Profile of a School Shooter: Ingredient 3 - A Perception of Inequality Within the System

A common thread in most school shootings is that many of the boys responsible specifically mentioned a lack of equality in the school hierarchy.

They spoke of specific incidents where the "right" kids were able to get away with serious violations of school code. If they were punished at all, they were punished lightly. In the same situation, kids who had a lesser position in the school were dealt with harshly. Specific cases were cited where harassment was brought to the attention of or even witnessed by staff, but not dealt with accordingly.

If you are interested in the personal perspective of the subject, you will find a great deal of information by reading "No Easy Answers" by Brooks Brown. Brooks was a friend of one of the Columbine High School shooters, though he did not get along with the other. Brooks seems to agree that, at least as far as Columbine went, there was some reason for perceptions of favoritism within the system.

There is no way to really confirm or deny these accusations in most cases. The schools deny it, but the other kids questioned seemed to agree with this assessment.

The word perception is a very important part of this equation.

Combined with the other factors, they often began to see school - and eventually their lives - as a lose-lose situation. They saw no hope of equality, they saw no hope of redemption.

There will always be some sort of division in any group setting. There will always be those at the top of the social pyramid and those who hang around at the bottom. It is in our nature as human beings to divide and rearrange into smaller and more close-knit groups.

The faculty is the support structure of the school, and if they are contributing to the problem then the students are going to have a hard time believing that there is a viable solution. Every school in the country has a handbook, and the policies contained in that handbook should apply to all students equally. As parents we should all insist on this being ironclad, even when it has to do with our own children. If a staff member chooses to look the other way when violations are occurring, they need to be held accountable as well.

How do we offer our children hope? We allow them to see consistent rewards and consequences throughout the school. If a student is breaking the rules, it shouldn't matter who they are, who their parents are, or what activities they participate in. As parents, as educators, and adults in the community, we need to do all of our children a favor and insist on equality. The rewards this could reap in the future of our nation are boundless.

One of the best bits of parenting advice I was ever given came to me through a lifelong friend. She said the worst thing we can do for our children is deprive them of the consequences of their own actions. Both reward and punishment are part of a healthy adult lifestyle. There are consequences for every action in our adult lives, and raising responsible children means allowing them to see that cycle working uninterrupted. We do our children a great disservice when we step in and short-circuit the reward/punishment cycle.

Most of all, a perception of equality helps students feel like someone is listening. When people stop listening, the kids stop talking. Kids who stop talking turn all too easily to violence as an answer.