Jim cringed when he heard his assistant yelling to him from her office across the hall. "The principal from your daughter's school is on the phone." Jim picked up the phone, noticing that is was already 2:15 PM by the wall clock in his office, and timidly said, "hello?" Ms. Jensen, the principal, (sounding exasperated) said, "good afternoon Mr. Wilson, I am calling because your daughter assaulted a boy during assembly this afternoon and I need you to meet with me as soon as possible and then take her home." "I can't today," Jim told her, "I have a board meeting in less than an hour. Send her home on the bus and I will tell my house keeper to keep an eye on her till I get home." "Can Mrs. Wilson come in? I really need to discuss your daughter's behavior with one of you in person as soon as possible," said the principal. "No, she is out of town on business and won't be back till this weekend, but I will have my assistant call you back later and set up an appointment for me to meet with you tomorrow or the next day." In today's society with the predominance of dual income families, parents are often too busy to raise their children, they rely on sitters or housekeepers to care for, and in some cases actually raise, their children. Student violence in our schools has become a major national issue, as reported by numerous newspapers over the last several years. This problem not only endangers both students and teachers, but also prevents teachers from teaching and students from learning for fear of dangers in the deceptively peaceful school environment. In order to create a safe environment that is conducive to learning, preventative programs that address the root causes of violence must be developed. A possible, though somewhat extreme solution to this problem would be to hold parents legally responsible for their children's actions and/or behavior.The factors that contribute to school violence are too numerous to count, very...
