On April 20, 1999 Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold opened fire on Columbine Highschool killing twelve fellow classmates and one teacher. School violence changes our youths morals. From bullying to peer pressure, youth are exposed to school violence everyday. What is school violence? School violence varies from accounts of “death, homicide, suicide, weapon related violence, in the US.” (c1) School violence can occur to and from school, while attending a school sponsored event, on a bus, or at an activity.Violence in school goes back to the 1800s’. The first publicly funded schools for delinquents was built in Massachussettes during 1847. In 1899 Illinois “established the first statewide court for children”. During the 1900s’ “progressive education movements challenge, emphasized on strict discipline in public schools”. (b19) In the 1940s’ teachers still supported the use of progressive education, but there was an uproar in juvenile delinquency after World War Two. The 1960s’ courts expanded the use of human rights and process protections to students. School began to hire security, and monitoring devices, to protect schools from vandalism, and burglary. The 1990s’ sparked congress to create a “gun-free school zone”(b18), by making it illegal to bring guns within 1,000 feet of any school. In 1995 violence for juveniles reached the top at a rapid growth, then declined.Violence has become the growing problem in the United States today. School violence is the second leading cause of death among students. Statistics state that “a school crime is committed every six seconds”. (d1) The National Crime Victimization Survey states that nearly two point seven million violent crimes take place each year, on school campus, or near school campus.Most children and teens are left home alone and unattended after school between three and seven pm. The ...
