Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2007 U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Statistics Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2007 December 2007, NCJ 219553 -------------------------------------------------------- This file is text only without graphics and many of the tables. A Zip archive of the tables in this report in spreadsheet format (.csv) and the full report including tables and graphics in .pdf format are available from: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/iscs07.htm This report is one in a series. More recent editions may be available. To view a list of all in the series go to http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pubalp2.htm#indicators ------------------------------------------------------- NCES 2008-021 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Rachel Dinkes Education Statistics Services Institute- American Institutes for Research Emily Forrest Cataldi MPR Associates, Inc. Wendy Lin-Kelly Bureau of Justice Statistics Thomas D. Snyder Project Officer National Center for Education Statistics Department of Education Margaret Spellings Secretary Department of Justice Michael B. Mukasey Attorney General Institute of Education Sciences Grover J. Whitehurst Director Office of Justice Programs Cybele K. Daley Acting Assistant Attorney General National Center for Education Statistics Mark Schneider Commissioner Bureau of Justice Statistics Jeffrey L. Sedgwick Director The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data related to education in the United States and other nations. It fulfills a congressional mandate to collect, collate, analyze, and report full and complete statistics on the condition of education in the United States; conduct and publish reports and specialized analyses of the meaning and significance of such statistics; assist state and local education agencies in improving their statistical systems; and review and report on education activities in other countries. The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) is the primary federal entity for collecting, analyzing, publishing, and disseminating statistical information about crime, its perpetrators and victims, and the operation of the justice system at all levels of government. Th ese data are critical to federal, state, and local policymakers in combating crime and ensuring that justice is both efficient and evenhanded. December 2007 Suggested Citation Dinkes, R., Cataldi, E.F., and Lin-Kelly, W. (2007). Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2007 (NCES 2008- 021/NCJ 219553). National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, and Bureau of Justice Statistics, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Washington, DC. This publication can be downloaded from the World Wide Web at http://nces.ed.gov or http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs. Single hard copies can be ordered through ED Pubs at 1-877-4ED-PUBS (NCES 2008-021) (TTY/TDD 1-877-576-7734), and the Bureau of Justice Statistics Clearinghouse at 1-800-851-3420 (NCJ 219553). Contact at NCES Thomas D. Snyder (202) 502-7452 tom.snyder@ed.gov Contact at BJS Michael Rand 202-616-3494 micheal.rand@usdoj.gov EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Our nation's schools should be safe havens for teaching and learning, free of crime and violence. Any instance of crime or violence at school not only affects the individuals involved but also may disrupt the educational process and affect bystanders, the school itself, and the surrounding community (Henry 2000). Ensuring safer schools requires establishing good indicators of the current state of school crime and safety across the nation and regularly updating and monitoring these indicators. This is the aim of Indicators of School Crime and Safety. This report is the tenth in a series of annual publications produced jointly by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Institute of Education Sciences (IES), in the U.S. Department of Education, and the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) in the U.S. Department of Justice. This report presents the most recent data available on school crime and student safety. The indicators in this report are based on information drawn from a variety of data sources, including national surveys of students, teachers, and principals. Such sources include results from a study of violent deaths in schools, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the National Crime Victimization Survey and School Crime Supplement to the survey, sponsored by the BJS and NCES, respectively; the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and the Schools and Staffing Survey and School Survey on Crime and Safety, both sponsored by NCES. The most recent data collection for each indicator varied by survey, from 2003-04 to 2005-06. Each data source has an independent sample design, data collection method, and questionnaire design or is the result of a universe data collection. All comparisons described in this report are statistically significant at the .05 level. In 2005, the final response rate for students age 12 to 18 for the School Crime Supplement (56 percent),1 fell below the NCES statistical standards; therefore, interpret the 2005 data from Indicators 3, 8, 10, 11, 17, 18, and 21 with caution. Additional information about methodology and the datasets analyzed in this report may be found in appendix A. This report covers topics such as victimization, fights, bullying, classroom disorder, weapons, student perceptions of school safety, teacher injury, and availability and student use of drugs and alcohol. Indicators of crime and safety are compared across different population subgroups and over time. Data on crimes that occur outside of school grounds are offered as a point of comparison where available. 1 Analysis of unit nonresponse found evidence that for some demographic groups, there may be a response bias in that the nonrespondents have different characteristics than those who responded. Weighting adjustments, which corrected for differential response rates, should have reduced the problem. Therefore, while the results are valid, in interpreting the data from Indicators 3, 8, 10, 11, 17, 18, and 21, a reader should understand that these estimates may have larger and unmeasured sources of survey error than other estimates. KEY FINDINGS In the 2005-06 school year, an estimated 54.8 million students were enrolled in prekindergarten through grade 12 (U.S. Department of Education 2007). Preliminary data show that among youth ages 5-18, there were 17 school- associated violent deaths2 from July 1, 2005, through June 30, 2006 (14 homicides and 3 suicides) (Indicator 1). In 2005, among students ages 12-18, there were about 1.5 million victims of nonfatal crimes at school,3 including 868,100 thefts4 and 628,200 violent crimes5 (simple assault and serious violent crime6) (Indicator 2). There is some evidence that student safety has improved. The victimization rate of students ages 12-18 at school declined between 1992 and 2005 (Indicator 2). However, violence, theft, drugs, and weapons continue