School Violence Prevention

School is an institution of learning. We send our children to school not only to gain academic knowledge, but also to evolve as a complete human being. Schools are pious establishments wherein children enter as toddlers and come out as mature human beings. But, have you ever wondered about the security of your child in school? School violence is becoming a major issue day by day and is still not taken seriously. With the increased involvement of children in criminal activities, this issue holds a bigger concern. School violence affects children both physically and mentally, and is hazardous to the child’s future. Believe it or not, it largely contributes as one of the major factors for school drop outs and academic failures. School violence creates a fear in the mind of the children, as they become reluctant to attend school. These crimes may include robbery, shooting, rape, teenage pregnancy, drug and alcohol abuse, physical or mental assault and so on. School violence should be determined not by the degree of crime, but by considering the physical and mental status of the children involved. Every school should make special efforts to avoid such crimes and also come out with certain guidelines and rules to extract out this problem permanently. Some ways to prevent school violence are given below.

How To Prevent School Violence

Steps to prevent school violence must be taken by school authorities. Keeping an eye on the children in the class and within the premises of the school is very essential. Note down their behavior and activities. Make a list of the children who are not behaving up to the mark and those whose activities are provoking by nature. Call their parents and discuss the same. Keepa special attention on such children and take steps to improve them.
Parents also have an important role in preventing school violence. They should keep a check on the activities and behavior of their children outside the school and in the house. Also, right from the start, parents should inculcate good habits and values in their children and work to make them more responsible and a good human being. Parents should also talk to their child’s friends in school. Sometimes, peer pressure is the major cause for all the violence caused.
Regular interaction with the child is very important. Teachers and parents must talk to the children regularly in order to figure out what is going on in their mind. This way the thought process and the state-of-the-mind of the children can be analyzed and in case of doubt, can be worked out at an initial stage.
With technology getting advanced day by day, school can take its help to prevent violence. Schools can install CCTV cameras in the classrooms, washroom and corridors to bring the entire campus under surveillance. This would help detect if children have brought any unwanted thing in the school. Principal and teachers can also have a watch on the activities of the children by observing the children live without being physically present or on rounds. CCTV cameras also help in taking immediate actions, in case a fight breaks out.
Schools must appoint a counselor who would, in turn, talk to students and inject positive vibes in their minds. Children should have counseling sessions at least one day in a week. If the behavior of any child is found abnormal, then the session with the counselor would be beneficial in resolving matters with the child and help him/her become a mature adult.
School should come out with certain guidelines, regulations and rules which should be clearly specified to parents and students at the time of admission.
A committee of responsible students, who would regularly keep a check on the behavior of other students, may also help. Regular frisking of bags helps in spotting any material brought by the student and also, builds in a constant fear of getting caught in children. In case a child brings in objectionable materials, he/she should be punished in a way that they understand their mistake and avoid repeating it in future. Punishments also create a sense of fear in the mind of other students and may stop them from indulging in any such acts. The committee must have regular meeting with the teachers and the principal of the school to come out with more suggestions to overcome this problem fully.
Organizing school violence prevention workshops from time to time, involving children, is another way to deal with the matter. Encouraging children to take steps against such violence and introducing them with the consequences related to these crimes and the ill effects would also be beneficial. Discuss about the laws related to it. Take suggestions from children and make the session an interacting one.

The above listed ways are practical and would help prevent school violence tremendously. Such steps should be taken by every school.

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