Let's Stop the Violence, says Brown

What if Norwalk’s new school superintendent joined forces with the police chief and really, truly addressed the issue of violence in the schools? This is the question Amanda Brown is asking.

Brown, chairwoman of Norwalk Democrat’s District C and former councilwoman, considers the safety of schoolchildren to be the community’s highest priority. The mother of two said she has watched teenage violence escalate. Students use new tools for acting out including the Internet and text messaging.  Brown said she does not believe it is a random problem but a systemic one. With new school superintendent, Susan Marks, scheduled to take office July 1, Brown sees a fresh opportunity to address a community problem.

“We need to teach our students how to handle adversarial situations,” said Brown. “Intervention is great but prevention is better.”

Brown encourages the board of education and the police department work together to find ways to reallocate resources rather than spending additional money. Norwalk police resource officers are in the schools already, she noted. The curriculum in the health classes can include discussions of the consequences of violence and teach conflict resolution.

She also sees it as a problem the whole community needs to address. Adults need to step up and serve as role models, Brown said.

“We need to be kind and polite to one another,” she said. “We need to address our anger issues and teach our young people how to handle them without violence.”

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