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School Violence

About School Violence

School shooting vigil

School violence threatens the safety of students, teachers, and staff while also disrupting the overall learning environment. Mass shootings on school campuses have become increasingly prevalent in the United States since the late 1990s. Though school shootings attract significant media attention and can result in the loss of many lives, other types of violence are much more common and can have damaging consequences in schools and their communities. More recurrent types of school violence include bullying, cyberbullying, fighting, gender-based violence, and gang violence. (Opposing Viewpoints)

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  • Is the problem of school violence exaggerated?
  • Are there more instances of violence in urban areas?
  • Are "zero tolerance" policies successful in reducing school violence?
  • Does school violence undermine the level of educational achievement?
  • How much does cyber bullying contribute to the increase of school violence?
  • Are statistics on school violence reliable? Do all schools use the same methods for categorizing violence?