44 and I eventually got my GED and went on to college.  Nobody listened to me when I was too afraid to go to school and struggling.  People just shrugged it off as a 'right of passage' we all go through.  I had numerous fantasies about what I would do to these people if I could, physically I was capable of seriously injuring any of these people.  I was very strong for my gender and age, instead I abused myself.  My visible feelings of inadequacies were so apparent, my teachers even humiliated me through middle school.  I still suffer low self esteem and self worth with my peers at work as well as authority figures both real and imagined.

My point is, nobody addresses the bullies.  Everyone wants to fry the mentally and emotionally unfortunates who've snapped.  What I want to know is, do the bullies that were targeted think about the feelings of the human beings that they insult and damage on a daily basis?  Most of these kids are haled as admirable for there academic achievements and the hope they hold out for the future of their world.

Do Not misunderstand me, I Do Not condone the horrors of school violence or any violence.  But the problem begins with the bullies and those who don't recognize the sagging self esteem of those being bullied.

These bullies often grow up to be adult bullies, continuing the cycle.  This needs to be addressed with the ones feeling the pressure and justice brought to the bullies. 

Congrtatulate yourself!  You obtained a GED, went on to college, and did NOT use unlawful means to defend yourself. 

Again, your experience is a classic case where educators allowed bullies to "do their thing".  Graffiti is punished, bullying remains carefully ignored.

Teacher education and workshops need to state firmly "bullying is not acceptable conduct and a consequence will occur to the student who harasses or harms another!

One person's right end where another person's begins!