Survey finds schoolchildren are scared.

We are all aware of the violence that grips contemporary society and affects our educational community. To validate that this violence is affecting the lives of very young children, we administered a survey to fourth-grade students. The survey addressed 10-year-old students' experience and perceptions of violence and threats of violence at home, at school and in their neighborhoods.

Results of the survey sound an alarm that cannot be ignored by school districts in any geographical area, of any size or ethnicity.

The purpose of surveying these 10-year-old students was to raise the awareness of all people involved in the lives of young children to a level of action - rather than reaction. Children cannot learn when they are scared.

A total of 408 fourth-grade students in a …