Unfortunately, violence in the school system has escalated in the past several years. There have been countless news reports of bombings, stabbings and shootings involving students from Elementary schools all the way up to accredited Universities. This wave of violence has the world up in arms. Parents everywhere are wondering if they should even allow their children to continue in public schools; it’s definitely a sensitive subject for many.
There are at least 6 incidences of violence that seem to stand out above the rest, for their number of victims and the controversy surrounding the tragedies.
- 1. Stabbing in China
On September 9, 2013, a crazed villager attacked primary school children ages 6-11. One of the worst incidences of violence in our schools revolves around this happening in Guangshan China. Twenty two children and 1 adult were injured when a crazed villager embarked upon a stabbing spree. Authorities say that the man only wounded the children but some were in serious condition and had to be transported to a more adequate medical facility. This is not the only case of violence in China during the last couple of years. There has been a string of stabbings in the school system during this year alone. Several other stabbing have resulted in injuries, as well as a doctor killing at least 20 children after a thwarted love affair. It is said that most of the perpetrators are mentally ill individuals or those who are suffering as a result of social reform in China. With the lack of China’s ability to diagnose mental illness because of its weakness in the medical system; these individuals with untreated mental disorders will continue to plague the innocent of China.
- 2. Newton Connecticut
Many will never forget the happenings at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012. The country was shocked by the actions of teen Adam Lanza, as he went on a killing spree within the classrooms of the Newton Connecticut primary school. This 20 year old teen killed his mother before leaving home to commense attacks on the Sandy Hook school children. After going on the rampage, Adam Lanza committed suicide. This was a very unfortunate event: 28 were killed including children and adults. This horrifying incident shook the nation and caused parents to panic and grieve for weeks to come.
- 3. Rio de Janeiro
One of the worst bouts of violence in our schools centers around the Rio de Janeiro shooting on April 7, 2011. A former student of Escola Municipal Tasso da Silveira school, returned to the facility to go on a horrendous killing spree. Out of 24 shot, half of these children were killed. The gunman was shot in the leg and fell several flights of stairs injuring himself. Before authorities could get to the perpetrator, he shot himself in the head leaving a suicide note behind. There were no indications of any mental disorders or reasons for the crime. This mysterious incident is just one of many strange school shootings of the past several years.
- 4. The Columbine Massacre
Probably the worst shooting and bombing incident in the last few decades was the Massacre of Columbine high school. On April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold entered the Columbine High school in Colorado and murdered 12 students and one teacher. Their motives were tracked back to an initial involvement in a violent video game and anger towards their fellow students. Apparently, the duo had been collecting firearms and making bombs in preparation for the attack. Whether the attack was only meant for the school shooting is still to be debated. The authorities had gotten information about the actions of the duo and even arrested the boys for their involvement in illegal firearms. Both boys were facing felony charges at the time of the massacre. This incident represents one of the worst violent attacks in our school system.
- 5. The Beslan Crisis
The worst shooting in recent times would have to be the Beslan, Russia shooting and hostage Crisis of September 2004. During this horrible incident, over 1,000 children and adults were taken hostage by militant separatists. At least 350 people were killed during this tragedy. At least 180 of the people killed, were children and several others were reported missing. For many mothers and loved ones the violence in our schools has taken a grim toll.
- 6. The Virginia Tech tragedy
The violence in our schools has grown to horrible proportions. On April 16, 2007, Seung-Hui Cho, 23 year old graduate student of Virginia Tech, went on a rampage killing 30 people; two of which were professors. One the reasons for his actions was reported to be his life long suffering with personality disorders. According to authorities, his mental status was kept a secret from the University because of legal reasons. After being reprimanded for stalking two female students, Cho embarked upon a killing spree that started with his sending videos, letters and photographs of himself to NBC news.
The violence in our schools has not changed since the beginning of the century. Mass murders and suicides leave the world in question about why these things have to happen. Whether it revolves around gun control, mental illness or such things as violent video games; these violent episodes are expected to continue in times to come.
