Van King, Present and Pulser Patrick A. Yack Eulior @ Some dangers can bie minimized, some cannot. Let’s concentrate on those that can be. If his number one goal today is to focus public aitention-on efforts to curb, school Mlolence, there ls no better place for Goy. Jim ‘Hint to be than Grimsley High Schoo! Fight here in Greensboro. Wednesday's shooting ‘Soes not mean that Grimsley is any more ‘folence-prone than any other bigh school, but it certainly did clear the mind of other thoughts. “The Fak in Hunt's coming’ to Grimsley Is that the message may cloud the important distinction between risks that can be anticl pated and controlled in and around our Eehools and risks that cannot be "A number of very specific steps are being shen to meet the rising incidence of violence in schools: metal detectors, cops in the halls harsh penalties for bringing weapons, to School, Softer, less direct measures ere being SSpplied es wel, such as instruction in con- ‘ct resolution ‘and more counseling. ‘None of these thiags has much to do with in incident “euch as. Wednesday's, Nicholas Alexander Atkinsoa, a 16-year-old Suspended the day before for smoking, came Sacks shot and wounded an assistant princl- Dal, hen shot and Killed himself, tall tok place in the: parking lot after school, From fhe securlty standpoint, it might ax well have ‘been in the middle-of Lake Daniel Park, eTHe-Nsk of stieha thing happening has riveh more in common with the risk of being tay school violence. As traumatizing a5 an {ncident like this ean be to members of the choi community, there's no point in schools ‘wasting time and energy trying to figure out how to prevent random events “Ot course, there isthe matter of curtailing ss to handguns, But that's @ concern of ve community at large and of. parents in articular, not ofthe schools. (Early indica; tions were that the handgun Atkinson used Fag ameteorte then it does wih day-to- dangerous sell-destructive. belay David DuBuisson Editorial Page Eiior Ned Cline Associate Editor Tragedy underscores tandomness of risk was not readily avilable to hit) “Tragedies of this sort may sometimes be hhendes off by spotting troubled teenagers fad intervening in time Schools are addres {ng this possibilty with # new emphasis on ‘Counseling, But its an area in which teachers fn aininators ett oad eu Schools cannot assume responsibility, for identifying psychological problems and in tervering. When the schools decide their mission is therapy, then their mission will no Tonger be educetion; and failure(s inevitable. What ean and should school officials do? Fins, the authority of teachers and princi- pals must be unambiguous, We ask a lot of Them; thelr judgment has to be, trusted. ‘Second, they must do everything possible to make ‘school campuses weapon-free, 08 they have been doing. ‘The penalties’ for Niolations must be severe. ‘Third, efforts to teach peaceful confict resolution must continue and intensify. analy, i's esgenial to reaffirm the funda- mental values of a clilized, community It 6 the parents’ duty to-feach a child these {Vales Ts the parents’ responsibility to see thet a child is not a danger to those-around vbere__ him, But asthe child passes through edeles; tinge and into the teen. years, that child Becomes responsible for his own actions: eis at this stage thatthe learning process! may be breaking down, Adolescence isnot an ‘cag time to urasp the importance of subordl- fating, selfish needs to the, well-being of tthers, There's not much reinforcement for — that idea in popular youth culture. And this ity be why willlulness sometimes veers into ‘Not everything that happens in and around. fa school can be controlled any more than We San control everything thet heppens in and feround our bomes. What a community cen ope to dois what «family tries todo: reduce the risk to an acceptable level “rhe governor. no. doubt. will have some sound advice when he makes his Ss ‘alt to Geimaley this afternoon, But he Will® shave no.magic cure.” € ac apa din we ~ News & RECORD Pe Greeisboro, Noth Calin | : ESTABLISHED 1890 Schooly initiativ official When we tox arm, The Guilf ere have done prayers in scho: ‘Guilford Coun few aren count: resolution ealin, ‘our nation's pul County, Comn ‘against this re: Statement tothe {id not want to you just can't h Woods states | that he fs active his views, his © motive forever ‘God said that its wicked way: ‘wil eal its lar Guilford, Cou member the & County Democr Mayor:an« favot the | “Tiope afl of» rent eh