DEALING WITH SCHOOL VIOLENCE

In an increasingly violent society, it isn't surprising that violence sometimes erupts in public school systems.

Thankfully, incidents like the one in St. Louis earlier this month -- a substitute teacher collapsed and died after struggling with a 9-year-old boy -- remain the exception.

Area educators say student violence against teachers is rare. More common, though, is student-on-student violence. Cape Girardeau schools are trying to curb that violence. The district has imposed a dress policy that prohibits gang-related apparel and trains teachers to look for gang-related behavior.

The district also has set up a crisis prevention and intervention committee to draft response plans in the event of everything from a hostage situation to counseling students about peer suicide to earthquakes.

Two schools in the area have taken the next step. In the Caruthersville and Cairo, Ill., public schools, metal detectors are used. Officials in both schools report a decrease in violence since the detectors were introduced.

But such measures should be seen as last-resort extremes. No school district should pretend schoolyard violence isn't a threat. By instituting preventative programs and alternative learning centers for disruptive students, though, districts shouldn't have to transform their schools into fortresses.