SCHOOL VIOLENCE AND UNSAFE HOME AND COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTS

SCHOOL VIOLENCE AND UNSAFE HOME AND COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTS Karla Morales Collaborative Health and Human Services CHHS 302 California State University Monterey Bay

School Violence at a Glance ■ Students are turning to violence to solve their issues with each other. ■ “Between 1% and 2% of all homicides among age-related children happen on school grounds” (CDC, 2015). www. brown. ed u

Call for Action ■ Violence in schools is a very persistent problem in our communities, and it needs more attention from educators, policy makers, and researchers (Eisendraun, 2007). ■ Parents need to be educated, and school, home, and community environments should be safer. stafford. schoolfusion. u s www. hero 911. or

Causes of Violence ■ Violence in the Community: -Between 25% and 42% of 2, 023 public, private, and parochial school students in grades 7 -12 reported feeling unsafe in their neighborhoods” (Bowen and Bowen, 1999). -3% of students ages 12– 18 reported that they were afraid of attack or harm away from school during the school year. ” (National Center for Education Statistics, 2015). www. wzzm 13. co m ■ Household environments: -3 to 10 million children and young adults have witnessed domestic violence in their homes each year. tcjewfolk. co

Causes Continued… ■ Parents and lack of Media supervision: -Cyberbullying has become a more persistent problem -The exposure to children and adolescents to violent video games has shown to have negative consequences. ■ Lack of support from parents, schools, and communities: ucrtoday. ucr. ed u -When a child grows up in a neglected and abusive family, their self-esteem, communication skills, and motivation becomes damaged. -“The Children's Institute International revealed that almost 50% of all teenagers, regardless of their settings--rural, suburban, or urban--believe that their schools are becoming more violent” (Constitutional Rights Foundation, 2015) notenoughgood. co m

Effects on Students www. corrections. co m ■ Exposure to violence, has long-term emotional and psychological consequences for youth” (Penguaro, 2009). ■ 20% to 40% of middle- and high school students have been victims of online bullying causing students to either skip school occasionally, have declining academic performance, and also be depressed (Stover, 2006). ■ In 2011, 18% of students ages 12– 18 reported that gangs were present at their school during the school year (CDC, 2015) newamericamedia. org ■ Juvenile arrests increase to 13. 3% in 2010 www. school-counselor. org

Effects on Academics ■ Approximately one in four teens (7 th through 12 th graders) agreed that the threat of violence at their school interfered with teaching effectiveness” (Bowen, Bowen 2011). ■ More than 1 out of 10 students (11%) in a the TCC survey said that crime or the threat of crime had caused them to stay home from school or cut class. (Bowen, 2011). www. afr. co m ■ Drop out rates increase ■ Teachers and parents see an academic decrease in the student's grades. www. truthrevolt. or g

Proposed Solutions ■ Educate Parents on the impact of the media, mental health issues, risky teen behavior, and open communication with their kids. ■ Create efficient community programs such as Youth Empowerment Solutions for Peaceful Communities (YES) www. ccht. ne t ■ Anti-Bullying Programs in school that teach problem solving, communication skills, violence prevention, teamwork skills, social skills, and self-respect ■ Teacher Involvement and motivation ■ Clubs, sports and after school programs yes. sph. umich. ed

References Bowen, N. , & Bowen, G. (1999). Effects of crime and violence in neighborhoods and schools on the school behavior and performance of adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Research 14(3), 319 -342. Causes of School Violence. (2015) Constitutional Rights Foundation. Retrieved from http: //www. crf-usa. org/school-violence/causes-of-school-violence. html Eisenbraun, K. (2007). Violence in schools: Prevalence, prediction, and prevention. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 12(4), 459 -469. Peguero, A. A. (2009). Opportunity, Involvement, and Student Exposure to School Violence. Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, 7(4), 299 -312. doi: 10. 1177/1541204008330634 Understanding School Violence. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control ( 2015). Retrived from http: //www. cdc. gov/violenceprevention/pdf/school_violence_fact_sheeta. pdf Stopping School Violence. (1998). Retrieved November 9, 2015. From www. ncpc. org