Earlier this week, we began a discussion of the increasing occurrences of violent crime that are taking place at Philadelphia elementary schools. Because state law generally dictates that children under the age of 10 may not be arrested or prosecuted for their crimes, the incidents of assault often go unreported. This leaves school officials with the responsibility of figuring out how to deal with the often troubled children who commit assaults on fellow students, teachers and staff members.

But so far, it appears that parents, teachers, and principals are all playing the blame game. According to Philadelphia Assistant Supervision of Alternative Education Benjamin Wright, who is in charge of overseeing discipline for the Philadelphia School District, staff members are not properly handling instances of violence in their classrooms.

Wright says that teachers are too quick to dismiss violent or disruptive students, instead of working with them or finding an alternative way to handle them. Instead, Wright says, teachers order children around and banish them from the classroom when they misbehave. In addition, he says, school staff treats boys, Hispanic and black students differently, which likely triggers some of the classroom violence that is taking place.

However, school staff members see things differently. They claim that the district has not created effective programs and systems for preventing or reacting to violence, and that school officials do not train them to deal with, or protect them from, violent children. In addition, as education budgets take a hit, school psychologists and counselors are likely to be shared between district schools, leaving them largely unavailable to help violent children.

Regardless of the reason for the increase in assaults and violence, it is clear that something needs to be done in Philadelphia elementary schools in order. If violence goes unchecked at such early ages, it will continue to be a part of children's lives into and far beyond high school.

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, "Young and Violent, Even Kindergartners", Susan Snyder, John Sullivan, Kristen A. Graham and Dylan Purcell, 29 March 2011