School Violence

Mail Call for 3/19 "I am surprised that the persons that had the signs posted near the schools that read 'Drug Free School Zone' wouldn't have come up with a sign that says 'Firearms Free School Zone.' Since the drug thing worked so good, maybe we should try the firearms thing. Wouldn't you agree?" "A few days ago, someone put something in Mail Call about Native American Indian Month. I would like to know why this paper doesn't put in some history, as the schools do not teach this as of today or in the past.

School violence: What is causing anger in teens? School violence. The topic has been examined by politicians, the media and the public. But the problem still exists. continued What causes teenagers to want to kill their peers? Could it be the music with violent lyrics or the movies where the hero kills the villain and then gets the girl? Or could it be the lack of parental supervision? Or maybe it is the bloody video and computer games kids play? Maybe the reason was the pain the shooters were holding inside.

Ending school violence starts in the home Teaching your child | By Lisa Tedrick Prejean As a parent, do you wonder what role you should take to prevent violence in your child's school? There's a lot you can do, and it starts at home. Children must know that their feelings matter. "What we hear from students - kids don't feel respected, connected," says Ann Marie Lenhardt, professor of counseling in the School of Education and Human Services at Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y. Parents get busy and lose track of where a child is emotionally, says Lenhardt, who has researched school violence through focus groups of students, parents and educators.

Stopping school violence requires all citizens' help A Waynesboro, Pa. middle-school student is facing criminal charges for what police said were terroristic threats in connection with a "hit list" of fellow students. The young girl's arrest follows a shooting spree allegedly carried out in California by a 15-year-old who formerly lived in Knoxville, Md., and a number of what appear to be "copycat" incidents. What, if anything, can be done to prevent such violence from spreading?

Maryland flunks public access test By JIM LEE / Editor, Carroll County Times People visiting government offices in search of school violence reports, routine police arrest logs or other public documents have about a one-in-four chance of immediately getting what they are looking for. Half the time they will get nothing. And a lot of the time they will be quizzed about who they are, who they work for and why they want the record, in direct violation of the state's Public Information Act. A June 15 audit of Maryland public record access conducted by 20 newspapers from across the state, including The Herald-Mail, revealed that public officials routinely deny public access to even the most basic records.

It's a drill, but school violence is real concern By BOB PARTLOW / Staff Writer WILLIAMSPORT - "We have a report of a student with a handgun in the vice principal's office. " With those chilling words crackling over the police radio, several dozen police fire and emergency medical personnel took off for Springfield Middle School just after 9:20 a.m. Saturday. Those kinds of reports have become more common across the country in recent years, as high-profile cases of high school, middle school and grade school shootings rattle the national psyche.

SHENANDOAH JUNCTION, W.Va. - On a typical day at Jefferson High School, Jefferson County Sheriff's Deputy Tom Hansen can be seen dropping by the boy's bathroom looking for students trying to sneak a cigarette. Or maybe he's cruising the hallways looking for others skipping class. Trying to keep an eye on 1,575 students may seem like a big task, but it's nothing compared to what school officials faced last year at the school, according to Principal Richard A. "Doc" Keeler. "It seems to be much better.

By JULIE E. GREENE / Staff Writer Photo by JOE CROCETTA / Staff Photographer MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Two Martinsburg High School seniors want to do what they can to prevent incidents such as last April's shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., from happening at their school or any other. Katie Deuell and Lauren Durst were among some 350 teenagers who attended a congressional teen conference titled "Voices Against Violence" Oct. 19-20 in Washington.

A 15-year-old boy who spit at, cursed and threatened to kill a high school principal last April couldn't give Judge John H. McDowell a reason for his outburst when he appeared in Washington County Juvenile Court Wednesday. "Why were you so out of control?" McDowell asked the teenager. He answered that he didn't know. "But I want to apologize to Mr. Reeder and Miss White. " North Hagerstown High School Principal Dave Reeder and special education teacher Pamela White were the objects of the teenager's fury on April 7. After pleading guilty to threatening a school employee, the youth was allowed to return home Wednesday with his mother.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - A new school safety hot line will open statewide in West Virginia next week. The toll-free number was announced Monday in Charleston, W.Va. by state Attorney General Darrell V. McGraw Jr. and U.S. Rep. Bob Wise, D-W.Va. The number, 1-888-200-5360, will be operational Aug. 23 and will allow parents, students and school personnel to report suspicious behavior that could lead to school violence. Two members of the Attorney General's Office Consumer Protection Division will staff the hot line and will refer tips to police agencies and school superintendents around West Virginia, Wise spokesman Steve Cohen said.