Gary North

Feb. 11, 2010

This report from Huntsville, Alabama tells of rising violence in a local middle school. Pre-teens are no longer safe.

They have not been safe there for over 30 years. The security guard program began then.

Huntsville City Schools has had cameras installed since 1986 and Hudson said they've proved to be a valuable tool.

"They can play back fights and theft," Hudson said.

The city school system also relies on multiple security walking the hallways.

Over 40 officers trained in self-defense and spotting gang activity are assigned to the high schools and middle schools.

Still, parents send their children into these schools.

Why?

Follow-up: Two days later, a United Methodist minister wrote a column on this violence. He did not recommend that parents remove their children from the schools. He waxed poetic about how violence is bad.

These are the times that try a community. We could choose a path of negativity, entering the blame game or giving in to prejudice. We could choose a path of quick fixes, as if a speech about self-esteem, a class in conflict resolution, or increased security can take the pain away. We could choose a path of denial, sweeping difficult questions of school violence and conflict in the larger culture under the rug in an attempt to move on.

Or we could choose a path of growth. God would never wish such tragedy upon us. But God never wastes a hurt. Some lessons are not worth the struggle that brought them to us, but they refine us like silver nevertheless. Pain is a great teacher.

This is pious gush. It solves nothing.

Parents should ignore platitudes about the need for a solution. The schools' bureaucrats have had 40 years to come up with a solution. Nothing has worked.

There is no reasonable hope for tax-funded schools. There is real hope for children whose parents pull them out.