Never to grow up

You may think that this is an easy question to answer. So take your shot. School violence is something that happens at a school when a child is seriously injured. Right? Well you would be partially right. School violence does happen at school and someone usually gets hurt. But let's expand that a bit. If a child is bullied and teased on a daily basis could they not then turn the tables on their tormentors? So bullying and teasing can be termed violence because of where it can lead. If a child is harassed outside of school by children who attend the same school, could that not erupt into a confrontation at school? So then school violence can be termed as an incident that either happens or occurs because of school. It is unfortunate but even a verbal altercation can lead to much more than one party can think. An argument over a girl sparked a fatal stabbing at a bus stop off campus in Florida in 2006. I'm pretty sure that wasn't the first murder over a high school romance. In this instance anything can lead a coward to commit murder. I might add that all of you may think of this as an inner city or minority problem. More white students are murdered by other white kids than any other group. As for gang violence? Well, that is a problem I am more than willing to leave to the police, ICE (Immigrations and Custom Enforcement) and riot police. Gangs and the violence and mayhem they cause are a problem wholly unto itself. And aside from the specific items discussed in this book will not be addressed. But rest assured that gang affiliation causes it own set of violence inside and outside the schools. One thing that we all have to understand and get accustomed to is that we can not guarantee the 100% safety of our children while at school. No matter how hard we try something will happen. Ten foot high walls with guard towers, concertina wire all around the top and around the gates, physical searches, turnstiles and cameras everywhere, armed security officers—with M-16'd double trap vehicle gates. In addition how we would pay for all this and who would want their children going to a place like this for their education anyway. So how do we define what is or isn't school violence? Where do the property lines of the school end and the teenager problem then belongs to the city not the school district? Is it still school violence if it happens at the corner c-store on a Saturday afternoon? Or after the Homecoming game at the local burger joint? Or within your own home? Is this a problem best left for those in charge of the local high school? The answer to all the prior questions is deceptively simple. YES. Shall I repeat it...YES. Now you are under the impression that I am totally off my rocker but trust me you'll understand once I've explained. The succinct explanation is: Any incident of violence that at it's root cause begins at school is to be considered school violence even if the actual incident doesn't take place on school property. Now that I've really confused let me explain. I'm not just talking about the children who bring a weapon to school and start firing away at everybody. I'm talking about the quiet kid who runs over the guy who makes his life hell in gym class at the supermarket one day. The girl who poisons another at the restaurant because she stole her boyfriend. The newly licensed SUV driver who runs an upperclassman off the road because he has been bullied one too many times in the hallway. The boy killing the beloved pet of his worst enemy or ex-girlfriend. These incidents don't take place on school property but happen because of school interactions. These incidents are never reported in the media as school violence because they occur off school property. So the definition used by school administrators, psychologists, police, security and the media is out-dated and in need of an revision. It is not a revision to simply cause change but the changes in our society are causing the revision.