In his prepared comments to the summit Salazar reminded attendees that the 100 victims of school shootings around the country over the last 19 months are only a part of the youth violence that has swept across our communities, even as overall violent crimes have decreased. Salazar noted that gang violence continues to be a problem, not just in metropolitan areas, but in rural communities as well. Our children recognize and know more about what is going on in the schools than perhaps anyone else. They can help us identify the best approaches to dealing with alienation that often occurs in schools. After Columbine we have a chance to break the wall of silence that too often surrounds our school kids and keeps us from knowing what is happening in their lives.
Parental responsibility is key.
Parents must know their children and know what their children are doing. Parents must also become more integral partners with schools. And parents must be held more accountable and liable for actions of their children which create injury or harm to other people or property. Violence now permeates our culture. Children are exposed to so much violence in the media they are either numb to violence or embrace it.