Gary North

April 20, 2010

This is from the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

School Violence Prevention Needs a Strong Commitment

Notice the headline is in the passive voice. It avoid the obvious: Who, exactly, must make this commitment?

In the days and years following the Columbine massacre on April 20, 1999, we have had the opportunity to discuss school safety and violence prevention and to empower the students who are the key to school safety. But we have neglected to take advantage of this teachable moment -- and have not done enough to prevent another one from happening.

Let's get this straight: School authorities have done nothing significant to deal with the problem. "We" are not in charge. School authorities are.

School principals would like to devote curriculum time to topics such as managing anger, violence prevention and learning to get along with others regardless of race and ethnicity, but time cannot be taken away from teaching what's necessary for raising scores on state accountability tests. While there are many excellent curriculum programs available to work on the topics listed above, school personnel do not feel they have the time, mandate, or resources to implement prevention programs.

This is accurate. Preventing school violence is low on the priorities of school officials. It is on the back burner of the back-up stove.

Schools have not made safety a priority. In my most recent U.S. Congressional testimony, I asked Congress to place the same priority on school safety that is placed on high-stakes testing.

School officials have not done this. School boards have not fired them for inaction. No negative sanctions => no actions taken.

We know how to make our schools safer. We've learned that the biggest key to school safety is to build positive connections between students and their school and all the adults who work in the school. We know that massive schools increase competition, pressure and anonymity for students. And that our schools must be places where all students like to be and where they feel a sense of belonging.

Who are "we"? Tenured professors who cannot be fired. Their theories have not been tested. They are just armchair theories.

We know there are troubled and potentially violent students in classrooms every day. The head of a U.S. Congressional committee once asked me how we can spot them. I responded that school personnel see troubled students every day, but that schools do not have the resources to help them. It is the rare school psychologist or counselor who actually provides mental health services.

Expel them. Simple. "What? Are you crazy?" No negative sanctions => no actions taken.

School officials will not do this, other than Lean on Me principal Joe Clark, the man with the baseball bat.

Nobody gets fired, so nothing changes.

You had better change. Pull your kids out.