Students should be able to learn in a safe and secure environment. Even one violent incident in our schools is too many. Recent events have pointed to the fact that school violence can happen anywhere and students, parents, and teachers alike are expressing heightened fear of becoming victims of violence at school. In Texas public schools, the numbers of violent incidents and weapons confiscations is shockingly high. During the 1997-98 school year (most recent year available), there were more than 63,000 assaults and more than 8,000 weapons confiscated in Texas public schools.[1]
     While violence in Texas schools is unacceptably frequent, some types of school violence have declined in recent years-most likely because of programs designed to improve safety in schools and in the community. This report examines data on juvenile violent crime in Texas as well as the incidence of violence in our schools over recent years. School violence data for each county are included.

Juvenile Violent Crime in Texas Declining
      Juvenile violent crime arrests in Texas, and the nation as a whole, have been on the decline since 1994. The rate of juvenile violent crime arrests (both in and out of school) almost tripled between 1985 and 1994, with Texas' rates paralleling those at the national level.[2] However, since 1994, the arrest rate for all juvenile violent crimes has begun to decline.
     Information about school violence in many states is not yet available. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has begun collecting data for states to monitor risky behavior of students such as carrying weapons and other violations in schools. Unfortunately, Texas is one of twelve states that do not participate in this survey. Thus far, only eleven states and seven cities have provided data that can be compared between 1993 and 1997. Several of these states and cities have experienced decreases in student risk behaviors, which is similar to the national trend.[3]
     The Safe and Drug Free Schools Program, a federally funded effort to make our schools safer has begun to collect statistics on school violence and weapons possession in Texas.[4] Although there was a 27 percent increase in the rate of assaults against students between 1996-97 and 1997-98, the rates for other types of violence in Texas schools are not increasing as rapidly as many fear and in some cases are declining. Nevertheless, the actual numbers of assaults and weapons incidents are disturbing.[5]

Students engaging in risky behavior, but many also victims of violence
     A study conducted by researchers at Texas A&M University in1998 was designed to determine the extent to which students in Texas put themselves and others at risk through behaviors such as fighting and carrying a weapon. The results of this survey indicate that 22.2 percent of the Texas students surveyed carried a weapon with them to school in the 30 days prior to being surveyed (compared with 18.3% nationally). Many of these students stated that the weapon was a hunting rifle that was kept within their vehicles.[7] About 5 percent of the survey sample said they had been threatened with a weapon while they were on school property.[8] Another 3.5 percent said that they were members of a gang, and 10 percent were former gang members.[9] One third of the students participating in the survey had been in a physical fight during the past year and 13 percent had been in a physical fight while they were on school property.[10] Four percent of the students surveyed said they had missed at least one day of school in fear for their safety.[11]
     Students are often the victims of violence. A report by SchoolNet titled, "School Violence is a National Epidemic" reported that nationally "Every school day more than 150,000 students stay home because they are sick of violence and afraid they might be stabbed, shot or beaten."[12] Even though youth crime appears to be declining, the violent acts committed by youth are more serious, and these violent acts are being committed by younger children.[13]

Teachers fear for safety
     Texas teachers report that they fear for their safety, and perceive more problems with crime than do principals.[14] Over 60 percent of the teachers surveyed by the Texas Education Agency indicated that threats of violence were of concern, and 56 percent were aware of assaults on students.[15] Other behavior problems that concern teachers are shown in the chart (at right).      Many Texas public schools send students who have committed offenses to Alternative Education Programs (AEP). Students are removed from the classroom and placed in an educational program designed for those with behavior problems. The Texas Legislature mandated that schools have an alternative educational setting for behavioral management in 1995.[16] The concept was developed by teacher organizations and was promoted as a way to increase safety in schools.[17] In practice, however, only about 25 percent of student removals are for serious offenses such as violations of the penal code or gang involvement. The rest of the removals are for violations of the district rules on student conduct.[18] For instance, the Austin Independent School District allows a teacher to remove a student to an AEP if the student, "…repeatedly interfere[s] with the teacher's ability to communicate effectively with the student in the class or with the ability of the student's classmates to learn; or whose behavior the teacher determines is so unruly, disruptive, or abusive that it seriously interferes with the teacher's ability to communicate effectively…"[19] Districts have broad powers in defining what constitutes reasonable cause to remove a student.[20] The effectiveness of such programs in providing for the educational needs of these high-risk students is unevaluated.[21]
     The North Carolina Education and Law Project stated in 1996 that, "Alternative schools become a dumping ground for 'problem' students, and regular schools give up their commitment to educate all children."[22] This warning seems relevant to Texas public schools. Ethnic minorities are referred to AEP's in numbers that are disproportionately high.[23] In the 1995-96 school year, 43.6 percent of the students removed to AEP's were Hispanic, 22.2 percent were African American, and 31.2 percent were white.[24] Students from low-income households constituted 54.6 percent of the removals.[25]
     Clearly, violent students should be removed from the classroom. However, many students with behavior problems are in greater need of counseling and increased parental and community involvement. Isolating and ostracizing these children to alternative settings could have a negative effect on their behavior.

