Violence in elementary schools interferes with the learning process. In short, violent acts on campus traumatize students, even if students are not direct victims of violence or bullying. Incidents cause students to fear and dread the learning environment, and their anxiety impacts their ability to focus and learn in the classroom. According to a study conducted at Davidson College, school violence directly impacts academic performance. This study tested the effect of criminal and violent acts on students in a North Carolina public school and found that violent incidents are directly correlated to lower academic achievement in both reading and math.
According to The National Center for Children Exposed to Violence, school violence has immediate and long-term consequences. School violence negatively impacts students' social and emotional well-being and can interfere with their motivation to learn, but it also leads to future incidents of violence. Children who bully classmates, whether violently or verbally, are more likely to commit crimes as adults. Therefore, schools that fail to address bullying and violence contribute to the detriment of society and render communities less safe.
School violence should be challenged collaboratively. To reduce violence in schools, students, parents, teachers, administrators, school psychologists, law enforcement officers and other members of the community must work together. The public community has a duty to provide students with a safe learning environment, and it is only by collaborating that the problem of school violence can be challenged. Specifically, parents, school and community members need to stay informed and educated about bullying and violence. Also, law enforcement officers have to cooperate with schools to punish violent students so that violent acts are not repeated. Parents, teachers, students and community members also have a duty to report unusual behavior in children or suspicions that a child is the victim of violence or at risk for violent behavior.
To end violence in elementary schools, it is essential that students, teachers and parents learn to recognize the early warning signs of violent behavior. Elementary students need to be taught what behaviors to report. For example, if a student on the bus is making violent threats to other students, then this behavior must be reported to a school authority. Often, young students are reluctant to report threats of violence out of fear for their own safety or because they do not want to be perceived negatively by peers as tattle-tails. Therefore, parents and teachers need to reiterate the importance of alerting adults. Also, students need to know how to respond to emergency situations, such as a student bringing a gun to school. Parents may avoid talking to their children about what to do in the case of a crisis or emergency because they do not want to scare them, but parents need to prepare students for this possibility. Also, the school should develop an emergency response plan and educate students about this plan, conducting response drills if necessary.