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Violence at School: Will It Ever End?

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Violence at School: Will It Ever End?
Violence At School: Will It Ever End?

Introduction:
Despite the recent surge of catastrophes in our nation, violence is not a new issue. Violent occurrences such as shootings, bombings, and other terroristic events are things that have been happening for hundreds, or maybe even thousands of years. One aspect of these tragedies that seems to be the most terrible of all is violence in the school setting. Even this type of violence is not a new occurrence. School shootings and other violent acts of that nature have been occurring in the school setting for decades. However, it wasn’t until recently that these issues have been such a front-runner in the public spotlight. The three most well-known acts of school violence to date are the Columbine shooting, the Virginia Tech Massacre, and the recent shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. These tragedies, among countless others that are not as well-known, have resulted in the loss of entirely too many lives. Most people are under the impression that school settings are some of the best protected. However, this is not necessarily the case. It is almost impossible to monitor every student every minute of the day. After events such as those that happened just last December occur, ending the lives of 26 completely innocent students and teachers, the public begins to ask why nothing was done to stop tragedies such as these, and whether or not anything will be done in the future to prevent these types of pointless, catastrophic events from occurring again in the future. After a significant amount of research on the topic, it has become abundantly clear that new rules, regulations, and protocols have been implemented to prevent such useless violence in the future.
Ceremonial Violence: Understanding Columbine and Other School Rampage Shootings: While the book Ceremonial Violence focuses mainly on the discussion of various school shootings (Columbine, in particular), it also gives a



Cited: Cornell, Dewey G., Scheithauer, Herbert. (2011). Columbine a Decade Later: The Prevention of Homicidal Violence in Schools. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Publishers. Fast, Jonathon.(2008). Ceremonial Violence: Understanding Columbine and Other School Rampage Shootings. New York, NY: Peter Mayer Publishers. Fein, Albert H., Isaacson, Nancy S. “Echoes of Columbine: The Emotion Work of Leaders In School Shooting Sites.” American Behavioral Scientist 52 (2009): 1327-1346. Web. 9 Mar. 2013.nj Swezey, James A., Thorp, Kimberly A. “A School Shooting Plot Foiled.” Journal of Research on Christian Education 19 (2010): 286-312. Web. 9 Mar. 2013. Weiler, Spencer C., Cray, Martha. “Police at School: A Brief History and Current Status of School Resource Officers.” The Clearing House 84 (2011): 160-163. Web. 9 Mar. 2013.

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