Wednesday, April 21, 1999

The shooting spree at a Colorado high school Tuesday will likely renew calls for new measures to curb school violence. But what measures, if any, can lawmakers, law enforcement officers and school officials take? Is there a difference between the shootings at Columbine High School and the kind of everyday youth violence that has become almost routine?

Dr. Pamela L. Riley, executive director of the Center for the Prevention of School Violence in Raleigh, N.C., discussed the issue in an online discussion.

washingtonpost.com: Welcome, Dr. Riley. First, can you sketch for us a brief profile of this type of juvenile violence, as opposed to gang or other kinds of violence? There seem to be some very specific differences between kids who commit this kind of violence as opposed to others, for example, geographic location, race, social and familial background and motivation.

Dr. Pamela L. Riley: I think what we have to do is to take a look at influences on young people today, whether it's family influences and media influences, and look for early warning signs so that we can better understand what is happening and come up with specific responses in the way of treatments.

In gang activity, there are usually more young people involved. But I think we need to understand more about this "trenchcoat mafia," and I think by understanding we can do a better job at helping to prevent kids from feeling isolated and from feeling that they need to strike out.

Washington, D.C.: While I was horrified to hear the reported death toll in the Colorado shootings, I can't help but believe that the violence we're seeing should not be labelled as "teen" violence. Categorizing these recent acts of terrorism as "teen" violence allows adults to disassociate themselves from any responsibility in creating a society in which young people act out not by protesting or arguing but by committing symbolic, though hollow, acts of violence. Is violence committed by teenagers really different from violence perpetrated by adults?

Dr. Pamela L. Riley: We need to have a comprehensive response to this violence. The entire adult community, including law enforcement, the schools, the juvenile justice community and parents, must all feel a responsibility to come up with solutions. School violence is youth violence that happens at school. There's nothing different about school violence. One reason that we're seeing state after state lower the age at which you can be tried as an adult is that it's a response to the public outcry that if someone is shot by an adult or a teenager, they're just as dead. And the public is saying that we want to hold young people accountable for these actions.

Plattsburgh, NY: How do we convince the public that guns are a public health issue?

Dr. Pamela L. Riley: In some states we have seen a reduction in the number of reported firearms being brought on school campuses. Obviously, just one gun is one gun too many. So we need to find ways to keep guns out of the hands of young people. In North Carolina, reported incidents of young people bringing guns to school in the last five years has been reduced by 65%. And we feel that this has been in part because of assigning sworn law enforcement officers to the school on a full-time basis. These school resource officers are a deterrent to young people who might want to bring weapons onto the school campus.

Monterrey, Mexico: Dr. Riley, what is it that makes a young student initiate a killing spree like the one that happened yesterday? Could we blame it on their parents? Their moral values? How come that these kind of events don't occur with the same regularity in other countries?

Dr. Pamela L. Riley: A combination of factors are causing these events. Certainly the breakdown in the family structure, media violence, and our culture glorifies violence. The availability of weapons. All of these factors contribute to this.

Based on the countries that have contacted our center for information, such as Sweden, England, Panama and Canada, this is an issue that is beginning to have an effect on the schools in other countries. It also parallels homicides by guns. When you look at homicides by gun death, the United States is far ahead of other countries in the world. Schools are a reflection of what is happening in our society, and when we have guns and drugs and violence in our society, that is going to be reflected in our schools.

Eldersburg, Md.: Why does our country allow children to grow up feeling that they have to do things like this in order to survive. Why do we, as humans, allow things to get this far?

Dr. Pamela L. Riley: We are actively engaged in safe school planning efforts. Schools are no longer immune from tragic incidents like this, so we must plan for safety. We need an environment for our children that is safe and secure, free of fear, and conducive to learning. We do not need to turn our schools into prisons, but we need to do everything we can to turn them into environments where there are levels of trust and comfort in which to learn. That can be done with a focused effort by parents, schools and communities.

Dublin: Grievances are common among all human beings everywhere. Schoolkids here in Ireland have all the mental turmoil found anywhere else. Fortunately we have a very strict gun policy, with the result that a few people end up with broken noses, etc. Isn't it time to get rid of the guns?

Dr. Pamela L. Riley: Every state should have a law that requires adults who own firearms to store them responsibly. Adults should keep weapons out of the hands of young people. And if a young person gets a weapon from an adult, that adult should face some consequences.

Richmond VA: Why are the vast number of these types of crimes committed by males and not females?

