PREVENTING SCHOOL VIOLENCE

Fifteen school shootings have occurred in the last three years - 10 of those in the past year. Religious leaders, government officials, parents and teachers everywhere are trying to discern why some youth in America have turned to violence in school.

As it became increasingly clear that the violent behavior was a trend, rather than specific-isolated incidents, others like the Insurance Services Office (ISO) began looking at how the violence can be prevented and dealt with if it does occur.

Included in the report, "School Violence: A Prevention Program," are suggestions for both parents and schools.

ISO concludes that parents should be accessible and approachable to children and uphold clear, consistent methods of discipline. Children’s exposure to violent images should be restricted and of course children should not have unsupervised access to weapons. In addition, ISO recommends parents demonstrate ways to solve problems while remaining calm and perhaps most importantly, become involved with activities related to school and community.

Suggestions from ISO for schools include having a crisis response team trained and an evacuation plan, as well as a police and parent notification plan. Finally, school should have counselors available to communicate with students and a course of action for handling reporters should a violent incident occur.