Dr. Malcolm Smith is a nationally recognized researcher in peer victimization and youth anger. Thursday he led two sessions at Lexington’s Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Conference. He said part of the answer lies in fostering civil behavior. “What we have to get back at, and it’s not expensive, is to teach manners and civility, both in the home and in the school. In order to do that, we have to model that. So, we’ve got to start thinking about our public meetings, about our political structure and how politicians treat each other,” said Smith.
Smith noted the COVID pandemic has included what he describes as an explosion of bad behavior. The director of the national Courage to Care Project added, quote, “just giving a shot doesn’t change anything,” as it relates to youth interaction.
Smith, who has responded to more than 50 school shootings, said Kentucky and other states are seeing individual kids bringing guns to solve individual problems. He said mental health and wellness services fall short of what’s needed. Smith added small schools and classes would help.
Here's the entire interview with Dr. Malcolm Smith:
