A Scary Tale: When You're the Target.

I've seen a spate of news coverage during the past several months about out-of-control parents in the stands and on the sidelines of their children's athletic events, where baiting of referees and verbal assaults of volunteer coaches is commonplace. One of these reports described the efforts of concerned Little League baseball programs to require parents to sign a promise of good behavior or to complete a good sportsmanship class before their children can even take the field.

Of course, this loss of civility and acceptable behavior shows up in many corners of our daily lives, extending from road rage on the highways to gutter politics and impetuous communication via the Internet.

Unruly behavior by parents and other adults seems to be arising with greater frequency and ferocity in the lives of educators, too. The profanity and intimidation became so onerous for one New Hampshire school district that the board adopted a civility policy that tells teachers when they may hang up on an abusive, out-of-control mom or dad.

This month's issue doesn't dwell on the underlying causes for this breakdown in decency. We'll leave that task to the sociologists, psychologists and social commentators of the day. What we have attempted is to provide you with some eye-opening coverage of the symptoms--the frightening array of verbal threats and hostile acts that have been carried out against superintendents and other high-level administrators and how some are choosing to respond.

Free-lance writer Ruth Sternberg's detailed story, "Acts of Aggression," references one such unfortunate episode that unfolded earlier this year in her own hometown, Columbus, Ohio, where she covers education for The Columbus Dispatch.

We've surrounded Steinberg's report with helpful advice that should raise the consciousness level of school leaders toward their own security and safety. We hope it serves that purpose as this isn't a subject we want to revisit anytime soon.

Jay P. Goldman