Prevention of School Violence
     The challenge of preventing school violence requires some insight into the causes linked to this behavior. No single factor can explain youth violence. A combination of environmental, developmental, and cultural factors are linked to youth violence[26]:

• Prenatal substance abuse, assault, neglect, low birth weight, head injury, undetected disease.
• Family violence and neglect leading to bonding and trust deficits.
• Boredom and lack of alternative activities.
• Hopelessness because of dim educational and job prospects.
• Inadequate housing and income, discrimination, lack of social skills, allure of money, deviance, gangs, and guns.
• Media violence and violent role models.
• Alienation and estrangement from friends and family.

Endnotes

1. The Safe and Drug Free Schools Program of the Texas Education Agency has compiled violence data from school districts. In 1998, 1051 of the 1061 public school districts in Texas provided the number of incidence of school violence occurring on school property. Texas Education Agency, Safe and Drug Free Schools (1999). State of Texas Annual Evaluation Report (Form AI-020) - Program Specific Indicators.
2. The State of Texas Children: Fact Book 3. Texas Kids Count Project. Center for Public Policy Priorities, January 1998, Austin, TX.
3. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics Annual report on School Safety. October 1998. http://www.ed.gov/pubs/AnnSchoolRept98/
4. The Safe and Drug Free Schools Program of the Texas Education Agency has compiled violence data from school districts. In 1998, 1051 of the 1061 public school districts in Texas provided the number of incidence of school violence occurring on school property. Texas Education Agency, Safe and Drug Free Schools (1999). State of Texas Annual Evaluation Report (Form AI-020) - Program Specific Indicators.
5. Ibid.
6. Ibid.
7. Robinson, James III; Griffith, Jennifer M.; & Ballard, Danny J. (1998). Texas Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Conducted by Texas A&M University, and funded by Region 10 Education Service Center, Richardson.
8. Ibid.
9. Ibid.
10. Ibid.
11. Ibid.
12. School Net. "School Violence is a National Epidemic." School Net Website http://www.schoolnet.org/spr96_epidemic.html
13. Kauffman, James M. & Burbach, Harold J. (1997). "On Creating a Climate of Classroom Civility." Phi Delta Kappan December: 320 - 325.
14. Texas Education Agency, Office of Policy Planning and Evaluation (1994) "Safe Texas Schools: Policy Initiatives and Programs." Policy Research Report Number 3.
15. Ibid.
16. Intercultural Development and Research Association (1999). "Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs in Texas - What is Known; What is Needed." IDRA Newsletter, January 1999.
17. Ibid.
18. Ibid.
19. Austin Independent School District (1997). Student Code of Conduct.
20. Intercultural Development and Research Association (1999). "Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs in Texas - What is Known; What is Needed." IDRA Newsletter, January 1999.
21. Ibid.
22. Ibid.
23. Ibid.
24. Ibid.
25. Ibid.
26. The University of Virginia, Curry School of Education. "Violence and the Public Schools". University of Virginia Website: http://www.people.Virginia.EDU/~rkb3b/Hal/SchoolViolence.html Kauffman, James M. & Burbach, Harold J. (1997). "On Creating a Climate of Classroom Civility." Phi Delta Kappan December: 320 - 325.
27. The University of Virginia, Curry School of Education. "Violence and the Public Schools". University of Virginia Website: http://www.people.Virginia.EDU/~rkb3b/Hal/SchoolViolence.html Kauffman, James M. & Burbach, Harold J. (1997). "On Creating a Climate of Classroom Civility." Phi Delta Kappan December: 320 - 325.
28. U.S. Department of Education, Safe and Drug Free Schools Program: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/SDFS/aboutsdf.html
29. From an unpublished report provided by Kay Beth Stavley, State Coordinator of Safe and Drug-Free Schools & Communities. Texas Education Agency April 1999.
30. Inteview with Kay Beth Stavley, State Coordinator of Safe and Drug-Free Schools & Communities. Texas Education Agency April 1999.
31. The Texas Education Code, Chapter 39 - Public School Accountability Section: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/statutes/codes/ED000023.html