So far this node has been more a listing of specific examples of
school violence, specifically the
fairly dramatic
school shootings that get tons of media attention and a encourage a
climate of fear. Violence in
urban schools related to gangs and violence involving other weapons or even without weapons is not
mentioned at all even though they are far more common. In his write-up
Roland
claims
"Incidents of violence at schools has risen world-wide at an alarming rate in the past
several years." He goes one to list various dramatic incidents, all shootings, taken from the
Washington Post to back up this claim.
Actually despite the increase in dramatic cases of multiple victims, like the Columbine shootings,
school violence in general, and homicides in schools are going down, and have been since 1992.
There were 40 school shooting deaths during the 1997-98 school year, down from 55 in 1992-93.
(National School Safety Center at Pepperdine University).
The chances of a child being killed at school are less than one in a million, according to the Center
on Juvenile and Criminal Justice. The most current data on school violence (not just homicides) in
the United States also indicates that over all school violence (including rape, sexual assault,
robbery, attacks with weapons, and suicide) has been declining since 1993. Schools are actually
the safest places for children to be; 99% of children die away from school, (Washington Post, Justice
Policy Institute). Children are far more likely to be victims of violent crime at home or in their
neighborhoods and most crime in schools is non-violent theft.
(U.S. Department of Education, 1999).