School Safety Essay

Accounts of these tragic incidents repeatedly indicate that in most cases, a troubled youth has demonstrated or has talked about problems with bullying and feelings of isolation, anger, depression, and frustration. Some of the characteristics that Dr. Stephens provides on his checklist are: history of tantrums and uncontrollable outbursts, habitually makes violent threats when angry, has a background of serious disciplinary problems at school and in the community, is on the fringe of his/her peer group with few or no close friends, is preoccupied with weapons, displays cruelty to animals, and the list goes on. These characteristics should serve to alert school administrators, teachers, and parents that something is wrong. For as long as we can remember there have been crimes at school, whether they were stealing or starting fights in the cafeteria. What is especially frightening these days is the increased availability of weapons, guns in particular. The fact that more and more weapons are showing up in schools underscores how readily accessible they are. In 1996, 5 percent of all 12th graders reported that they had been injured on purpose with a weapon such as a knife, gun, or club during the prior 12 months while they were at school, and 12 percent reported that they had been injured on purpose without a weapon. This number has not significantly changed during the past 20 years. Between