Violence in American Schools
- Zaria George
- Oct 29, 2015
- 4 min read
Credit - YouTube
October 29, 2015 - A recent viral video was shown of a student being tackled to the ground by a police officer in Spring Valley High School in South Carolina. The said student was violently yanked to the floor along with her desk and was then continuously pulled about by the man.
The video appeared to have been recorded by another student’s cell phone while in a mathematics class.
According to Richland County Sheriff Richard Lott, the high schooler was supposedly resisting the officer’s initial reprimand, causing the cop in the video, Deputy Ben Fields, to react as he did so.
Opinions have been divided over the contents and fallout of the event. Some argue that the full context of both the student and sheriff’s actions have not been revealed, as the video was only a certain amount of time long and information could be misconstrued. As explained by Lt. Curtis Wilson, the student was asked to leave the classroom multiple times and the Deputy Ben Fields was then called upon to remove her when she did not do so.
Opposing such claims, those who have spoken up in shock over the video believe that no matter what the student did, her actions did not justify the violence involved.
American schools have long dealt with harsh discipline by authoritative figures. The history can be dated back to Ronald Reagan’s “zero tolerance policy” that was enforced to combat drugs and gangs in educational facilities.
It appears that the main idea of such policy has been applied to just about every student at every school across the country. Administrators have become pressured to decrease the amount of “inexcusable” behavior with the help of law enforcement and the likes of such on the majority of campuses in the United States.
What exactly is the limit, though?
“Restorative justice”, an alternative form of discipline is more focused on both the victim and offender’s needs, and is gradually being diffused across urban cities such as Chicago and Oakland, California. The aforementioned solution serves as a way to have the parties involved to have an emphasis on communication rather than an automatic punishment.
The people in the situation are more prone to mediation from outsiders, and questions are focused on why something was done and if he/she really did it, rather than wanting to know what needs to be done to resolve the conflict.
Unlike that of the discipline that has become common amongst American schools, more communication is involved rather than actions. Because discussion is highlighted in the “justice” part of it, there is a lacking need to use any violent or remotely physical reprimands that may lead to violence.
Citations
Fantz, Ashley. "Zero Tolerance Policies and School Cops - CNN.com." CNN. Cable News Network, 29 Oct. 2015. Web. 29 Oct. 2015. <http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/29/us/police-schools-punishment-zero-tolerance/index.html>.
Ford, Dana, Greg Botelho, and Kevin Conlon. "Spring Valley High School Officer Suspended - CNN.com." CNN. Cable News Network, 27 Oct. 2015. Web. 29 Oct. 2015. <http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/27/us/south-carolina-school-arrest-video/>.
Glass, Ira. "Transcript." Transcript. This American Life, 17 Oct. 2014. Web. 29 Oct. 2015. <http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/538/transcript>.
"Retributive vs. Restorative Justice." Conflict Solutions Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2015. <http://www.cscsb.org/restorative_justice/retribution_vs_restoration.html>.
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