It's a tough one to answer, but my feeling is we haven't been called in more. Whitehorse doesn't have as much trouble as other communities, says Seipp, who has seen their reports on school violence. But the issue has become urgent enough for the community to start tackling it, he adds. Parents tend to think it's the school's responsibility, say both Seipp and McLelland. Teachers and principals get the heat for a fight between two kids that might well have happened in a back alley over the weekend.
Parents often expect schools to keep the kids under tighter control than they do at home.
The ratio at schools may be one teacher to 20 kids, while at home it's more likely to be one parent to two kids. Fighting seems to be concentrated in junior secondary schools. There is quite a lot less fighting on F.H. Collins' grounds, says Seipp. Kids tend to grow out of it. But, also, those fights may be happening off school grounds.