to pose problems in schools. During the 2005-06 school year, 86 percent of public schools reported that at least one violent crime, theft, or other crime occurred at their school (Indicator 6). In 2005, 8 percent of students in grades 9-12 reported being threatened or injured with a weapon in the previous 12 months, and 25 percent reported that drugs were made available to them on school property (Indicators 4 and 9). In the same year, 28 percent of students ages 12-18 reported having been bullied at school during the previous 6 months (Indicator 11). The following section presents key findings from each section of the report. Violent Deaths • From July 1, 2005, through June 30, 2006, there were 14 homicides and 3 suicides of school-age youth (ages 5-18) at school (Indicator 1), or about 1 homicide or suicide of a school-age youth at school per 3.2 million students enrolled during the 2005-06 school year. Nonfatal Student and Teacher Victimization • In 2005, students ages 12-18 were victims of about 1.5 million nonfatal crimes at school, including thefts4 and violent crimes5 (Indicator 2). • Students ages 12-18 were generally more likely to be victims of theft4 at school than away from school (Indicator 2). In 2005, 33 thefts4 per 1,000 students occurred at school and 23 thefts4 per 1,000 students occurred away from school. • In 2005, 4 percent of students ages 12-18 reported being victimized at school during the previous 6 months: 3 percent reported theft,4 and 1 percent reported violent victimization5 (Indicator 3). Less than half of a percent of students reported serious violent victimization.6 2 School-associated violent death is defined as "a homicide, suicide, legal intervention (involving a law enforcement officer), or unintentional firearm-related death in which the fatal injury occurred on the campus of a functioning elementary or secondary school in the United States." Victims of school-associated violent deaths included students, staff members, and others who are not students. 3 See appendix B for a detailed definition of "at school." 4 Theft includes purse snatching, pick pocketing, and all attempted and completed thefts except motor vehicle thefts. Theft does not include robbery in which threat or use of force is involved. 5 Violent crimes include serious violent crimes and simple assault. 6 Serious violent crimes include rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault. • Between 2003 and 2005, the percentage of students ages 12-18 reporting victimization declined (from 5 to 4 percent), as did the percentage reporting theft4 (from 4 to 3 percent); there were no measurable changes in the percentages reporting violent5 and serious violent crime6 during the same period (Indicator 3). • In 2005, 10 percent of male students in grades 9-12 reported being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property in the past year, compared to 6 percent of female students (Indicator 4). • Hispanic students were more likely than White students to report being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property in 2005 (10 vs. 7 percent) (Indicator 4). However, no measurable differences were found in the percentages of Black and White students, or Black and Hispanic students who reported being threatened or injured in this way. • In the 2003-04 school year, a greater percentage of teachers in city schools reported being threatened with injury or physically attacked in 2003-04 than teachers in suburban, town, or rural schools (Indicator 5). For example, in 2003-04, 10 percent of teachers in city schools were threatened with injury by students, compared to 6 percent of teachers in suburban schools, 5 percent of teachers in town schools, and 5 percent of teachers in rural schools. • A greater percentage of secondary school teachers (8 percent) reported being threatened with injury by a student than elementary school teachers (6 percent) (Indicator 5). However, a greater percentage of elementary school teachers (4 percent) reported having been physically attacked than secondary school teachers (2 percent). • A greater percentage of public than private school teachers reported being threatened with injury (7 vs. 2 percent) or physically attacked (4 vs. 2 percent) by students in school (Indicator 5). Among teachers in city schools, those in public schools were at least five times more likely to be threatened with injury than their colleagues in private schools (12 vs. 2 percent) and at least four times more likely to be physically attacked (5 vs. 1 percent). School Environment • In 2005-06, 86 percent of public schools reported one or more serious violent incidents,7 violent incidents,8 thefts of items valued at $10 or greater, or other crimes had occurred at their school, amounting to an estimated 2.2 million crimes (Indicator 6). This figure translates into a rate of 46 crimes per 1,000 students enrolled in 2005-06. • The percentage of public schools experiencing incidents of crime was lower in 2005- 06 than in 2003-04 (Indicator 6). However, the percentage of schools experiencing crimes in 2005-06 was not measurably different from the percentage of schools experiencing crimes in 1999-2000. 7 Serious violent incidents include rape or attempted rape, sexual battery other than rape, physical attack or fight with a weapon, threat of physical attack with a weapon, and robbery with or without a weapon. Serious violent incidents are a subset of violent incidents. 8 Violent incidents include serious violent incidents plus physical attacks or fights without a weapon and threats of physical attacks without a weapon. Serious violent incidents are a subset of violent incidents. • In 2005-06, 24 percent of public schools reported that student bullying was a daily or weekly problem (Indicator 7). With regard to other discipline problems occurring at least once a week, 18 percent of public school principals reported student acts of disrespect for teachers, 9 percent reported student verbal abuse of teachers, 3 percent reported daily or weekly occurrences of racial/ethnic tensions among students, and 2 percent reported widespread disorder in classrooms. With regard to other discipline problems occurring at least once per school year, 17 percent of principals reported undesirable gang activities and 4 percent reported undesirable cult or extremist activities during 2005-06. • In 2005-06, a higher percentage of middle schools than primary schools reported various types of discipline problems (Indicator 7). Also, a higher percentage of middle schools than high schools reported daily or weekly occurrences of student bullying and student sexual harassment of other students. • In 2005, 24 percent of students ages 12-18 reported that there were gangs at their schools (Indicator 8). Students in urban schools (36 percent) were more likely to report the presence of gangs at their school than suburban students (21 percent) and rural students (16 percent). • The percentage of students reporting the presence of gangs increased from 21 to 24 percent between 2003 and 2005 (Indicator 8). The percentage of students at urban schools reporting the presence of gangs at school increased from 31 to 36 