Panel searches for roots of campus violence

Justin Coffi was one of about 10 local students to attend a forum on campus violence Wednesday sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League.

But unlike most other students in the audience who were attending because of class requirements Coffi had something to tell the panel of educators, psychologists and law enforcement officials.

"I hear the panel talking about music, television and the Internet and that's not where the problem is," Coffi, a senior at Community College High School, said. "Everyone assumes that teenagers' heads are mindless voids that are filled with violence from websites. "Kids don't go to websites and then start believing in what they say. They go there after they already believe in something."

The panel, led by Anti-Defamation League educational director Majorie Green, identified several possible problems that could lead to the kind of violence at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo.

"We don't pretend to have one easy answer, but we are bringing together diverse groups of people to discuss the issues in hopes that solutions will arise," Green said.

Several factors could play a role, the panel decided, including violence in music, movies and on the Internet, alienation and rejection, a proliferation of guns on the street and a lack of parenting.

One of the most important pieces is a parent's involvement with their children, school district spokesman Ray Willis said.

Coffi told the panel he is lucky to see his parents once a week because of his family's fast-paced schedule. That's something many children experience, Carolyn Goodman, former president of the Meadows School, said.

"We're living in a society that has a lot of single parents," Goodman said. "Add to that the fact that a single income doesn't go as far as it use to, and we see many families with two working parents."

While preventative measures such as Metro Police's Zero Weapons Zero Tolerance and DARE programs help, Willis said that the parents are the key.

"Without the parents we're fighting a losing battle," Willis said. "I don't know what we can do to bring in the missing parents, but any solution needs to involve parents."

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