Recently, CCSD has been in the news for excessive violence ranging from students being attacked by other students and even parents to a student at Eldorado physically attacking and severely injuring a teacher.

While these are extreme episodes that we hope are rare, the fact they are occurring at all is obviously terrible and concerning.

While most of us here at the Star do not generally fear for our safety here at Silverado, a privilege we realize not every student nor every campus shares, it is clear that bad behavior and violence is definitely a problem that all schools need to deal with, including ours.

From bathroom vandalism to lunchroom fights, incidents here have made learning hard to focus on, and more should be done to prevent both violence and bullying.

One thing that is not likely to help is the video we watched from Superintendent Dr. Jara a few weeks ago.  Reminding students of the consequences is not a very good deterrent for someone who doesn’t care. CCSD needs to focus their attention more on solving the root of the problem, not just implementing security measures for when students attack. We see an alarming trend of violence around the country, and just as adults are adapting to life during a pandemic, obviously students are struggling to readapt to school life and being around their peers.

This not only leads to violence but also to increased teen anxiety and depression. Yes, we need strict consequences when students resort to vandalism and violence, but the district hasn’t done enough to prevent these incidents or to help students cope with these problems.

First of all, staff needs to take bullying seriously.  Victims need to be listened to, not dismissed, and they need support.

Secondly, while some student behavior is a result of their home life, and there there isn’t a lot CCSD can do to directly solve those kinds of problems, we can include more counseling for students who act out or who face challenges at home.

We can also provide seminars or PSAs that teach both students and staff how to handle conflict in a more productive way, how to de-escalate tense situations. Students who resort to fighting to solve conflicts clearly need more education on alternate ways to cope with disagreement.

What is unacceptable is to do nothing. Last year, we learned how much better it is for most students to be on campus, so here we are, doing what we have to do to make in-person learning work. But this year, we’ve learned students need help with a range of social and emotional issues, so let’s do what we need to do, including more proactive measures to handle problems before they escalate into violence.

It’s going to take more than a two-minute video.