percent during this period. • In 2005, one-quarter of all students in grades 9-12 reported that someone had offered, sold, or given them an illegal drug on school property in the past 12 months (Indicator 9). • Eleven percent of students ages 12-18 reported that someone at school had used hate-related words against them, and more than one-third (38 percent) reported seeing hate-related graffiti at school in 2005 (Indicator 10). • In 2005, 28 percent of students ages 12-18 reported having been bullied at school during the previous 6 months (Indicator 11). Of these students, 53 percent said that the bullying had happened once or twice during that period, 25 percent had experienced bullying once or twice a month, 11 percent reported having been bullied once or twice a week, and 8 percent said they had been bullied almost daily. • Of those students who reported bullying incidents that involved being pushed, shoved, tripped, or spit on (9 percent), 24 percent reported that they had sustained an injury9 during the previous 6 months as a result (Indicator 11). While no measurable differences were found by sex in students' likelihood of reporting a bullying incident in 2005, among students who reported being bullied, males were more likely than females to report being injured during such an incident (31 vs. 18 percent). 9 Injury includes bruises or swelling; cuts, scratches, or scrapes; black eye or bloody nose; teeth chipped or knocked out; broken bones or internal injuries; knocked unconscious; or other injuries. • In 2003-04, 35 percent of teachers agreed or strongly agreed that student misbehavior interfered with their teaching and 31 percent reported that student tardiness and class cutting interfered with their teaching (Indicator 12). Seventy-two percent of teachers agreed or strongly agreed that other teachers at their school enforced the school rules, and 88 percent reported that the principal enforced the school rules in 2003-04. • A higher percentage of elementary school teachers than secondary school teachers agreed that school rules were enforced by teachers in their school, even for students not in their class (Indicator 12). In 2003-04, 79 percent of elementary teachers reported that school rules were enforced by other teachers, compared to 56 percent of secondary teachers. Fights, Weapons, and Illegal Substances • In 2005, 36 percent of students in grades 9-12 reported they had been in a fight anywhere, and 14 percent said they had been in a fight on school property during the previous 12 months (Indicator 13). In the same year, 43 percent of males said they had been in a fight anywhere, compared to 28 percent of females, and 18 percent of males said they had been in a fight on school property, compared to 9 percent of females. • Nineteen percent of students in grades 9-12 in 2005 reported they had carried a weapon anywhere, and 6 percent reported they had carried a weapon on school property during the previous 30 days (Indicator 14). Males were more than two times more likely than females to carry a weapon-either anywhere or on school property- in all survey years. In 2005, for example, 10 percent of males carried a weapon on school property, compared to 3 percent of females, and 30 percent of males carried a weapon anywhere, compared to 7 percent of females. • In 2005, 43 percent of students in grades 9-12 reported having consumed at least one drink of alcohol anywhere, and 4 percent reported having consumed at least one drink on school property during the previous 30 days (Indicator 15). Hispanic students (8 percent) were more likely to report using alcohol on school property than White, Black, or Asian students (4, 3, and 1 percent, respectively). • Twenty percent of students in grades 9-12 in 2005 reported using marijuana anywhere during the past 30 days, and 5 percent reported using marijuana on school property during this period (Indicator 16). At school, Hispanic students (8 percent) and American Indian students (9 percent) were more likely to report using marijuana than White or Black students (4 and 5 percent, respectively). Fear and Avoidance • In 2005, approximately 6 percent of students ages 12-18 reported that they were afraid of attack or harm at school, and 5 percent reported that they were afraid of attack or harm away from school (Indicator 17). The percentage of students who reported that they were afraid of being attacked at school (including on the way to and from school) decreased from 12 to 6 percent between 1995 and 2005. • Black and Hispanic students were more likely than White students to fear for their safety regardless of location in 2005 (Indicator 17). Nine percent of Black students and 10 percent of Hispanic students reported that they were afraid of being attacked at school (including on the way to and from school), compared to 4 percent of White students. Away from school, 7 percent of Black students, 6 percent of Hispanic students, and 4 percent of White students reported that they were afraid of an attack. • In 2005, 6 percent of students ages 12-18 reported that they had avoided a school activity or one or more places in school in the previous 6 months because of fear of attack or harm: 2 percent of students avoided a school activity, and 4 percent avoided one or more places in school (Indicator 18). Consistent with most previous years, students in urban areas in 2005 were the most likely to avoid places in school: 6 percent of urban students reported that they had done so, compared to 4 percent of suburban and rural students. Discipline, Safety, and Security Measures • Forty-eight percent of public schools reported taking at least one serious disciplinary action against a student-including suspensions lasting 5 days or more, removals with no services (i.e., expulsions), and transfers to specialized schools-for specific offenses during the 2005-06 school year (Indicator 19). Of those serious disciplinary actions, 74 percent were suspensions for 5 days or more, 5 percent were expulsions, and 20 percent were transfers to specialized schools. • The largest percentage of schools that reported taking a disciplinary action in 2005-06 did so in response to a physical attack or fight: 32 percent of schools reported taking a serious disciplinary action for physical attacks or fights (Indicator 19). • In the 2005-06 school year, 5 percent of public schools reported performing drug testing on athletes and 3 percent reported doing so for students in other extracurricular activities (Indicator 20). A higher percentage of public high schools than middle or primary schools reported performing drug tests on students: 13 percent of high schools reported performing drug tests on athletes, compared to 7 percent of middle schools and 1 percent of primary schools. • The vast majority of students ages 12-18 reported that their school had a student code of conduct (95 percent) and a requirement that visitors sign in (93 percent) in 2005 (Indicator 21). Metal detectors were the least commonly observed security measure, with 11 percent of students reporting their use at their school. FOREWORD Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2007 provides the most recent