By Caribbean Premier League
Copyright trinidadexpress
The disturbing rise in school violence has once again dominated headlines. From viral videos of students in uniform trading blows to the shocking case at Preysal Secondary where a police officer was locked in a classroom by students, the message is clear: our schools are no longer safe havens—they are risk zones.
This is not just indiscipline. It is a risk management failure. Every incident chips away at trust in our education system, erodes authority, and leaves scars—seen and unseen—on our children.
Every episode of school violence carries ripple effects that extend beyond the classroom walls—
• Authority undermined: If teachers and even police can be humiliated or overpowered, what message are we sending about respect and accountability?
• Escalation of violence: Fists today may be weapons tomorrow. Without intervention, the cycle only grows more dangerous.
• Silent trauma: Victims and bystanders carry fear and anxiety long after the fight is over, affecting learning and confidence.
• Community normalisation: When violence is filmed and shared as entertainment, aggression becomes content instead of crisis.
Suspensions and expulsions may remove the child temporarily, but they do not address root causes: poor emotional regulation, lack of conflict resolution skills, and absence of mentorship. Punishment without rehabilitation often hardens behaviour. We cannot punish our way out of this crisis.
Hardcore steps we can take now
If we are serious about ending school violence, here are urgent, practical actions schools and communities can adopt immediately:
• 72-hour rapid response plans: Each school should have a clear one-page playbook for crises—who calls parents, who secures the area, who manages communication. Run drills regularly.
• Teach emotional intelligence: Make self-control, empathy, and conflict resolution as fundamental as maths or English.
• Early intervention teams: Use attendance and behaviour logs to flag at-risk students early. Meet weekly to support and redirect them before conflicts escalate.
• Teacher training in mediation: Equip teachers with simple de-escalation scripts. Violence often erupts because conflict is mishandled at the start.
• Parental accountability contracts: Parents must commit to no weapons in school, regular bag checks, and consequences at home for breaches. Discipline cannot be outsourced to teachers alone.
Peer mediation: Train respected students to help defuse disputes before they spiral into physical fights.
No single strategy works like a magic wand. Success depends on consistency, leadership buy-in, and cultural fit.
But what we do know is this: schools that apply emotional intelligence training, early intervention systems, and restorative practices see real, measurable reductions in violence. Resilience is not built overnight—it is built step by step, with commitment from teachers, parents, and communities working together.
Some may dismiss the Preysal incident as a prank. But when a police officer can be confined by students, we are seeing the erosion of order and authority. Whether prank or protest, the underlying issue is the same—respect for boundaries is collapsing.
This is where leadership matters. Principals, policymakers and parents must stop seeing fights as isolated flare-ups. They are systemic warnings.
Each ignored warning raises the cost of the next crisis.
The real fight is not student against student. It is society against silence, apathy and delay. Resilience means building systems that prevent violence, not just respond to it.
Strength is not found in fists—it is found in self-control, empathy, and respect. Our children are watching. They will mirror what we normalise. If we normalise chaos, we will reap chaos. If we model resilience, compassion and accountability, we will raise a generation ready to lead, not fight.
The time for hand-wringing is over. The time for hardcore action is now.
—Author Sally Ann Bharat-Buffong is a behavioural analyst/transformational coach.
