The mere fact of school violence is quite disturbing. And the constant reports from the US Department of Education and Justice, as well as from National Council on Crime and Delinquency and the Nation of Crimes, which show the rise of the school violence, do not make the truth about this phenomenon any less grim. Some facts, provided by the Department of Education reveal the horrible reality most people prefer to ignore.
5 Facts That Will Shatter Your Heart
- An average teenager is two times more likely to become a victim of a violent crime than a person of any other age category. Unlike children, teenagers do not get enough protection from their parents (and sometimes even when parents try to protect them, teenagers reject their help), unlike most adults, they are not stable emotionally and mentally – and that is why among all age categories teenagers are most vulnerable both mentally and physically.
- For Americans, aged from fifteen to twenty-four, violence is one of the most common causes of death. And that is not to mention suicides, caused by bullying.
- Selling drugs to students is also a particular kind of violence, no matter how weird it might sound. And according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, yet in year 2000 over 29% of high school students reported on somebody selling, offering or giving them illegal drugs on school territory.
- During the last year, the number of thefts in USA, which took place on school property, went over 2 million. It proves that children may feel safer from thieves on the streets than at school.
- Every seven days one homicide event happens within schools of the USA. It is possibly related to the fact that, according to statistics, during the last year one school boy out of five brought weapon to school (at least once).
Teachers Would Rather Get Away
It is bad enough to view the statistics of how school violence harms teenagers and children. But well, when teachers express desire to leave their occupation because they fear for their safety – it is even worse. And that is exactly what happens in Belgium, according to recent scientific study. You might say – well, at least, it doesn’t happen in USA, but perhaps we just need to make a survey in order to discover the same tendency in our country. The government needs to take immediate and effective measures to cope with the situation – at the same time, the increase of the school violence and of the quantity of crimes at school depends on our actions as well. Students should be taught to report to administration any school violence expression they see – and perhaps it will also help to lower the rate of violence at schools.