national indicators on school crime and safety. Some of these indicators document that student safety has improved. The victimization rate of students ages 12-18 at school declined between 1992 and 2005. However, reports of violence, theft, drugs, and weapons did not decline during this same period. During the 2005- 06 school year, 86 percent of public schools reported that at least one violent crime, theft, or other crime occurred at their school. In 2005, 8 percent of students in grades 9-12 reported being threatened or injured with a weapon in the previous 12 months, and 25 percent reported that drugs were made available to them on school property. The information presented in this report is intended to serve as a reference for policymakers and practitioners so that they can develop effective programs and policies aimed at violence and school crime prevention. Accurate information about the nature, extent, and scope of the problem being addressed is essential for developing effective programs and policies. This is the tenth edition of Indicators of School Crime and Safety, a joint publication of the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). This report provides detailed statistics to inform the nation about current aspects of crime and safety in schools. The 2007 edition of Indicators includes the most recent available data, compiled from a number of statistical data sources supported by the federal government. Such sources include results from a study of violent deaths in schools, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the National Crime Victimization Survey and School Crime Supplement to the survey, sponsored by the BJS and NCES, respectively; the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and the Schools and Staffing Survey and School Survey on Crime and Safety, both sponsored by NCES. The entire report is available on the Internet. The Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Center for Education Statistics continue to work together in order to provide timely and complete data on the issues of school-related violence and safety. Mark Schneider Commissioner National Center for Education Statistics Jeffrey L. Sedgwick Director Bureau of Justice Statistics ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors are grateful to the heads of the sponsoring agencies, Mark Schneider of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and Jeffrey L. Sedgwick of the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), for supporting this report. From NCES, we wish to thank Kathryn Chandler, Val Plisko, Marilyn Seastrom, and Bruce Taylor, who served as reviewers. They all provided input that substantially improved the publication. From BJS, we wish to thank Katrina Baum, Allen Beck, Doris James, and Michael Rand who served as reviewers and Patsy Klaus and Erika Harrell who verified data from the National Crime Victimization Survey. Outside of NCES and BJS, Nancy Brener, Mark Anderson, Jeffrey Hall, and Latasha Butler of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention generously provided data and performed a review of data documentation. We also value the review of this report and the continued support provided by Bill Modzeleski and Deborah Rudy of the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools. Several staff members at the Education Statistics Services Institute (ESSI) contributed to this report. ESSI is funded by NCES and composed of staff from the American Institutes for Research (AIR) and a number of partner organizations. Mary Ann Fox of ESSIAIR provided overall guidance, research support, and statistical analysis. Elizabeth Jacinto (ESSI-AIR), Qingshu Xie (ESSI-Macrosys), and Paul Guerino (ESSI-AIR) gave programming and data support. Lauren Drake (ESSI- MacroSys), Jana Kemp (ESSI-Child Trends), and Kevin Bianco (ESSI-Macrosys) provided research and formatting support. Tom Nachazel (ESSI-AIR) copyedited updates to this year's report. Barbara Kridl, Natesh Daniel, Alicia Broadway, and Patricia Gildersleeve of MPR Associates worked on the cover design and report layout. Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2007 has received extensive reviews by several people, both within and outside of the Department of Education. We would like to thank them for their time and expert advice: Kristin Flanagan and Sandy Eyster, both of ESSI-AIR; Alexandra Henning of ESSI-Quality Information Partners; Xiaolie Wang of ESSI-National Institute of Statistical Sciences; Shijie Chen of ESSI-Research Triangle Institute; Siri Warkentien of ESSI-Child Trends; and Kevin Bromer and Hannah Dodd of ESSI-AIR. CONTENTS Executive Summary iii Foreword ix Acknowledgments x List of Tables xii List of Figures xx Introduction 1 Violent Deaths 5 1. Violent Deaths at School and Away From School 6 Nonfatal Student and Teacher Victimization 9 2. Incidence of Victimization at School and Away From School 10 3. Prevalence of Victimization at School 14 4. Threats and Injuries With Weapons on School Property 16 5. Teachers Threatened With Injury or Physically Attacked by Students 18 School Environment 21 6. Violent and Other Crime Incidents at Public Schools and Those Reported to the Police 22 7. Discipline Problems Reported by Public Schools 26 8. Students' Reports of Gangs at School 28 9. Students' Reports of Drug Availability on School Property 30 10. Students' Reports of Being Called Hate-Related Words and Seeing Hate-Related Graffiti 32 11. Bullying at School 34 12. Teachers' Reports of School Conditions 36 Fights, Weapons, and Illegal Substances 39 13. Physical Fights on School Property and Anywhere 40 14. Students Carrying Weapons on School Property and Anywhere 42 15. Students' Use of Alcohol on School Property and Anywhere 44 16. Students' Use of Marijuana on School Property and Anywhere 46 Fear and Avoidance 49 17. Students' Perceptions of Personal Safety at School and Away From School 50 18. Students' Reports of Avoiding School Activities or Specific Places in School 52 Discipline, Safety, and Security Measures 55 19. Serious Disciplinary Actions Taken by Public Schools 56 20. Safety and Security Measures Taken by Public Schools 58 21. Students' Reports of Safety and Security Measures Observed at School 60 References 63 Supplemental Tables 67 Standard Error Tables 117 Appendix A. Technical Notes 165 Appendix B. Glossary of Terms 195 Supplemental Tables 1.1. Number of school-associated violent deaths, homicides, and suicides of youth ages 5-18, by location and year: 1992-2006 68 1.2. Number of school-associated violent deaths of students, staff, and nonstudents, by type: 1992-2006 69 2.1. Number of student-reported nonfatal crimes against students ages 12-18 and rate of crimes per 1,000 students, by location and year: 1992-2005 70 2.2. Number of student-reported nonfatal crimes against students ages 12-18 at school and rate of crimes per 1,000 students, by selected student and school characteristics: 2005 71 2.3. Number of student-reported nonfatal crimes against students ages 12-18 away from school and rate of crimes per 1,000 students, by selected student and school characteristics: 2005 72 3.1. Percentage of students ages 12-18 who