What are the causes of school-based violence?
A wide spectrum of traumatic events are impacting our nation’s schools. And, as a consequence, our school systems are being charged with the responsibility of responding to school-based crises. In recent years, school districts have been scrambling to develop comprehensive crisis response plans. We no longer question if a school will be faced with a tragedy, but when. Many factors contribute to the causes of school violence. Research is helping us to understand the relationship between violent television programs, movies, music lyrics and violent behavior. Additionally, the interactive nature of violent computer and video games is being investigated. We hear about the availability of guns and other weapons and we cannot ignore the data. During the last decade, nearly 80% of all violent deaths in schools were caused by guns (The Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence). There is a dramatic increase in alcohol and substance use among our children, peer pressure and gang involveme
