Another Reason to Homeschool

"School violence is becoming an epidemic in Oklahoma," the Enid News and Eagle recently editorialized ('More children becoming worried about personal safety in school').

A 2007 Oklahoma Youth Risk Behavior survey polled some 2,600 students in grades nine through 12. Of those surveyed, 22.3 percent said they had carried a weapon such as a knife, gun or club to school within the past 30 days. About 9 percent said they carried weapons to school within any given 30-day period.

Those weapons, and the threat of violence, are taking their toll. More than 5 percent of students surveyed said they stayed away from school at some point within a 30-day period because they felt either unsafe at school or traveling to or from school.

More than 10 percent of students said they had been in a fight on school property in the past year. Even more troubling was the fact 7.7 percent of students reported being physically forced to have sex against their will.