School violence is a serious issue that affects countless schools across the world each year. As many as 8% of all high school students in the United States have been in at least one physical fight within a 12-month period, and more than 20% of teens have seriously considered suicide.
School violence impacts the entire school, creating a negative environment where bullying is more likely to occur — which only leads to more violence. Stopping school violence is possible, though. For both parents and administrators, it is vital to understand how to prevent school violence to protect your children’s safety.
What Is School Violence?
School violence is any kind of violent behavior perpetrated on school property or when going to and coming from school activities. It can involve physical fighting, including punching, slapping, hair-pulling, and other actions. Fighting also refers to any attack that includes weapons.
Psychological violence is another type of school violence that includes emotional and verbal abuse. Threatening, ignoring, ridiculing, and isolating all fall under the umbrella of psychological violence. It can be more difficult to spot than physical violence.
Another type of school violence is sexual violence, including coercion, inappropriate sexual conversations, and rape. These days, sexual violence can occur via social media and emails, too.
Bullying is a very common type of school violence, and it can involve physical, emotional, and sexual aspects. One of bullying’s main characterizations is that it repeats or holds the threat of repetition.
Cyberbullying is even more difficult to deal with. This bullying occurs online via social media, forums, email, and other methods. It might involve spreading rumors, posting false information, or sharing embarrassing videos or photos online.
How to Prevent School Violence
School violence can feel like an overwhelming issue that is impossible to solve, but that’s not the case. There are various strategies centered on how to prevent school violence, which can be applied to the home environment, in communities, and in schools.
Preventing School Violence At Home
A child’s home environment has a big impact on their entire developmental process. Children and teens model the behavior of those around them, so having parents who can manage conflicts without resorting to violence is a significant factor in preventing school violence.
Parents can be powerful allies in the prevention of school violence, especially if they know what to look for and are aware of the risk factors that might impact their child. Parents can set clear limits and offer consistent rules that let the child know exactly what to expect from their behavior.
Consistency of this kind teaches children self-discipline, which will not only help protect the school and the child’s peers, but it will also serve them throughout their entire lives.
Clear communication about what violence means and how it can present itself is also important. Parents can encourage their children to resolve conflicts in healthier ways. Problem-solving skills allow children to effectively tackle the issues they encounter, making them less likely to resort to violence of any kind when they’re struggling.
Preventing School Violence In Communities
A community that focuses on helping children feel respected and protected is one that can lower the chances of students turning to school violence. By creating outreach programs that connect with the school, a community can watch for signs of abuse or neglect, as well as for other signs that a child is struggling.
With community outreach projects, this is possible even during the summer months when school is out. Catching these early signs is crucial in preventing violence.
Additionally, creating a sense of belonging is one of the most important things to consider when looking for how to prevent school violence. A child who feels like part of their community and takes an active role in it will be much less likely to do anything to damage it.
Preventing School Violence At School
A child has to feel safe in their school. This doesn’t just mean they have to be physically safe — they also need to feel emotionally and psychologically safe. They have to know that the teachers and administrators are there to help them and that their peers are not competition or sources of stress.
It’s challenging to create this type of atmosphere, which is why turning to programs like those we offer at Rachel’s Challenge can make a difference.
One of the biggest problems that affect the well-being of students of all ages is isolation. If a student experiences constant negative interactions with teachers and peers, they’ll feel separated from their community. A child or teenager who thinks they don’t belong in the school will not feel the need to protect it and may actively try to damage it.
At Rachel’s Challenge, we focus on addressing how to help children who are starting to feel that isolation. With live programs, we come to your school and speak with teachers and students, offering tips on how to build a more inclusive environment and show more empathy.
We know that a small display of kindness can ripple out and improve an entire school, one student at a time. For schools that don’t have the means for live programs or would like to keep building on what the live programs offer, we also provide digital options that allow students to learn the same strategies of kindness and compassion.
Rachel’s Challenge doesn’t have to stop at the school level, either. Students can improve entire communities with their behavior, encouraging positive change in even the most complex environments.
Protect Students From Violence
Going to school shouldn’t pose a danger to the physical or emotional well-being of a child. Achieving this requires finding ways of reducing the chances of experiencing school violence. At Rachel’s Challenge, we work hard to help schools reach out to their students and encourage students to reach out to their peers.
Our programs are designed to be sustainable on a long-term basis, and with a selection of different program types to choose from, you can always find the options that would suit the unique challenges that your school faces. Book an event with Rachels Challenge or make a tax-deductible donation to start making a difference today.
