SIGNS OF THE TIMES: SCHOOLS SEEK WAYS TO FEND OFF GUSN

It isn't something parents like to think about: guns and violence in schools. Granted, incidents of violence in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois are much lower than in urban areas. But it is there nonetheless, lurking, nagging at society's conscience.

A recent national poll shows that as many as 70 percent of districts allow city police to patrol the schools. Up to 20 percent of schools have metal detectors as a way to uncover guns and other weapons.

The public school district in Cairo, Ill., is among the 20 percent, recently installing metal detectors and security cameras at the high school. It is a preventative step, according to Superintendent Elaine Bonifield, who wants to make sure arguments on the streets don't end violently in the classrooms.

It seems a drastic measure, but perhaps some schools have no choice in order to protect today's schoolchildren. A 1990 survey by the National Centers for Disease Control provided a chilling statistic: At least one high school student in five carried a gun, knife or club for protection at least once during 1990. Reports of children who bring guns to school have occurred much closer to home in recent years, both in Cape Girardeau and Jackson. Smaller communities aren't immune to society's ills.

The violence isn't always student against student. Sometimes, the schools get in the middle of parental disputes. Such was the case in Carbondale, Ill., earlier this week when a gun-wielding father abducted his 8-year-old daughter from a third-grade classroom.

Strengthened juvenile laws took effect this past week in Missouri. One allows children as young as 12 to stand trial as adults for any felony. Another new law requires students to be suspended for not less than one year for bringing a firearm to school, although local officials can modify suspensions on a case-by-case basis.

Schools don't operate in a vacuum, although most probably wish they could. Broken homes and violent crime take their toll. It is no wonder so many schools across the nation are fighting back in an effort to protect their young charges.