Facts about School Violence and Bullying

• 24% of high school students knew of gangs at their school in 2005

• In 2005 students ages 12-18 were victims of about 628,200 violent crimes at school, including rape, aggravated assault and robbery

• Approximately 22% of urban 11 and 12 year olds know at least one person their age in a gang

• Young people who bully are more likely to smoke, drink alcohol and get into fights

• The percentage of public schools experiencing one or more violent incidents increased between the 1999-2000 and 2003-2004 school years, from 71%-81%

• Teenagers say revenge is the strongest motivation for school shootings

• Bullying occurs most frequently in grades 6-8 with little variation between urban, suburban town, and rural areas

 Sources: Centers for Disease control and Prevention, Constitutional Rights Foundation, National Center for Education Statistics, US Department of Justice, Indicators of School Crime and Safety:2006, U.S. Departments of Education and Justice, 2006, National Institutes of Health 2001

 

Facts about Bullying and Harassment of Gay, Lesbian and Transgender Youth

• 65% of LGBT students report verbal harassment because of their orientation

• Adults are often uncomfortable intervening when bias is based on sexual orientation

• Unlike other forms of bullying harassment of LGBT students increases in higher grades

• Students hear anti-gay epithets 25 times a day, and teachers fail to respond to these comments 97% of the time

• 89.2% of students frequently hear “THAT’S SO GAY” OR “YOU’RE SO GAY”

• For every LGBT student that reported being harassed, 4 straight students reported being harassed because they were perceived as being gay or lesbian.

 Source: Teasing and Torment Report (GLSEN 2005), National Mental Health Association 2002. Gay, Lesbian, Straight Educators Network

 Facts about Students Who Bully and are Bullied

• 60% of those characterized as bullies in grades 6-9 will have at least one criminal conviction by age 24

• Those that are bullied tend to grow up more socially anxious, with less self-esteem and require more mental health services throughout life

• 61% said students shoot others because they have been victims of physical abuse at home

• 54% said witnessing physical abuse at home can lead to violence in school

• Among students, homicide perpetrators were more than twice as likely as homicide victims to have been bullies by peers.

• 282,000 students are physically attacked in secondary schools each month

• 100,000 students carry a gun to school each day

• 28% of youths who carry weapons have witnessed violence at home, Duane Alexander, M.D., Director of NICHD,

 Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics-School Crime and Safety, Center for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. Departments of Education Associated Violent Deaths in the United States 1994-1999, Center of Disease Control and Prevention and U. S. Departments of Education and Justice, 2001