How to Handle Students Exhibiting Violent Behaviors

Abstract

oday's teachers and students are constantly at risk because of the increase in violent crimes within schools. According to the Uniform Crime Report (1981), 18.5 percent of all arrests involving violent crime are committed by individuals who are under the age of eighteen. In fact, it has been estimated that juvenile misconduct of a violent nature leading to adjudication may occur in up to 95 percent of the nation's youth under the age of twenty-one (Siegel and Senna 1981). Often these children and youths are labeled unofficially as delinquent, conduct disordered, or antisocial (Rock 1992). Whatever the label, though, various forms of juvenile misconduct, rule breaking, and especially violent behaviors are commonplace in public schools today. Continued occurrences of violent behaviors instill fear in both the teachers and the students who attend the public schools (Boesel 1978). Needless to say, this atmosphere is not conducive to the provision of a safe environment in which to learn. Because of this fear as well as other contributing factors, many students believe that for their protection they must carry some type of weapon to school (Parade Magazine 1992). In this article we will try to alleviate some of these fears by discussing possible causes of violence in the classroom and by outlining steps to prevent or reduce the impact of students who exhibit violent behaviors.