Meanwhile, we wonder why there are so many school shootings.

-- Honey I just dosed the kids (@ .), May 04, 2000

Answers

Overall rates of violent youth crime have dropped sharply in the last twnenty-five years. However, any violent crime is too much, IMHO.

The majority of school shootings take place at innter city schools where the kids aren't given Ritalin (or much of anything else, for that matter). This violence isn't on the news and it isn't getting much concern from Washington because we've come to expect violence in these places. Shame on us.

I don't wish to belittle the kids that died at Columbine and other suburban schools, but it says an awful lot about our society when the only kind of school violence that gets our attention is the kind that happens at white, suburban schools where it's not "supposed" to happen.

-- Tarzan the Ape Man (tarzan@swingingthroughthejunglewithouta.net), May 04, 2000.

Tarzan: you said-

"The majority of school shootings take place at innter city schools"

From where did you get this information? I am just curious. I certainly believe the press hides things, but this fact I cannot verify anywhere.

Help me out here.

-- FutureShock (gray@matter.think), May 04, 2000.

Here's some info for you:

From the NCES:

http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=49

"In 1996, black and white high school seniors were about equally likely to report being victimized at school in the previous 12 months, except blacks were more likely to have been injured with a weapon than whites. Ten percent of black high school seniors reported being injured with a weapon in the previous 12 months in 1996, compared to 4 percent of white seniors."

From the same site:

"Some conditions make students more vulnerable to school crime.

The presence of street gangs and drugs is related to increased school crime and victimization of students. Gang activity at school has increased sharply. Violent victimization of students often co-exists with reported availability of drugs in school.

Between 1989 and 1995, the percentage of students who reported that street gangs were present at their schools increased from 15 to 28 percent.

In 1995, urban students were more likely to report that there were street gangs at their schools (41 percent) than were suburban students (26 percent) or rural students (20 percent). Between 1989 and 1995, reports of gang presence increased across all three residence categories."

Here's a chart for you:

http://www.ed.gov/pubs/AnnSchoolRept98/images/fig15.gif

More info coming, for now I have to pay the bills.

-- Tarzan the Ape Man (tarzan@swingingthroughthejunglewithouta.net), May 04, 2000.