Trend Toward Violence in American Schools

Thank you for the following powerful insight into OD priorities gained from your own frontline experiences.  You speak from experience, not theory, from reality, not idealism:

"The house concept and diversifying the student body was admirable, however it did not take into consideration how such a mixture of student cultures and socioeconomic classes would collide. It is also evident that teachers were not trained to handle such a volatile collective of students.  In my experience in alternative education, teacher assault usually occurs when teachers are forced to play the role of security. Even the toughest students will hesitate to assault a teacher unless he or she feels threatened by a figure of authority.  To remedy these issues for major steps should be taken before the school was opened to students."

Exactly.  Sadly, more and more schools are sinking into this abyss.  We need to turn it around with security in depth, good and hard.  Dr. Rux