reported criminal victimization at school during the previous 6 months, by type of victimization and selected student and school characteristics: Various years, 1995-2005 73 4.1. Percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property during the previous 12 months, by selected student and school characteristics: Various years, 1993- 2005 75 4.2. Percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property during the previous 12 months, by state: 2003 and 2005 76 5.1. Percentage and number of public and private school teachers who reported that they were threatened with injury by a student from school during the previous 12 months, by urbanicity and selected teacher and school characteristics: Various school years, 1993-94, 1999- 2000, and 2003-04 77 5.2. Percentage and number of public and private school teachers who reported that they were physically attacked by a student from school during the previous 12 months, by urbanicity and selected teacher and school characteristics: Various school years, 1993-94, 1999- 2000, and 2003-04 78 5.3. Percentage and number of public school teachers who reported that they were threatened with injury by a student from school during the previous 12 months, by state: 1993-94, 1999-2000, and 2003-04 79 5.4. Percentage and number of public school teachers who reported that they were physically attacked by a student from school during the previous 12 months, by state: 1993-94, 1999-2000, and 2003-04 80 6.1. Percentage of public schools experiencing and reporting incidents of crime that occurred at school, number of incidents, and the rate per 1,000 students, by type of crime: Various school years, 1999-2000, 2003-04, and 2005-06 81 6.2. Percentage of public schools experiencing incidents of crime that occurred at school, number of incidents, and the rate of crimes per 1,000 students, by selected school characteristics: School year 2005-06 82 6.3. Percentage of public schools reporting incidents of crime that occurred at school to the police, number of incidents, and the rate of crimes per 1,000 students, by selected school characteristics: School year 2005-06 84 7.1. Percentage of public schools reporting selected discipline problems that occurred at school, by frequency: Various school years, 1999-2000, 2003-04, and 2005-06 86 7.2. Percentage of public schools reporting selected discipline problems that occurred at school, by frequency and school characteristics: School year 2005-06 87 8.1. Percentage of students ages 12-18 who reported that gangs were present at school during the previous 6 months, by urbanicity and selected student and school characteristics: 2001, 2003, and 2005 89 9.1. Percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported that drugs were made available to them on school property during the previous 12 months, by selected student and school characteristics: Various years, 1993-2005 90 9.2. Percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported that drugs were made available to them on school property during the previous 12 months, by state: 2003 and 2005 91 10.1. Percentage of students ages 12-18 who reported being targets of hate-related words and seeing hate- related graffiti at school during the previous 6 months, by selected student and school characteristics: Various years, 1999-2005 92 10.2. Percentage of students ages 12-18 who reported being targets of hate-related words at school during the previous 6 months, by selected student and school characteristics: 2005 93 11.1. Percentage of students ages 12-18 who reported selected bullying problems at school during the previous 6 months, by selected student and school characteristics: 2005 94 11.2. Percentage of students ages 12-18 who reported being bullied at school during the previous 6 months, by location of bullying, injury, and selected student and school characteristics: 2005 95 11.3. Percentage of students ages 12-18 who reported selected bullying problems at school during the previous 6 months and percentage distribution of the frequency of bullying reports, by selected student and school characteristics: 2005 96 12.1. Percentage of public and private school teachers who agreed or strongly agreed that student misbehavior and student tardiness and class cutting interfered with their teaching, by selected teacher and school characteristics: Various school years, 1987-88 through 2003-04 97 12.2. Percentage of public and private school teachers who agreed or strongly agreed that school rules are enforced by other teachers and by the principal, by selected teacher and school characteristics: Various school years, 1987-88 through 2003-04 98 13.1. Percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported having been in a physical fight during the previous 12 months, by location and selected student and school characteristics: Various years, 1993-2005 100 13.2. Percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported having been in a physical fight during the previous 12 months, by location and state: 2003 and 2005 .... 101 14.1. Percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported carrying a weapon at least 1 day during the previous 30 days, by location and selected student and school characteristics: Various years, 1993-2005 102 14.2. Percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported carrying a weapon at least 1 day during the previous 30 days, by location and state: 2003 and 2005 103 15.1. Percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported using alcohol during the previous 30 days, by location and selected student and school characteristics: Various years, 1993-2005 104 15.2. Percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported using alcohol during the previous 30 days, by location and state: 2003 and 2005 105 16.1. Percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported using marijuana during the previous 30 days, by location and selected student and school characteristics: Various years, 1993-2005 106 16.2. Percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported using marijuana during the previous 30 days, by location and state: 2003 and 2005 ........................... 