VIOLENCE EPIDEMIC IN SCHOOLS

Pupil's death puts spotlight on horrific violence in Australian schools Jai Morcom, a 15-year old boy, died after his head was apparently smashed against a wall when he intervened in what appears to have been a turf war over tables at his school called 'table wars'. How stupid is that game? How stupid and sad that someone has to die because of fighting over pieces of table and who should sit at which table... he wasn't even involved. He just happened to be around and became the punching bag of rage.

So, a brutal spotlight now glares on Mullumbimby and a school that is facing angry claims of endemic drugs and violence, calls for the resignation of headmaster Ian Graham and internet rallying for revenge beatings.

But Jai's death is a loud wakeup call for people about bullying and violence across Australia, where schoolyard and suburban beatings and brawls have been filmed on mobile phones and posted on YouTube. Truancy in Gold Coast is also pretty high and recently, police have been survelling neighbourhoods to ensure stuff like that is minimised. Parents and critics complain that conferences, strategies and no-tolerance policies have failed to dent what they believe to be a growing culture of violence that has spurred an exodus from state to private schools. National trends appear to confirm Rosenfeld's fears. Australian Institute of Criminology statistics record an overall 55 per cent increase in assaults between 1996 and 2007, and 48 per cent for juveniles, mostly by males but with a significant rise among teenage girls.

A study by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research found that reported violence in the state's schools rose 46 per cent between 1998 and 2003, and that almost one-third of high school students interviewed had admitted attacking a schoolmate in the previous 12 months. Ironically, all this school violence might actually trace its roots to home and upbringing. "Preventing violence at school is no easy task," said bureau director Don Weatherburn in the study. "Schools trying to inculcate a culture of intolerance towards violence sometimes find themselves dealing with students whose parents condone violent behaviour." Peer pressure has its role of course, but I believe parental involvement is a crucial part to how a kid stands and guards his values before others.

I think a majority of people take school largely to be a government-funded daycare babysitting program here. Don't get me wrong - I think most parents do love and take their kids' daily needs to task, but on the whole, the easygoing parenting style may have contributed in certain measure to all this uncalled for school horror stories of bullying, smoking, outright challenging of teachers and whatnots. On radio, people claim to see teenagers out skating, and having a good time at the park during school hours BLATANTLY and nobody seems to give a hoot about it.

Just a few days ago, my son's school Varsity College had a lockdown due to some thugs fighting in the Oval school field area. Every class was asked to stay in classroom until they were hauled off the grounds. In the wake of school violence, I think nobody wanted to take any chances, which was good.. No one was hurt but police were called in to check that no other intruders came into the school. They had weapons apparently, now that is a scary thot. what if they were guns or knives? these were obviously teenage thugs playing truant... Last weekend, Queensland Education Department research reported to a community forum showed that every week five children in every class are bullied, and up to 70 per cent of suspensions are related to bullying. So parents, let's be worried, be very worried and start looking out vigilantly for your young ones before it's too late..