London Free Press, Ontario, 1 May 1999

How you'd make schools safer

Readers respond to shootings in Alberta and Colorado

(extracts)

We asked readers what they think should be done to make sure incidents such as the killings in Taber, Alta., and Littleton, Colo., don't happen here. Following are excerpts from more than 80 responses.

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I feel that stricter control of guns in the country is very important. Stricter than we have now.

Also we need stricter control at the border. The gun-running across the border is way too high.

We also need stricter discipline in the school system. Reverting back to the system of 30 years ago would not be out of line.

James MacIntyre

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I feel the home environment should be addressed first. Mandatory parenting classes for parents with difficult children. Bullets are usually a cry for love. In the school system there should be a return to structure, discipline, respect for authority and prayer. The curriculum should include classes in spirituality. The role you play in life is not as important as who you are. There should be a change in focus to find fulfilment and happiness.

Nancy Goetz

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No. 1, parents that have children that do these things must beware of it. Parents need to get more involved with their children. No. 2, we have to give teachers more authority over pupils. Discipline begins at home. We live in a society where parents either can't or wont cope.

Gisela Vogt

I think the violence in our schools is going to continue to happen if we don't do something about putting the fear of God into our children' s lives. We should back prayer and Bible reading in our classes and let them know theirs is an eternity to look forward to, not just this life, and give them some hope. I'm from Winnipeg and just travelling through London, but we face the same problems.

Joyce Volkers

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I am not surprised at the increase in violence in our schools. Teachers are no longer able to control students as they did in the past. I believe the biggest mistake we made in the lives of our children was to remove corporal punishment from schools. We have not replaced it with any mode of punishment that works. Students have lost respect for teachers and parents alike . . . With the rising cost of living and high taxation, it is impossible for many families to survive without both parents working full time . . .

I grew up in a society where punishment was inflicted by parents and schools when necessary. We had a healthy fear of our elders and a respect which still holds true today.

I am appalled when I listen to the way many school children speak to teachers and parents. They are rude and disrespectful. They have no fear of authority . . .

Police have their hands tied by the laws we created . . . I don' t think we have said 'no' to our children often enough and stuck to it.

Jannetje Wall

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