107 17.1. Percentage of students ages 12-18 who reported being afraid of attack or harm during the previous 6 months, by location and selected student and school characteristics: Various years, 1995-2005 108 18.1. Percentage of students ages 12-18 who reported avoiding school activities or one or more places in school during the previous 6 months because of fear of attack or harm: Various years, 1995-2005 109 18.2. Percentage of students ages 12-18 who reported avoiding one or more places in school during the previous 6 months because of fear of attack or harm, by selected student and school characteristics: Various years, 1995- 2005 110 19.1. Number and percentage of public schools that took a serious disciplinary action, number of serious actions taken, and percentage distribution of serious actions, by type of action and type of offense: School year 2005-06 111 19.2. Percentage of public schools that took a serious disciplinary action and number of serious actions taken, by type of offense: Various school years, 1999-2000, 2003-04, and 2005-06 112 20.1. Percentage of public schools that used selected safety and security measures, by school characteristics: School year 2005-06 113 20.2. Percentage of public schools that used safety and security measures: Various school years, 1999-2000, 2003- 04, and 2005-06 115 21.1. Percentage of students ages 12-18 who reported selected security measures at school: Various years, 1999-2005 116 Standard Error Tables S2.1. Standard errors for the number of student- reported nonfatal crimes against students ages 12-18 and rate of crimes per 1,000 students, by location and year: 1992-2005 118 S2.2. Standard errors for the number of student- reported nonfatal crimes against students ages 12-18 at school and rate of crimes per 1,000 students, by selected student and school characteristics: 2005 119 S2.3. Standard errors for the number of student- reported nonfatal crimes against students ages 12-18 away from school and rate of crimes per 1,000 students, by selected student and school characteristics: 2005 120 S3.1. Standard errors for the percentage of students ages 12-18 who reported criminal victimization at school during the previous 6 months, by type of victimization and selected student and school characteristics: Various years, 1995-2005 121 S4.1. Standard errors for the percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property during the previous 12 months, by selected student and school characteristics: Various years, 1993-2005 123 S4.2. Standard errors for the percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property during the previous 12 months, by state: 2003 and 2005 124 S5.1. Standard errors for the percentage and number of public and private school teachers who reported that they were threatened with injury by a student from school during the previous 12 months, by urbanicity and selected teacher and school characteristics: Various school years, 1993-94, 1999-2000, and 2003-04 125 S5.2. Standard errors for the percentage and number of public and private school teachers who reported that they were physically attacked by a student from school during the previous 12 months, by urbanicity and selected teacher and school characteristics: Various school years, 1993-94, 1999-2000, and 2003-04 126 S5.3. Standard errors for the percentage and number of public school teachers who reported that they were threatened with injury by a student from school during the previous 12 months, by state: 1993-94, 1999-2000, and 2003-04 127 S5.4. Standard errors for the percentage and number of public school teachers who reported that they were physically attacked by a student from school during the previous 12 months, by state: 1993-94, 1999-2000, and 2003-04 128 S6.1. Standard errors for the percentage of public schools experiencing and reporting incidents of crime that occurred at school, number of incidents, and the rate per 1,000 students, by type of crime: Various school years, 1999-2000, 2003-04, and 2005-06 129 S6.2. Standard errors for the percentage of public schools experiencing incidents of crime that occurred at school, number of incidents, and the rate of crimes per 1,000 students, by selected school characteristics: School year 2005-06 130 S6.3. Standard errors for the percentage of public schools reporting incidents of crime that occurred at school to the police, number of incidents, and the rate of crimes per 1,000 students, by selected school characteristics: School year 2005-06 132 S7.1. Standard errors for the percentage of public schools reporting selected discipline problems that occurred at school, by frequency: Various school years, 1999-2000, 2003-04, and 2005-06 134 S7.2. Standard errors for the percentage of public schools reporting selected discipline problems that occurred at school, by frequency and school characteristics: School year 2005-06 135 S8.1. Standard errors for the percentage of students ages 12-18 who reported that gangs were present at school during the previous 6 months, by urbanicity and selected student and school characteristics: 2001, 2003, and 2005 137 S9.1. Standard errors for the percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported that drugs were made available to them on school property during the previous 12 months, by selected student and school characteristics: Various years, 1993-2005 138 S9.2. Standard errors for the percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported that drugs were made available to them on school property during the previous 12 months, by state: 2003 and 2005 139 S10.1. Standard errors for the percentage of students ages 12-18 who reported being targets of hate-related words and seeing hate-related graffiti at school during the previous 6 months, by selected student and school characteristics: Various years, 1999-2005 140 S10.2. Standard errors for the percentage of students ages 12-18 who reported being targets of hate-related words at school during the previous 6 months, by selected student and school characteristics: 2005 141 S11.1. Standard errors for the percentage of students ages 12-18 who reported selected bullying problems at school during the previous 6 months, by selected student and school characteristics: 2005 142 S11.2. Standard errors for the percentage of students ages 12-18 who reported being bullied at school during the previous 6 months, by location of bullying, injury, and selected student and school characteristics: 2005 143 S11.3. Standard errors for the percentage of students ages 12-18 who reported selected bullying problems at school during the previous 6 months and percentage distribution of the frequency of bullying reports, by selected student and school characteristics: 2005 144 S12.1. Standard errors for the percentage of public and private school teachers who agreed or strongly agreed that student misbehavior and student tardiness and class cutting interfered with their teaching, by selected teacher and school characteristics: Various school years, 1987-88 through 2003-04 145 S12.2. Standard errors for the percentage of public and private school teachers who agreed or strongly agreed that school rules are enforced by other teachers and by the principal, by selected teacher and school characteristics: Various school years, 1987-88 through 2003-04 146 S13.1. Standard errors for the percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported having been in a physical fight during the previous 12 months, by location and selected student and school characteristics: Various years, 1993- 2005 147 S13.2. Standard errors for the percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported having been in a physical fight during the previous 12 months, by location and state: 2003 and 2005 148 S14.1. Standard errors for the percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported carrying a weapon at least 1 day during the previous 30 days, by location and selected student and school characteristics: Various years, 1993- 2005 149 S14.2. Standard errors for the percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported carrying a weapon at least 1 day during the previous 30 days, by location and state: 2003 and 2005 