The NEA's concern with violence in schools touches on each concept embedded in its mission statement. That mission statement says the NEA will promote the cause of quality public education and advance the profession of education; expand the rights and further the interests of educational employees; and advocate human, civil, and economic rights for all. The NEA believes violence in schools detracts from the development of a quality education, places educational employees at risk of injury or fatality, and violates constitutional rights. Rather than viewing schools as inherently violent places, the NEA believes that crime and violence in schools are caused by community and family problems and that the problem of violence is a social one. NEA policies, programs and activities for dealing with violence in schools are briefly described. 42 notes