by Megan Steele

Created on: October 03, 2008   Last Updated: May 10, 2010

No, I don't believe that police presence in schools curbs crime. For two years, I worked at local high schools. Police were part of the campus at both schools where I worked. The first school had regular fist fights. The police officers would stand outside the cafeteria in the mornings, greeting students. None of the students had any fear of the police. The second school had a stabbing one year, and in the classroom I was working in, we had more direct contact with the officer when one of the students threatened a teacher. The student cussed at and threatened not only the teacher, but also the principal, the police officer and his parents as well. No one did anything about it. He was removed from the class, but didn't even receive a detention.

The problem is not with the police, the teachers or the administration of the school. Kids these days have absolutely no respect for authority. Teenagers are taught through the media, their peers and even the schools that they have rights, that they don't need to be held responsible for their actions. All things that are wrong, or perceived by them to be wrong, in their lives are someone else's fault. Parents don't discipline them, partially because they can be threatened with abuse, because they just get tired of trying to keep their kid(s) in line or because the kids just have no respect for their parents, either.

In order for our society to reduce the amount of crimes committed by young people, we need to start teaching our kids at a young age to behave in a respectful manner. Kids need to understand that adults in authority are to be respected and obeyed. Kids don't have rights like adults, they don't have the wisdom, maturity or common sense to make important decisions on their own. We, as parents, need to teach them decision making skills. We need to teach them to take responsibility for their actions, to stand up for what is right, to respect authority, and to be kind, productive members of society.

Without proper parenting and guidance, police in the schools do no more to curb violence and crime than they would do from the street or from their offices. The best, and really the only, way to stop crime in schools is for us to teach our kids respect for others. When we learn to put our kids emotional needs and moral education above our own desires and longings for material things, we will take a huge step toward reducing crime, not only in our schools, but in our entire society in general.

Learn more about this author, Megan Steele.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.