150 S15.1. Standard errors for the percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported using alcohol during the previous 30 days, by location and selected student and school characteristics: Various years, 1993-2005 151 S15.2. Standard errors for the percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported using alcohol during the previous 30 days, by location and state: 2003 and 2005 152 S16.1. Standard errors for the percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported using marijuana during the previous 30 days, by location and selected student and school characteristics: Various years, 1993-2005 153 S16.2. Standard errors for the percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported using marijuana during the previous 30 days, by location and state: 2003 and 2005 154 S17.1. Standard errors for the percentage of students ages 12-18 who reported being afraid of attack or harm during the previous 6 months, by location and selected student and school characteristics: Various years, 1995- 2005 155 S18.1. Standard errors for the percentage of students ages 12-18 who reported avoiding school activities or one or more places in school during the previous 6 months because of fear of attack or harm: Various years, 1995- 2005 156 S18.2. Standard errors for the percentage of students ages 12-18 who reported avoiding one or more places in school during the previous 6 months because of fear of attack or harm, by selected student and school characteristics: Various years, 1995-2005 157 S19.1. Standard errors for the number and percentage of public schools that took a serious disciplinary action, number of serious actions taken, and percentage distribution of serious actions, by type of action and type of offense: School year 2005-06 158 S19.2. Standard errors for the percentage of public schools that took a serious disciplinary action and number of serious actions taken, by type of offense: Various years, 1999-2000, 2003-04, and 2005-06 159 S20.1. Standard errors for the percentage of public schools that used selected safety and security measures, by school characteristics: School year 2005-06 160 S20.2. Standard errors for the percentage of public schools that used safety and security measures: Various school years, 1999-2000, 2003-04, and 2005-06 162 S21.1. Standard errors for the percentage of students ages 12-18 who reported selected security measures at school: Various years, 1999-2005 163 List of Figures A. Nationally representative sample surveys used in this report 3 1.1. Number of homicides and suicides of youth ages 5-18, by location: 2004-05 7 1.2. Number of homicides and suicides of youth ages 5-18 at school: 1992-2006 7 2.1. Rate of student-reported nonfatal crimes against students ages 12-18 per 1,000 students, by type of crime and location: 1992-2005 11 2.2. Rate of student-reported nonfatal crimes against students ages 12-18 at school per 1,000 students, by type of crime and selected student characteristics: 2005 12 2.3. Rate of student-reported nonfatal crimes against students ages 12-18 away from school per 1,000 students, by type of crime and selected student characteristics: 2005 13 3.1. Percentage of students ages 12-18 who reported criminal victimization at school during the previous 6 months, by type of victimization: Various years, 1995- 2005 15 4.1. Percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property during the previous 12 months, by sex: Various years, 1993-2005 17 4.2. Percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property during the previous 12 months, by grade: 2005 17 5.1. Percentage of public and private school teachers who reported that they were threatened with injury or that they were physically attacked by a student from school during the previous 12 months: Various school years, 1993-94, 1999-2000, and 2003-04 19 5.2. Percentage of public and private school teachers who reported that they were threatened with injury or that they were physically attacked by a student from school during the previous 12 months, by urbanicity and instructional level: School year 2003-04 19 6.1. Percentage of public schools experiencing and reporting incidents of crime that occurred at school and the rate per 1,000 students, by type of crime: School year 2005-06 23 6.2. Percentage of public schools experiencing and reporting incidents of crime that occurred at school, by type of crime and school level: School year 2005-06 24 6.3. Percentage of public schools experiencing and reporting incidents of crime that occurred at school, by type of crime: Various school years, 1999-2000, 2003-04, and 2005-06 25 7.1. Percentage of public schools reporting selected discipline problems that occurred at school, by school enrollment size: School year 2005-06 27 8.1. Percentage of students ages 12-18 who reported that gangs were present at school during the previous 6 months, by urbanicity: Various years, 2001-2005 29 8.2. Percentage of students ages 12-18 who reported that gangs were present at school during the previous 6 months, by urbanicity and race/ethnicity: 2005 29 9.1. Percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported that drugs were made available to them on school property during the previous 12 months, by sex: Various years, 1993-2005 31 9.2. Percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported that drugs were made available to them on school property during the previous 12 months, by race/ ethnicity: 2005 31 10.1. Percentage of students ages 12-18 who reported being targets of hate-related words and seeing hate- related graffiti at school during the previous 6 months, by selected student and school characteristics: 2005 33 11.1. Percentage of students ages 12-18 who reported selected bullying problems at school during the previous 6 months, by type of bullying: 2005 35 11.2. Percentage of students ages 12-18 who reported being bullied at school during the previous 6 months, by location of bullying and injury: 2005 35 12.1. Percentage of public and private school teachers who agreed or strongly agreed that school rules are enforced by other teachers and by the principal, by school level: School year 2003-04 37 12.2. Percentage of public and private school teachers who agreed or strongly agreed that student misbehavior interfered with their teaching, by sector: Various school years, 1987-88 through 2003-04 37 13.1. Percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported having been in a physical fight during the previous 12 months, by location and sex: Various years, 1993-2005 41 13.2. Percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported having been in a physical fight during the previous 12 months, by location and grade: 2005 41 14.1. Percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported carrying a weapon at least 1 day during the previous 30 days, by location and sex: Various years, 1993-2005 43 14.2. Percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported carrying a weapon at least 1 day during the previous 30 days, by location and race/ethnicity: 2005 43 15.1. Percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported using alcohol during the previous 30 