Students, teachers, administrators, parents and communities are involved in the issues of school violence. Acts of school violence can include fights between students, incidents involving alcohol, gang-related incidents, school bus violence, graffiti, incidents involving guns at school, incidents involving illegal drugs, vandalism to building exteriors, vandalism to cars parked at school, racial incidents, sexual assault, and violence toward students on their way to or from school. Two-thirds of these school administrators predict an increase in school violence in the next two years. While the tendency has been to expect acts of violence to occur at the high school level, acts of violence are now moving swiftly into middle schools and elementary schools. An overwhelming 97 percent of principals surveyed think that school violence has increased nationwide in the past five years.
School violence affects every aspect of a child's life.
Clearly, the learning environment and a child's capacity to learn and understand are influenced by his or her attitude toward coming to school and ability to focus on school subjects. School violence causes concerns in the areas of administrative issues, human relations, classroom management and actual crime. School violence is not an issue limited to the inner cities or low-income areas. It is a complex issue that touches everyone. Even worse, it is glamorous and appealing.