Dr. Pamela L. Riley: I don't think we fully understand the reasons for that right now. We're looking at it and seeing if we can find out why this is happening. The rate of females offending is on the rise, however, females have not been the perpetrators in any of these incidents.

Durham, N.C.: How do school systems identify students who may potentially become violent? Certainly, not all teenagers who wear black or participate in gothic games will injure others. However, I am concerned by reports that some of the students involved in the Colorado shooting were known to own guns, and on one occasion had pointed weapons at other students. What can parents or teachers do to identify students with real potential to harm others?

Dr. Pamela L. Riley: There are certainly early warning signs that we know from the research -- risk factors that can put young people potentially more in danger of perpetrating a violent act. What we have to remember is that just because a young person exhibits one early warning sign does not mean they will go out and shoot someone. We need to look at the early warning signs in a developmental context, and look at multiple signs that will tell us if a student is in imminent danger of perpetrating a violent act. Teachers and administrators are on the front line for recognizing these early warning signs, yet it seems that they are the least trained in recognizing the signs, and what to do about them. Getting treatment for young people who exhibit multiple early warning signs should be a priority for our communities. It is necessary to involve community agencies such as mental health, social services and school psychologists to assist educators with this process.

Detroit, Mich.: How likely is it that conduct disorder is a factor in cases of school shootings?

Dr. Pamela L. Riley: At this point, we do not have enough information about the shooters to determine that. Conduct disorders should not go unaddressed. Appropriate learning settings should be provided for every student, but there has to be a balance between how much safety and security a school can give up to deal with conduct disorders.

Afton, Wyoming: What a tragedy! How much responsibility do the parents of these children who murdered have? What can parents do to see signs that things aren't right with their child?

Dr. Pamela L. Riley: Parents have a great responsibility to know who their child's friends are, what their activities are, and look for any drastic changes in their child's attitudes and behaviors. Schools cannot prevent this kind of violence alone. Parents must play a large part recognizing the signs in their children, and communicating that to the school officials.

Warrenton, Va.: Being a middle school teacher, just yesterday, one of my students threatened to "...shoot their heads off..." because he was told he wasn't permitted to go on a class field trip. What do I make of that?
Should there be a school policy that threatening remarks of this kind result in expulsion? Should we, as educators, have to tolerate such threats? Why should other students be subject to such remarks? What if the parents refuse to believe their child would ever do such a thing?
I feel that if one threat is made, that child should be taken out of the school system all together. Why should we have to worry about whether or not this threat will become a reality?

Dr. Pamela L. Riley: Each threat should be addressed. Unfortunately, we have gotten to the point in our schools where violence is not a joking matter -- similar to an airport security mentality. A student who makes a threat needs to understand that words matter and that there are consequences for making threats. Many parents might disagree and say the child was only joking, but in the conditions that we're living in now as far as school shootings, every threat must be taken seriously until determined otherwise. If schools do not follow through to determine that seriousness, the consequences can be much more dangerous. Schools do need to have a zero-tolerance attitude about threats.

Washington, D.C.: Dr. Riley, my question is two parts: Where do we start in trying to control these influences - music, TV, peer groups, etc.- or can we, as parents, even do that? Also, where did our culture go wrong with raising our children to create situations like this, or do you consider this the inevitable byproduct of living in a large society?

Dr. Pamela L. Riley: We can control influences with positive adult role models in the lives of children. The one thing that we see in the research that can influence young people to choose healthy behaviors over unhealthy behaviors is if they have an adult in their life that truly cares about them. It might be mom and dad. It might be a grandmother. It might be a neighbor or someone in the school. But if there is a positive adult in the child's life, the child is less likely to choose delinqency.

Our culture has the foundations for producing the world's greatest society. We need to continue to have high expectations for everyone, take the blame when we are wrong, and give young people a reason to look up to adults as positive role models.

Silver Spring, Md.: I as a parent would think something odd of my sons coming home dressed in BLACK on a daily basis, along with their fingernails, etc. painted BLACK. If my kid came home dressed the way they are described, I would find out what the problem is with my child. What can or should a parent do in this case?

Dr. Pamela L. Riley: I think you're absolutely right. Parents do need to be more involved in the activities of their children, and to recognize when adolescent fads have crossed the line into more deviant behavior. And maybe our culture has become too tolerant of deviant lifestyles, and this has allowed young people to feel more secure with "anything goes."

washingtonpost.com: Thank you Dr. Riley for joining us today and thank you all for your questions. An open readers' forum will be conducted later today, where we will be seeking your comments on this horrible tragedy.

Back to the top