Violence In Schools
Unfortunately, violence in schools raised its ugly head too soon after the new school year started.

It comes at a time when the island seems to be in a grip of a general spike of violence and if that is the case, it leaves us to wonder if it will continue to impact our children and therefore our schools.

Authorities should be focusing on the cause of the spike and the impact that it is having on children, especially children whose homes and communities are pounded by violence day and night.

 

We cannot forget the murder of a school boy while at school in November, 2019 nor the murder of a teenage sister by her ten year-old brother in August 2020. The courts are becoming jammed with teenage offenders of violent crimes while a parent, usually a mother, stands by the child. 

Our students and young people are sending us warnings through their behaviour, but what are we doing about it?

Would metal detectors and searches be the answer?  Would the posting of military or the police on school compounds be the answer? Would making parents pay for the deliquent behaviour of children be the answer?  I don't know!

Should we assess children from primary school age and have behavioural problems addressed at that time and monitor children throughout school, who indicate that they may be 'at risk'? 

Should we have plans to address the challenges of 'At Risk' children in the school system, to help them navigate through their academic and personal lives?

But what about the magic word 'Love'?  Where do we attempt to bring that word back into the conversation when dealing with our children?