"I don't know what's gotten into these kids."

The comments came from exasperated Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin as he tried to make sense of a series of assaults on police officers and teachers recently in the Lehigh Valley.Nervous parents in surrounding areas, such as Carbon and Schuylkill counties, are wondering whether it might spread here.During a recent news conference to talk about the arrest of seven teens from the Medical Academy Charter School in Catasauqua for jumping an Allentown police offer who was trying to break up a fight in south Allentown, Martin branded the offenders as "ruffians" and "hooligans.""I don't want to generalize, because there are far more terrific kids out there," Martin said.This incident comes after charges were filed against a Dieruff High School student, who is alleged to have pushed a teacher down the bleachers after a pep rally on Nov. 6, and fights that broke out Oct. 29 near Allen High School where students attacked police officers, injuring four of them. There was also a large-scale fight Nov. 5 in the Trexler Middle School in Allentown, resulting in injuries and arrests.On top of this, nine Liberty High School students in Bethlehem were charged Nov. 18 after being involved in a school fight; in another incident the same day, a Liberty student punched a bus driver.Six Trexler Middle School students in Allentown were charged Nov. 18 with underage drinking when the 11- and 12-year-olds were caught drinking vodka in school.Martin wants stronger laws to deal with the violence and will be working through the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association and the state Legislature to allow for stiffer penalties for juveniles who commit violence against law enforcement officials.To that, I would like to add a provision to publicize the names of any students of any age once they are convicted or plead guilty to attacking police or teachers.I am increasingly troubled by what is happening in our schools, and, by extension, in society.In a survey of teachers in the 1940s, the top disciplinary problems were: talking out of turn, chewing gum, making noise, running in the hall, cutting in line, dress code violations and littering. Ah, the good old days!In a similar survey, taken recently, the top problems teachers cited are: drug abuse, alcohol abuse, pregnancy, suicide, rape, robbery, assault and cyber and personal bullying.There is a growing body of evidence indicating that exposure to media violence and violent video games contributes to more aggressiveness in children, which carries over into the schools.Allentown School District Superintendent Dr. C. Russell Mayo said the incidents which occurred over the past few weeks involving Allentown teens are "without a doubt a disturbing situation that we take seriously.''Mayo said the administration is taking "appropriate action with our disruptive students. We will not tolerate this behavior."He added that "raising our kids is a family and community effort." Allentown teachers and the head of the teachers' union have criticized Mayo for not reacting quickly or strongly enough when these incidents first occurred.Mayo told the Allentown School Board on Nov. 19 that he has asked building principals to identify troublemakers and move swiftly against them when they show aggressive behavior toward authority.Jim Thorpe Superintendent Brian J. Gasper says "nothing abnormal'' has been happening in his district. He says when possible the district works in concert with parents to solve serious behavioral problems with aberrant students, and, for a smaller district, he says, "this works well for us.'' He said he sees no unusual spike in incidents where students are challenging authority in the schools, although he adds that it appears as if there is a societal shift in this direction.Gasper points to an award-winning schoolwide behavioral program, which has been in effect for about five years in the K-8 buildings in the Jim Thorpe district and was introduced into the high school for the first time this year.I also reached out to Superintendent Scot Engler of the Palmerton district, but he did not return calls. Superintendents Dennis Kergick of the Panther Valley District and Jonathan Cleaver of the Lehighton district were out of the office Friday and not available for comment.Progressive educators are advocating talking circles and peer juries to resolve conflict in some urban and suburban schools. This approach has the backing of the Obama administration. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, who is stepping down next month, recently told a conference, "It's sort of a counterintuitive thing for many of us adults, but the more we give up power, the more we empower others, often the better things are, and empowering teenagers to be part of the solution, having them control the (classroom) environment, control the culture, be the leaders, listening to them, respecting them - when we do that, wonderful things happen for kids in communities that didn't happen historically."There are many skeptics to this approach, and I am one of them. Parental example is lacking. Some parents are aggressive, rather than supportive, toward teachers and staff. This has been an unfortunate seismic generational shift, and, I am afraid, definitely not one for the better.When asked what he thinks is causing a rise in violence, Lehigh District Attorney Martin also pointed to a lack of parental discipline and guidance as part of the problem. "I grew up in an age that if I got in trouble in school, I'd be in even more trouble at home," Martin said. "Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case any longer."BRUCE FRASSINELLI |

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