To the Editor:

Our class studied the problem of school violence. I think the problem begins at home. Somebody found a website that says most of the people who leave babies for other people to find are between the ages of 16 and 20. They don't understand about children and what they need. And domestic violence is abuse and that's where kids learn to bring violence to school. I read that gangs are appealing because they're like belonging to a family where someone cares about you.

How do we get people to understand what kids need so they don't have to be violent? Teach the homes that children need help, not hitting.

To the Editor:

Our seventh grade class at Peace Middle School recently studied the problem of school violence. Our research showed that this is a complicated problem. I think that a big part of the problem begins at home.

An article by Burnett and Walz entitled "Gangs in Schools" (ericweb.tc.Columbia.edu/digests/dig99.html) explained that gangs give members a feeling of belonging to a family. Many kids join gangs to feel more powerful and less isolated. This shows us that children aren't always getting what they need at home. One thing children need is to feel important.

A factsheet from the National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information says that about a million children were confirmed as maltreated last year (www.calib.com/nccanch/pubs/factsheets/canstats.htm).

A policeman also came into our class this year and told us that abused children often become abusing adults.

Not all parents understand enough about raising children. Maybe there should be more classes for parents. And if children learn about child development when they are in school, maybe they will understand how to be better parents when they are adults. Then there would be more attention to children's needs and there would be less abuse at home. Then maybe there would be less violence at home, and less violence at school.