Curbing youth violence.

• Author: Riley, Richard E.
• Position: The Young Desperadoes - Cover Story

CARRYING WEAPONS, fighting in schools, gang warfare, and even homicides have become a regular part of the school day and of neighborhood life for an increasing number of students. Approximately 3,000,000 thefts and violent crimes occur on or near school grounds each year. this equates to nearly 16,000 incidents per school day, or one incident every six seconds. About one of every five high school students carries a firearm, knife, razor, club, or other weapon on a regular basis. Many carry them to school. Approximately 20% of all public school teachers reported being verbally abused, eight percent being threatened, and two percent being physically attacked during the previous year.

Violence in schools or among school-aged youth not only destroys the nation's most precious natural resource--its children--but also creates an environment where youngsters can not learn, teachers can not teach, and parents are reluctant to send their offspring to class.

Creating a supportive environment free of drugs and violence is both a challenge and a necessity. Raising the graduation rate, improving academic achievements, and ensuring the ability of American youngsters to compete in a world economy are critical to that nation's future. However, achieving these goals will be nearly impossible if schools and neighborhoods remain unsafe.

Just consider how difficult it would be for kids to learn if one of their classmates were killed in or on the way to school, if a loved teacher or administrator were slain, or if they knew that large numbers of fellow students were carrying weapons, including guns. These things do happen. For example:

* In April, 1993, three teenagers armed with a baseball bat, billy club, and buck knife burst into a high school social studies classroom in Dartmouth, Mass., and fatally stabbed a 16-year-old freshman in front of the rest of the class.

* In March, 1993, a high school student in Harlem, Ga., opened fire in a school hallway, killing one teenager and injuring another.

* In November, 1992, the principal of a grade school in Brooklyn, N.Y., was caught in a cross fire on the street while he searched for a missing pupil and as killed.

* In September, 1992, six students in Amarillo, Tex., were shot and another was trampled when a 17-year-old started shooting in a crowded hallway after a pep rally.

These incidents occurred in urban, suburban, and rural areas. They happened in rich school districts and poor ones.

Ending this epidemic of...