NCJ Number
148858
Journal
American Education Dated: (January-February 1977) Pages: 12-16
Date Published
1977
Length
5 pages
Annotation
Educators agree that vandalism and violence are serious problems confronting schools and that students who vent their frustrations by destroying school property and terrorizing teachers and fellow students disrupt the learning process.
Abstract
Vandalism alone, ranging from bathroom graffiti to arson, cost schools more than half a billion dollars yearly in the late 1970's. For example, Los Angeles County spent $4 million in one year to counteract school vandalism. The U.S. Congress recognized the threat of school vandalism and published a handbook for preventing school disruption and violence. In the late 1970's, about 70,000 physical assaults on teachers occurred yearly, and many more assaults on students were recorded. During the same period, New York City spent $13 million a year to replace damaged school property and pay for security systems. A survey of more than 750 public school districts indicated that parents believed schools had gone too far in relaxing academic and disciplinary standards in the late 1960's in response to student demands for relevant education and fewer personal restrictions and that school vandalism and violence reflected the growing permissiveness of society itself. The need for tighter security and more discipline in schools and student involvement in security is discussed. The role of parents in preventing vandalism is examined, and characteristics of students who vandalize schools are described.