School Violence Prevention Saves Lives

On September 29th, 1998, a 12-year old junior high school student named Jared High committed suicide. Jared was a friendly and caring child, involved in extracurricular activities such as the Boy Scouts and church youth group activities. He had a loving family and many caring friends. So why would a boy like that choose to take his own life? Jared High, like millions of other North American children, was a victim of violence in school. The bullying continued unchecked even after Jared was diagnosed with depression as a direct result of the bullying and violence he experienced. Even after his diagnosis, Jared could have been saved, but the adults at school did nothing to help him, allowing the violence to continue. Cases like Jared’s are the reason that school violence prevention training is absolutely essential from kindergarten all the way up through post-secondary school.

School violence prevention can have a profound effect on children’s lives, and can even save lives. School is where most people spend the majority of their early life. School is where children learn independence, friendship, and the skills necessary to navigate their adult lives. However, for students like Jared High, school is not a safe place. For students like Jared, going to school means going to a place where they will learn fear, pain and humiliation on a daily basis.

The damage done by school violence and bullying is profound. Children like Jared can develop depression and other mental illnesses at an early age. Some victims of bullying become so desperate to feel a sense of power that they become bullies themselves, continuing the cycle of violence. Others simply withdraw, becoming bitter and cynical, unable to trust others enough to form meaningful friendships. School violence prevention affects more than just a child’s school experience; it has a positive effect on their mental health, their family relationships and their ability to learn positive behavior.

School violence prevention is necessary not just for the sake of children now, but for the sake of the adults they will become. Children who are victims of bullying will carry those scars for the rest of their lives, often living with depression and pain that could have been prevented during their school years. Children who bully are often at risk themselves, and their problems need to be dealt with in a way that helps them move past their damaging behavior. What we learn as children, we carry with us for the rest of our lives. Those children who feel that they are not worth saving or not worth the same kind and loving treatment as others, will carry the ghosts of fear and humiliation with them long after they have left school.

Students who are affected by bullying need not be left to their misery. Children who are at risk from school violence and bullying can be saved, and as more and more schools adopt school violence prevention programs, more and more children are saved. Tragedies like the death of Jared High can be prevented, and school can, once again, become a safe place.

By: Nick P.

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