Violence threatens our youth.

At a forum on youth violence, Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley outlined some distressing and shocking statistics about violence and crime in and around schools in the United States. In his presentation, Riley noted that weapons, fights, open gang warfare, and even homicides have become a regular part of the school day and of neighborhood life for an increasing number of students. The following three harsh examples illustrated his point:

* Approximately 3 million thefts and violent crimes occur on or near school campuses every year. That equates to nearly 16,000 incidents per school day, or one incident every six seconds.

* Approximately one of every five high school students now carries a firearm, knife, razor, club or other weapon on a regular basis. Many of them carry these weapons to school.

* Approximately 20 percent of all public school teachers reported being verbally abused, 8 percent reported being physically threatened and 2 percent reported being physically attacked during the previous year.

Riley went on to tell the stories of several victims of violent crimes on or around school campuses. He points to violence as one of the greatest threats to the country's "most precious natural resource--our youth."

"|Violence~ creates an environment where children cannot learn, teachers cannot teach and parents are reluctant to send their children to school," Riley said during the forum. "Just consider how difficult it would be for students to learn if one of their classmates were killed in school or on the way to school."

Although the details of Riley's presentation were stark, he also briefly outlined programs in different parts of the U.S. that are successfully combating the epidemic of youth violence. Trenton, New Jersey, is one of 20 cities that has established "safe havens" in schools--where children and their families can go after school hours to engage in educational, recreational, cultural and health-related activities. George Washington Prep in Inglewood, California, is involving parents in making schools safer. To fight open gang warfare, the school enlisted parents to monitor the halls, sit in the classrooms and talk to students. This parent involvement contributed to a decrease in violence and crime at school. Other schools are implementing conflict resolution and peer mediation as part of their curriculum. Students are taught the realities and consequences of gunplay and violence. Again, evaluations directly link these programs to a reduction in fighting and verbal abuse.

Riley ended his portion of the forum by saying that "we must boldly pursue all possible measures to make our schools, families and communities safe. Together we can create an environment that makes it possible for our children and youth to grow and learn to their fullest potential."

Suggestions for Parents

How To Help Protect Your Child

* Talk with and listen to your child.

* Be direct. Tell your children what you expect of them.

* Be a good example. Your actions reflect the standards you expect.

* Get children involved in after-school programs, city recreation or religious activities. Support those activities by showing up at special events in which they participate or are honored.

* Keep commitments you make to children.

* Admit mistakes--yours, not theirs.

* Challenge them with achievable goals.

* Set limits. Reasonable boundaries make children feel secure.

* Occupy your children's time with positive activities. Give them responsibilities at home.

* Monitor television viewing.

* Help supervise the campus during "passing periods" and patrol parking lots before and after school.

* Work with the school to incorporate a violence prevention curriculum and/or peer mediation program.

* Create a safe school corridor by volunteering to supervise walking routes to and from school.

* Provide a "safe house" in the community.

* Chaperone field trips and school events.

School Safety Update. (September 1993). Westlake Village, CA: National School Safety Center.

Sources for Fighting School Violence

Annotated Bibliography for Teaching Conflict Resolution in Schools, by Annie Cheatham, is a comprehensive source for mediation and conflict resolution materials for students of all ages. National Association for Mediation in Education, 205 Hampshire House, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, 413-545-2462.

Preventing Violence: Program Ideas and Examples profiles 27 different community-based programs, representing a cross section of the country. National Crime Prevention Council, 1700 K St., NW, Second Floor, Washington, DC 20006-3817, 202-466-6272.

STAR (Straight Talk About Risks), a pre-K through grade 12 curriculum, teaches students about decision-making, conflict management and other skills necessary to help them react properly if they encounter a gun. Center To Prevent Handgun Violence, 1225 Eye St., NW, Suite 1100, Washington, DC 20005, 202-289-7319.

Violence Prevention, a curriculum by Deborah Prothrow-Stith, examines the importance of preventing violence and providing alternatives to such behavior. Education Development Center, 55 Chapel St., Suite 24, Newton, MA 02160, 800-225-4276.

Editor's Note: The 1994 Annual Theme Issue of Childhood Education will focus on Creating Safe Environments for Children in Homes, Schools and Communities.