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School violence: not just in the U.S
by Tom McConaghy While watching a televised depicting an Englishman sipping a cup of Red Rose tea and exclaiming, "Only in Canada, you say!" I was reminded of those Canadian educators who have echoed similar sentiments about the lack of violence in Canadian schools. Over the years we have smugly stated that violence in schools was a problem "only in the United States." No longer. Canadian schools have seen a marked increase in violence. During the past year newspapers and magazines have reported alarming and sensational stories of school violence in major cities across Canada: * in Calgary a seventh-grader was stabbed to death in a schoolyard; * in Winnipeg three 14-year-olds opened fire in a school hallway with a pellet gun, and one student was shot in the neck; * in Etobicoke students from two different schools battled with knives and baseball bats, and one 16-year-old's lung collapsed after five stabbings; * in an Edmonton high school two 15-year-old boys were charged with assault after another student was stabbed in the shoulder; and * outside a Scarborough high school a 17-year-old was stabbed in the armpit during a lunch-hour argument. The rise in school violence is a major concern of teachers, school board members, and provincial officials. It is also becoming a major concern of Canadians in general. An overwhelming majority of adults (93%) responding to a poll conducted in April 1993 by Environics Research say that violence against staff and students in elementary and high schools is a major concern. The respondents considered it a greater concern than academic standards. These statistics are reported in the recent Canadian Education Association (CEA) report, Violence in the Schools: Programs and Policies for Prevention. I Defining just what constitutes violence in the schools presented a challenge to Jyl MacDougall, the author of the report. She puts forth a definition contained in the policy prepared by the Wellington County (Guelph, Ontario) Board of Education, which states: A violent activity is characterized by verbal or written threats; physical, emotional, [or] sexual abuse or harassment; or racial harassment by an individual or group of individuals which has the effect of impairing or might have the effect of impairing the health or welfare of any student or staff member. With this definition in mind the report examines youth-on-youth gang violence, violence against teachers, bullying, sexual harassment, and sexual assault. Although the news media tend to zero in on gang violence and sensational stabbings and shootings, most students do not belong to gangs or carry weapons to school. The metal detectors and surveillance systems used in some U.S. schools are not employed in any Canadian schools. Even though school violence has not reached a critical point, educators, school board members, and parents have decided to take some preventive action before the situation in Canada approaches that facing some U.S. schools. Thus many school boards across Canada are establishing violence prevention programs. Some of the preventive models outlined in the CEA report include the following: * the "zero tolerance" program, begun in an inner-city Montreal school, seeks to foster respect for others and to make young people and their parents more aware of the fact that violence is becoming pervasive without even being perceived; * the Hamilton/Wentworth Region Family Violence Prevention Curriculum integrates six critical issues (healthy relationships, communication, self-esteem, prevention of stereotyping, personal safety, and family violence awareness) into the curriculum of grades K through 13; and * the North York Board of Education provides the Alternative Suspension Program - an option for students who have been suspended - which strives to turn the period of suspension into a period of learning and rehabilitation rather than merely a "time out." Other programs used by schools across Canada include conflict resolution programs, peer-helper programs, and mediation programs. Most such programs are encouraged rather than mandated by school boards. The premise of these voluntary, largely student-driven programs is the belief that young people are inherently better equipped to understand and help young people than are adults. Research indicates that, if left unchecked, disruptive behavior in schools and classrooms breeds violence. Jackson Troy, a professor of sociology and director of criminological research at Rutgers University, points out in the winter 1993/94 issue of American Educator that disorder in schools is the underlying cause of the violence that threatens the educational process. Just as conditions in rundown and disorderly neighborhoods in urban centers invite a criminal invasion (muggings, robberies, stabbings, etc.), so, Troy argues, allowing disorderly behavior in schools leads to bullying, sexual assault, and verbal abuse of teachers. Verbal abuse of teachers is a growing problem and one that concerns teacher organizations across Canada. The CEA report examined many studies conducted by teacher associations and discovered that, "increasingly, teachers find themselves faced with students who are angry, disrespectfull, and abusive." In sifting through the surveys on violence carried out by teacher organizations in British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, and Ontario between 1991 and 1993, the report found that several common themes emerge: * there were more incidents of abusive behavior than anticipated; * there is mounting concern among teachers over the increase in verbal and physical assaults in schools; * the age of students who exhibit violent behavior is dropping, and abusive behavior previously seen mainly in older students is now being exhibited by children in the early grades; * teachers report that they are far more often the targets of verbal abuse than of physical abuse; and * survey results prompted a call for action by the teacher associations. The CEA report also looks at the contributing factors for violence among young people, such as violence in the media and violence in gender roles. And the report goes beyond this to emphasize the benefits of dealing openly with issues related to violence. "To help create school environments where violence in any form is not tolerated, school communities increasingly recognize the need to confront the issue openly and collectively. Such openness ensures that, when students protest abuse, they will be supported - not silenced." Violence in schools largely reflects violence in society. Citizens in both Canada and the U.S. are looking for leadership from their elected representatives in the fight against crime and violence. Last month an antiviolence group presented Prime Minister Jean Chretien with a petition signed by more than two million Canadians demanding that the federal government do something about curtailing violence throughout society. If schools are to improve the quality of the education they provide for our young people and are being thwarted by violence, then they need all the help they can get. David Clark, an Ontario school superintendent, says, "An issue as pervasive and complex as [preventing] violence in schools needs plenty of support. Educators can't do it alone. Social workers can't do it alone. The police can't do it alone. You have to combine forces to be effective." Unless all Canadians assume the responsibility of working together to prevent all forms of abusive and violent activity in our schools, the education system will deteriorate, and eventually we will all be the losers. Then we will no longer be able to say of violence in the schools, "Only in the United States." (1.) Jyl MacDougall, Violence in the Schools: Programs and Policiesfor Prevcntion (Toronto: Canadian Education Association, 1993). Copies of this report may be had for $10, plus a shipping and handling charge. For details, contact the CEA: Ph. 416/924-7721 or fax 416/924-3188.
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