Violence at school
What is going on in America today? Why are our kids in danger at school, the mall, the neighborhood park or just about anywhere?
By JIM C. KLEPPER
ITJ
12/15/2008
My friend was shocked when he called home from the road to find out that violence had struck his family. You can imagine his horror to find out his daughter had been attacked at her school. He described his experience this way; he was unable to talk or even listen to his wife as she described the attack. His eyes watered, he was unable to breath and he did vomit as he sat in his truck at the truck stop. Fear, dread, helplessness and anger all washed over him at the same time. He wanted to kill the person responsible for the attack, but he was over 600 miles from home and alone. His wife was able to calm him so he could call his dispatcher and drop his load and head home safely. 600 miles is a very long way if you are in a hurry to get home and hug your daughter.
What is going on in America today? Why are our kids in danger at school, the mall, the neighborhood park or just about anywhere? What can we do as parents to protect our kids? Parents and teachers expect schools to be a safe place for kids. The government requires the kids to attend and should guarantee the safety of the estimated 55 million students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.
Reports were made to police at about 38 percent of the public schools during the 2005-2006 school year. 24% of students reported gangs were active at their schools and 10 percent of teachers in city schools reported they were threatened with injury by students according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Some of the CDC’s statistics are eye opening, such as over 6 percent of students carried a weapon such as a gun, knife or club onto school property. 8 percent of students were threatened or injured with a weapon on school property. 14 percent of the students were involved in a physical fight on school property. Twenty-five percent of students were offered sold, or given an illegal drug on school property within the prior 12 months.
CDC reports indicate violence has increased in some sections of the population. Some of the individual risk factors include a history of violent victimization; learning disorders including attention deficits and hyperactivity; involvement in gangs or with drugs and/or alcohol; poor academic performance; association with delinquent peers; social rejection by peers; lack of involvement in conventional activities; and antisocial beliefs and attitudes just to name a few.
The CDC suggests helping students learn social skills, teach nonviolent methods for resolving conflicts and strengthening nonviolent beliefs. Intervening with parents and families in order to have positive adult influences where they currently do not exist. Another way would be by mentoring a student with a volunteer who acts as a supportive model.
Schools have made great efforts to improve overall environments and reduce violence by improved classroom management, staffing practices, promoting cooperative learning techniques and student monitoring and supervision. All of those are good things, but the one best thing still seems to be parent involvement.
So what is a driver to do? His or her job requires them to be gone from home for long periods of time leaving the family exposed to possible violence and injury. I asked Sergeant Gary Knight, Assistant Public Information officer, of the Oklahoma City Police Department what a driver should suggest to his family to help prevent crimes against his family. Sergeant Knight has 18 years experience as a police officer and suggested the following ways any family could prevent crimes against persons or property. (1) Most important is be aware.
Be aware of the people around you, of your surroundings, and where you might go if you suspect the possibility of danger. (2) Travel in groups, there is safety in numbers as most criminals look for individuals that are alone. Think of the lion attacking the antelope, predators always attack the lone animal, the easy mark. (3) Do as much as possible in daylight and as little as possible after dark. Criminals like darkness and it give them more places to hide. (4) Carry a cell phone. Cell phones give people comfort knowing they can call 911 in a flash. In areas where you are uncomfortable, call someone while you walk to your car and let them know what is going on. Better to talk to a friend and get home safe, than to find yourself being mugged.
Should you experience any kind of criminal attack, you should call the police immediately. Simply call 911 and report the crime. Sergeant Knight explains that time is of the essence when a crime is committed. The sooner the police can begin the investigation, the better the evidence they can collect, the better your memory is and the chance of finding witnesses only gets worse over time.
Anger and revenge are powerful emotions. You can resolve those emotions by filing a criminal complaint against the attacker with the police and hope the attacker goes to jail. However, remember you can also file a civil complaint against the attacker in addition to the criminal charge. The perfect example of both criminal and civil complaints is the O.J. Simpson murder trial where he was acquitted of the murder charge but found responsible for the deaths of his wife and Mr. Goldman and lost all of his property.
Listen to Attorney Jim C. Klepper discuss trucking legal issues every Tuesday at 7:00 a.m. Central Time on Sirius Radio Channel 147. Join Host Mark Willis as drivers call in with legal questions. You can be part of that live question and answer program by calling (888) 782-5966.
Jim C. Klepper is president of Interstate Trucker Ltd., a law firm entirely dedicated to legal defense of the nation's commercial drivers.
Interstate Trucker represents truck drivers throughout the 48 states on both moving and non-moving violations. Klepper is also president of Drivers Legal Plan, which allows member drivers access to his firm’s services at greatly discounted rates. Jim, a former prosecutor, is also a registered pharmacist, with considerable experience in alcohol and drug related cases. He is a lawyer that has focused on transportation law and the trucking industry in particular. He works to answer your legal questions about trucking and life over-the-road and has his Commercial Drivers License.
For more information call (800) 333-DRIVE (3748) or visit www.interstatetrucker.com and www.driverslegalplan.com.