Global Nuclear Proliferation Leads to War and Potential Extinction

Gangs use school as recruitment center and increase violence

Boyle, K ( Jesuit priest worked with gangs) 99

http://www.ericdigests.org/1995-1/gangs.htm accessed 7/7/09
Because gangs are, by definition, organized groups, and are often actively involved in drug and weapons trafficking, their mere presence in school can increase tensions there. It can also increase the level of violence in schools, even though gang members themselves may not be directly responsible for all of it; both gang members and non-gang members are arming themselves with increased frequency. Students in schools with a gang presence are twice as likely to report that they fear becoming victims of violence than their peers at schools without gangs Moreover, a 1992 Bureau of Justice Statistics survey reports that schools with gangs are significantly more likely to have drugs available on campus than those without gangs In Gaustad's words, gangs create a "tenacious framework" within which school violence can take root and grow Far from remaining neutral turf, schools not only suffer from gang-related violence "spilling over" from the streets, but are themselves rapidly becoming centers of gang activities, functioning particularly as sites for recruitment and socializing. An interview-based study by Boyle suggests that gang members see school as a necessary evil at best, and at worst as a form of incarceration. Although many gang members acknowledge the importance of the educational objectives of school, school is much more important to them as a place for gathering with fellow gang members for socializing and other more violent activities. Significantly, Boyle also found that even those gang members who had been suspended or had dropped out of school could be found on campus with their associates, effectively using the school as a gang hangout rather than as an educational institution.

Gangs in schools bring massive amounts of school security and fear

Douglas E. Thompson (Professor of Sociology) 2000

http://ann.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/567/1/54 accessed 7/7/09
Recent media coverage of isolated acts of violence committed by students on school property has increased concern about school violence. Reports documenting higher levels of school violence in the face of a general decline in crime rates, together with several high-profile cases, have resulted in a reactive preventive security response. Congress has passed several initiatives aimed at reducing levels of school violence. Gangs and gang activity within our nation's schools are often linked to increased levels of school violence, but little explanation has been offered for this increase. Greater security measures have been taken by school administrations in response to the problem, and, while these may reduce levels of school violence in some communities, they can also help to perpetuate a culture of fear that has been created by intense media coverage of such violence. The presence of security officers, metal detectors, and security cameras may deter some students from committing acts of violence, but this presence also serves to heighten fear among students and teachers, while increasing the power of some gangs and the perceived need some students have for joining gangs. Learning is an inseparable partnership between the brain and the body. Students need to be emotionally ready to learn. Many students in low socioeconomic schools enter classrooms without having a good night’s sleep, a healthy meal, or even clean clothes. Students need to have these basic needs met before they can learn. Students need to feel wanted and know that they can succeed and be safe (Sanchez, 2007).

Gangs create violence in school

Abundant Life Preparatory. 2009

http://www.restoretroubledteens.com/Gang-Involvement.html accessed 7/709
Gang culture among young people, in itself, is nothing new. Indeed, youth gangs have been a major part of the urban cultural landscape since at least the 1830. Street gangs are organized groups that are often involved in drugs, weapons trafficking, and violence. The presence of street gangs in school can be very disruptive to the school environment. Street gangs may not only create fear among students but also increase the level of violence in school. The percentage of students who report the presence of street gangs in their schools indicates the existence and severity of the gang problem in schools.

Education- Fear hurts education

Students can’t learn when they fear these gangs

Wasson (Education Consultant for Neuroscience) 2007

http://movementintheclassroom.com/id4.html accessed 7/7/09
Emotions also play a significant role in shaping responses. Fear prevents learning, retention, and retrieval (Wesson, 2007). If a stimulus is perceived to be a threat, the brain will enter a “flight or fight” mode (Konecki & Schiller, 2003). Stress inhibits a child’s ability to learn. Therefore, students learn best in an environment that incorporates stress management, nutrition, exercise, drug education, and other areas of health into the learning process (Caine & Caine, 1990). Teaching interpersonal and intrapersonal skills can help students become emotionally ready to learn.

Gang violence impairs learning in schools

David L. Hudson, Jr. (has degree of law teaches first amendment rights at Vanderbilt) 2/7/03

http://www.washburnlaw.edu/wlj/42-1/articles/hudson-david.pdf
Today our country is consumed by the outbreak of violence in public schools. Threats of violence in schools must be taken seriously. Almost inevitably these threats produce fear among students and teachers. They inflict harm and impair learning. Sometimes they create panic. ‘Panic’ is the word Justice Holmes used in Schenck. ‘Panic’ is the reaction Mrs. [C.] described when she received Douglas’s story. The potential for panic suggests an alternative analysis that the parties and the courts in this case have not explored.136

Education- Impact (Human Rights)

Education is a human right that has been codified in multiple international treaties

Eric Lerum, Sheila Moreira, and Rena Scheinkman graduated from the Washington College of Law in 2003. While law students, they taught constitutional law to public high school students in the District of Columbia as Marshall-Brennan Fellows and co-founded the Education Project to promote education rights for the students of the nation's capital. Eric Lerum is currently the Legislative Counsel for the Committee on Education, Libraries, and Recreation for the Council of the District of Columbia. Sheila Moreira is an attorney with the Moreira Law Firm, P.C. in New York. Rena Scheinkman is an Associate at Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. in Washington, D.C. IN THIS ISSUE: Strengthening America's Foundation: Why Securing the Right to an Education at Home is Fundamental to the United States' Efforts to Spread Democracy Abroad, Human Rights Brief. Spring, 2005