Schools Role in Social Issues

Schools Role in Social Issues

In my opinion schools are responsible for bullying/social issues that occurs on campus.  I believe that schools are responsible because the most important factor a school must provide is a safe environment for all students.  If a school cannot provide a safe environment, learning will not be optimal.  In today’s society most of the violence that occurs in school, stems from a variety of social issues, more specifically bullying.  If schools do not address how to handle this problems they are refusing to provide a safe environment for students, something that is a right as a United States citizen.  It is not the schools responsibility for bullying/social issues outside of school simply because it is not feasible for the staff to enforce the appropriate behaviors, however the same behaviors in school should always be encouraged off campus.

Regarding whether schools are responsible for solving or handling social issues depends on how you perceive the terms “solve or handle.”  In my opinion “solving” social issues implicates that a problem exists and needs to be changed.  In this case it is absolutely the schools responsibility to solve the problems that exist to ensure safety for students.  When I believe schools are “handling” social issues it implies that there is not necessarily a problem that exists but individual circumstances that need addressed.  When “handling” social issues schools should start to address this situation by implementing bullying prevention or social interaction coursework.  If social issues can be prevented they will not have to be dealt with later, and the volume of individual problems would be far less.  Schools role in social issues and bullying simply should be treated the same as any other responsibility of the school.  

Below is a brief example of the steps schools should take to prevent and handle social issues:

1.)  Set-up a structure/program for prevention   

2.)  Have the resources/training available for implementing the prevention  

3.)  Implement a structure for intervention of social issues that would arise on a case-by-case basis

4.)  Incorporate the discipline plan for instances where intervention doesn’t solve the problem