Editorial: Once again, a child is killed

The brutal videotaped beating death of a Chicago student sparked outrage, but it is a sad reminder of how much violence exists around many urban school districts, including Philadelphia.

It prompted U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to travel to Chicago last week to issue a long overdue "call to action" to target and prevent youth crime. President Obama dispatched Holder and Education Secretary Arne Duncan to that city in the wake of the vicious beating of Derrion Albert last month by fellow students.

A national dialogue about youth violence clearly is a step in the right direction. But it is disappointing that it took yet another senseless murder to make it happen. Albert, 16, a sophomore honor student, was walking from school to a bus stop when he got caught up in street fighting, authorities say.

Four teenagers have been charged with viciously beating and kicking Albert. The graphic beating was caught on tape by a bystander.

With the video widely circulated on the Internet, the case has put a public face on youth violence in a city where three students have been murdered this school year, and 34 were killed last year.

Whether it was the heinous nature of the killing or the chilling video, it has struck a raw nerve and demands a solution to stop the violence.

"It takes capturing a death on video to wake the country," says Duncan. He cited recent student deaths in Philadelphia, Seattle, New Orleans, and Tulsa, Okla.

While the case focuses attention on Chicago, youth violence is a national problem and a fact of life for too many youngsters - and not only in urban areas or at school.

A Justice Department report released last week found that 60 percent of the youngsters surveyed were exposed to violence in the past year.

That means that they were either a victim, witnessed violence, learned about violence against a relative or friend, or heard about a threat to their school or home, researchers said.

Also troubling, nearly half were assaulted at least once in the past year, 10 percent were injured in an assault, and one in four was a victim of robbery or vandalism, the study found.

In many cases, the violence may not be school-related. But it may occur while students are traveling through dangerous neighborhoods to school or back home - making it an issue for school officials.

In the Philadelphia School District, serious crimes are down. But more aggressive action is needed to further reduce the violence and create a better academic setting.

Regardless of where it happens, youth violence has the potential to disrupt schools and learning.

More needs to be done to keep kids safe.