GASP- Violence Prevention

Violence Prevention

Violence Prevention Links | Georgia School Violence Hotline

Violence Prevention is key to establishing safer schools which promote a healthy learning atmosphere. Violence and the perception of violence in school and in the home can impede focus and concentration which are ingredients for learning. It can also contribute to adverse emotional health for children. What are the perceptions and behavioral trends among teens in the schools today? Consider this....

Major causes of death for persons aged 10 to 24 include;

1. motor vehicle crashes
2. other unintentional injuries
3. homicide and suicide

A Nationwide Survey* of students revealed

17.3% of students reported carrying some weapon (gun, knife, club) within the last 30 days and 6.9% purportedly carried it to school within the last 30 days. Most likely the student was male.
35.7% had been in more than 1 physical fight sometime during the last 12 months. 4% reported requiring treatment from a doctor or nurse.
8.8% reported being hit, slapped, or physically hurt on purpose by their boyfriend or girlfriend with girls more likely being the victim. Also 8.8% reported to have been forced to have sexual intercourse when they did not want to. Again, girls more likely to be the victim.
5.2% of students reported missing/ skipping school within the last 30 days because they felt unsafe either traveling to or from school or while at school.

Other findings noted

Within the last 30 days 33.1% reported riding in a car with a driver who had been drinking alcohol.
13.1% reported driving after drinking within the last 30 days.
28.3% of students report feeling so sad or hopeless almost everyday for the past 2 weeks that they stopped doing some usual activities. And 19.3% has seriously considered attempting suicide during the past 12 months. Females were significantly more likely than males to have reported these feelings. 8.3% reported actually attempting suicide within the last 12 months.

* Statistics reported by the CDC's nationwide Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey, 1999.

Violence Prevention Links | Georgia School Violence Hotline

VIOLENCE PREVENTION : FACTS AND STRATEGIES

1. Aggression is primarily a learned behavior. Aggressive children become aggressive teens who become aggressive adults. Aggression does not "go away" without specific treatment.

2. Parents should monitor and limit the extent of their children's prime time and other television viewing. By age 16, the average adolescent views approximately 35 hours of television per week.

3. In schools, the most frequent occurrence of student-upon-student aggression is in 7th grade.

4. Consequencing low-level aggression (coming to school late, wandering the halls, writing graffiti, throwing trash in the hallway, etc.) sharply reduces the potential for more serious aggression.

5. Perception of disrespect is the most frequent reason for students using guns in school.

6. Vandalism reaches its peak frequency in 7th grade.

7. Bullying should not tolerated in any form. If bullying is ignored or supported by a peer group, children get the message that intimidation gets you what you want. Factors such as fair discipline practices, social skills training, and positive feedback have been found to be more productive than expulsion in reducing bullying behaviors.

8. Adult presence, supervision and involvement is far superior to surveillance cameras in reducing aggression.

9. Establishing clear behavior standards and enforcing rules fairly and consistently are two key features of any violence reduction plan.

10. Schools should closely supervise and consistently sanction students who are offenders.

11. Monitor transitions during the school day. The research clearly shows that the highest frequency of aggression occurs when students change class or wait in large groups(at the bus area or in the cafeteria, etc.). Adult supervision of these daily transitions will reduce the potential for aggression.

12. Crowding is a significant correlate to school aggression.

13. Take ALL threats seriously. This means investigating the threat thoroughly. The threat could be "garden-variety" aggression, or it could be frank mental illness. It's important to fully understand the nature of the threat to provide appropriate intervention, consequences, or treatment.

14. While childhood-onset makes up only 4% of all conduct disorder diagnoses (adolescent-onset is 96%), the childhood-onset group commits over 50% of the crimes in their age group, and they tend to be the more violent crimes.

15. Punishment’s main effect appears to be the temporary suppression of inappropriate behavior. Other side effect include withdrawal from social contact, counteraggression, failure of effects to generalize, and selective avoidance. If punishment is used, its use should be combined with another means for teaching a desirable behavior.

Main Sources : School Violence Intervention : A Practical Handbook (1997) by Arnold P. Goldstein (Editor) and Jane Close Conoley (Editor) and Student Aggression : Prevention, Management, and Replacement Training (1994)
by Arnold P. Goldstein, Berj Harootunian, and Jane Close Conoley

Patricia Adkins is currently the Violence Prevention Committee Chair. GASP is committed to children, parents, families and making safer schools in which to learn!