We certainly do not have as frequent news of massacres or killings carried out in our colleges and schools as the Americans do. We do, however, have those occasional violent incidents within our schools, as the past years have shown.
"Do we need to have a full-blown school shooting or some other kind of major incident for people to realise we have a staffing problem in our schools today?" one frustrated teacher had complained in February 2019 that chronic understaffing and a "trickle-down" of institutional frustration were leading to growing tension between students across the public school system.
That came in the aftermath of a violent schoolyard altercation that saw a 15-year-old boy hospitalised with head injuries. The incident at a secondary school started when two teen students-a third and a fifth-got into a fight. Shortly afterwards, the younger student's father arrived at the school, accompanied by two other men. Two staff members, understood to be an assistant head and a teacher, were hurt as they tried to break up the fight that involved the father, his friends, and the two students.
In June of last year, the Union of Professional Educators called for "hard-line" security measures, including airport-style scanners, to be introduced in schools after a 12-year-old girl attempted to chase a pupil with a butter knife in a middle school. That latest incident happened despite educators in schools across the island being told months before to increase vigilance and conduct spot checks after a surge in the discovery of dangerous items in students' bags, including flick knives, penknives, and other sharp instruments. Kitchen knives and razor blades were also found.
Any type of violence breaking out in schools can only be the result of social, emotional, and behavioural difficulties (SEBD) in schools. Although the most severe cases of SEBD, such as those cited above, are usually the ones that gain our attention, these and similar behaviours are only one part of a continuum covering a very wide range of behaviours. The headline-grabbing incidents can be usefully seen as the small tip of an enormous iceberg.
All schools work to prevent school violence, and schools should be very safe places. Students, staff, and parents all have an important role in promoting school safety. It is of the utmost importance to create a safe, supportive school climate (e.g., school-wide behavioural expectations, caring school climate programmes, positive interventions and supports, and psychological and counselling services).
Students should be encouraged to take responsibility for their part in maintaining safe school environments, including student participation in safety planning. School rules should be frequently reiterated, and students should be requested to report potential problems to school officials. Students must also be reminded of the importance of resisting peer pressure to act irresponsibly. Anonymous reporting systems (e.g., student hotlines, suggestion boxes, and "tell an adult" systems) should also be created.
Logistically speaking, access to the school building (e.g., a designated entrance with all other access points locked from the exterior) should be seriously considered. School guests, school parking lots, and common areas, such as hallways, cafeterias, and playing fields, should all be monitored round the clock. Coupled with that, the presence of school resource officers, security guards, or local police partnerships must be included, not to mention the use of security systems.
Equally imperative must be the development of crisis plans and the provision of preparedness training to all staff members, together with threat-assessment and risk-assessment procedures and teams for conducting the assessments. All these measures can be rounded up with school-community partnerships to enhance safety measures for students beyond school property.
Annually, there should be a review of all school safety policies and procedures to ensure that emerging school safety issues are adequately covered in current school crisis plans and emergency response procedures.
Far from a haven for learning and community, school can be a place of bullying, sexual harassment, peer pressure, verbal abuse, and other forms of violence. For example, the importance of reminding students of the importance of resisting peer pressure to act irresponsibly cannot be stressed enough.
Every child has the right to go to school without fear. When schools provide quality, inclusive, and safe education, children can learn, build friendships, and gain the critical skills they need to navigate social situations. In the best circumstances, school puts children on the path to a promising future.
But for too many girls and boys nationwide, school is where they experience violence. Bullying, harassment, verbal abuse, sexual abuse and exploitation, overwhelming pressure, and other forms of humiliation can come at the hands of a peer, a teacher, or even a school authority. Many children also experience school violence associated with gang culture, weapons, and fighting.
Violence in schools can have serious effects on children's psychological and physical health. Children who are subjected to violence may experience physical injury, sexually transmitted infections, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and suicidal thoughts. They may also begin to exhibit risky, aggressive, and anti-social behaviour. Children who grow up around violence have a greater chance of replicating it for a new generation of victims.
What's more, violence in school can reduce school attendance, lower academic performance, and increase drop-out rates. This has devastating consequences for the success and prosperity of children, their families, and entire communities.
Violence in schools is not just a school problem; rather, it is a social problem with an enormous ripple effect. One act of violence can trigger numerous negative outcomes. Hence, society is expected to work together in order to curb this social ill.
Dr Mark Said is a lawyer