WHAT is the driving force behind school violence?Angry students from fatherless homes, ineffective consequences, and inconsistency in enforcing discipline.Those were the three factors one school principal from South Trinidad attributed to the level of violence taking place at the school she heads.Another principal in North Trinidad listed family problems, poor parental supervision and social media as the main reasons.Both responses were provided to the Sunday Express by Sharlene Hicks-Raeburn, president of the Association of Principals of Public Secondary Schools (APPSS). Last month, she was asked via WhatsApp to identify the top factors driving school violence and she noted that without empirical data, the response would depend on the context of each school.Singling out social media, Hicks-Raeburn said school principals have noted that quite a number of school fights resulted from students’ peers pressuring them to do so, “jeering them on, and poised with a camera phone ready to record”.She added: “There is this uncontrollable, unexplainable desire to be among the first to post simply for the satisfaction of knowing that you did it. For the onlookers, the fight is nothing short of entertainment.”However, Hicks-Raeburn also reported that school principals were noticing an increase in students openly stating they were frustrated, with some getting angry at the slightest remark.”When asked to explain the cause of their anger, they are unable to express themselves,” Hicks-Raeburn noted, adding: “The majority of students are very desensitised to violence. This is not a school problem, it is a societal problem. Listen to our music, entertainment, movies, video games.”According to one of the principals, while most parents do attend meetings when called in by the principal or dean to discuss their child, a small percentage are uncooperative and difficult.”Usually, parents of repeat offenders are the ones whom principals and deans have difficulty seeing,” she said, citing difficulty getting time off from their jobs as a common reason.Hicks-Raeburn pointed out that most parents did not condone violence and did admit when their child was wrong. However, she argued that some often tried to justify why the child did whatever was wrong.”Some parents have also admitted to telling their child to retaliate if faced with a conflict,” Hicks-Raeburn stated.Asked if principals could identify violent, disruptive students in advance, she listed some warning signs: “Child teases others, cannot sit still in class, does not handle conflict well, is easily angered, hot-headed, prone to hitting/kicking/pushing others or objects when angry, always uses obscene language.”According Hicks-Raeburn, it was unfortunate that it was only in extreme circumstances that a child would receive professional intervention quickly.She described the avenues to help students needing intervention as oversubscribed and admitted, “We must aim to be more proactive than reactive. Troubled students do not receive any immediate counselling.”Hicks-Raeburn also noted: “There needs to be more access to counselling for parents and children. There is a need for greater whole-school strategies and the infusion of social and emotional learning techniques to help students become more self-aware and become more empathetic.”Early screening and intervention Weighing in on the discussion, National Parent Teachers Association (NPTA) president Walter Stewart reported that attendance at PTA meetings continued to be of deep concern to the NPTA.”At PTA meetings we usually admit that ‘we are speaking to the converted’ because the parents who attend, participate and are engaged tend to be parents experiencing little difficulties and challenges with their children,” Stewart said, noting, “Concomitant with this, however, are situations and circumstances where parents need help and support, and are unaware of the agencies and personnel to turn to.”He admitted this reality indicated to him that support must go beyond the school gates and should become more accessible through parenting programmes, counselling, social workers, guidance counsellors and community- based interventions.He said: “Our PTAs therefore need to adapt to the changing needs and realities of today’s parents, particularly if we are to attract the ‘unconverted’. We have to create more innovative ways to improve attendance at PTA meetings.”Stewart also noted that PTAs needed to explore more flexible meeting times, greater use of technology and social media, parent education sessions and community outreach programmes.He admitted parenting today was different from 20 or 30 years ago.”Technology and social media have transformed the environment in which children are growing up. There is far greater exposure to violence, expanded peer influence, changing family structures, increased mental and emotional challenges, greater exposure and easier access to substances and a society that is changing at a much faster pace,” Stewart said, while acknowledging parents today were not getting consistent support to deal with children who display anger, aggression and other behavioural problems at home.Using the NPTA’s motto, “home and school united for the good of the child”, Stewart said there needed to be a stronger and more intentional system of early screening and intervention, beginning at the early childhood care and education (ECCE) stage.He said this should go beyond vision, hearing and physical development to identify behavioural, emotional and developmental challenges, as well as family and social circumstances, at the earliest possible stage.Stewart said understanding the environment in which a child was being raised was also important, stressing that the aim was not to invade family space or stigmatise families or communities, but to facilitate early identification, intervention and support.”If we are able to identify a challenge at age four/five and provide the requisite support, we have a much better opportunity to prevent challenges and problems at age 12/13/14,” he said.He also called for schools to have greater access to social workers, guidance counsellors, psychologists and other support professionals.Stewart also argued that parents must be held accountable for their responsibilities, but said they should also receive the support needed to fulfil them.He said parents who knowingly encourage violence, neglect their duties or refuse reasonable intervention must be held responsible for failing to provide their children with the necessary guidance, supervision and support.In 2025, the police stated that 27 school fights were reported across the country, while 36 fights were recorded by the police in 2026.In the case of weapon possession, there were six reports in 2025 and eight in 2026. That data was provided by DCP Junior Benjamin on September 14.
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