days, by location and sex: Various years, 1993-2005 45 15.2. Percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported using alcohol during the previous 30 days, by location and grade: 2005 45 16.1. Percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported using marijuana during the previous 30 days, by location and sex: Various years, 1993-2005 47 16.2. Percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported using marijuana during the previous 30 days, by location and grade: 2005 47 17.1. Percentage of students ages 12-18 who reported being afraid of attack or harm during the previous 6 months, by location: Various years, 1995-2005 51 17.2. Percentage of students ages 12-18 who reported being afraid of attack or harm during the previous 6 months, by location and race/ethnicity: 2005 51 18.1. Percentage of students ages 12-18 who reported avoiding school activities or one or more places in school during the previous 6 months because of fear of attack or harm: Various years, 1995-2005 53 18.2. Percentage of students ages 12-18 who reported avoiding one or more places in school during the previous 6 months because of fear of attack or harm, by selected student and school characteristics: 2005 53 19.1. Percentage of public schools that took a serious disciplinary action for specific offenses, by type of offense: School year 2005-06 57 19.2. Percentage of public schools that took a serious disciplinary action, by type of offense: Various school years, 1999-2000, 2003-04, and 2005-06 57 20.1. Percentage of public schools that used selected safety and security measures: School year 2005-06 59 20.2. Percentage of public schools that used selected safety and security measures: Various school years, 1999- 2000, 2003-04, and 2005-06 59 21.1. Percentage of students ages 12-18 who reported selected security measures at school: Various years, 1999-2005 61 Appendixes A.1. Descriptions of data sources and samples used in the report 181 A.2. Wording of survey questions used to construct indicators 183 A.3. Methods used to calculate standard errors of statistics for different surveys 192 INTRODUCTION Our nation's schools should be a safe haven for teaching and learning free of crime and violence. Even though students are less likely to be victims of a violent crime at school1 than away from school (Indicators 1 and 2), any instance of crime or violence at school not only affects the individuals involved but also may disrupt the educational process and affect bystanders, the school itself, and the surrounding community (Henry 2000). For both students and teachers, victimization at school can have lasting effects. In addition to experiencing loneliness, depression, and adjustment difficulties (Crick and Bigbee 1998; Crick and Grotpeter 1996; Nansel et al. 2001; Prinstein, Boergers, and Vernberg 2001; Storch et al. 2003), victimized children are more prone to truancy (Ringwalt, Ennett, and Johnson 2003), poor academic performance (Wei and Williams 2004), dropping out of school (Beauvais et al. 1996), and violent behaviors (Nansel et al. 2003). For teachers, incidents of victimization may lead to professional disenchantment and even departure from the profession altogether (Karcher 2002). For parents, school staff, and policymakers to effectively address school crime, they need an accurate understanding of the extent, nature, and context of the problem. However, it is difficult to gauge the scope of crime and violence in schools given the large amount of attention devoted to isolated incidents of extreme school violence. Measuring progress toward safer schools requires establishing good indicators of the current state of school crime and safety across the nation and regularly updating and monitoring these indicators; this is the aim of Indicators of School Crime and Safety. PURPOSE AND ORGANIZATION OF THIS REPORT Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2007 is the tenth in a series of reports produced by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) since 1998 that present the most recent data available on school crime and student safety. The report is not intended to be an exhaustive compilation of school crime and safety information, nor does it attempt to explore reasons for crime and violence in schools. Rather, it is designed to provide a brief summary of information from an array of data sources and to make data on national school crime and safety accessible to policymakers, educators, parents, and the general public. Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2007 is organized into sections that delineate specific concerns to readers, starting with a description of the most serious violent crimes. The sections cover Violent Deaths; Nonfatal Student and Teacher Victimization; School Environment; Fights, Weapons, and Illegal Substances; Fear and Avoidance; and Discipline, Safety, and Security Measures. Each section contains a set of indicators that, taken together, aim to describe a distinct aspect of school crime and safety. Where available, data on crimes that occur outside of school grounds are offered as a point of 1 See appendix B for a detailed definition of "at school." comparison.2 Supplemental tables for each indicator provide more detailed breakouts and standard errors for estimates. A glossary of terms and references section appear at the end of the report. This year's report contains updated data on violent deaths (Indicator 1), nonfatal student victimization (Indicator 2), public school reports of selected crimes (Indicator 6), discipline problems (Indicator 7), serious disciplinary actions (Indicator 19), and safety and security measures (Indicator 20). A new classification scheme for school level has been applied to the most recent data available on teachers who were threatened with injury or physically attacked in Indicator 5. In addition, one new indicator appears in this year's report: Indicator 12 summarizes teachers' reports of the conditions at their schools, including student misbehavior, tardiness, and class cutting and school rule enforcement by other teachers and principals. Also found in this year's report are references to recent publications relevant to each indicator that the reader may want to consult for additional information or analyses. These references can be found in the "For more information" sidebars at the bottom of each indicator. DATA The indicators in this report are based on information drawn from a variety of independent data sources, including national surveys of students, teachers, and principals and universe data collections from federal departments and agencies, including BJS, NCES, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Each data source has an independent sample design, data collection method, and questionnaire design or is the result of a universe data collection. The combination of multiple, independent sources of data provides a broad perspective on school crime and safety that could not be achieved through any single source of information. However, readers should be cautious when comparing data from different sources. While every effort has been made to keep key definitions consistent across indicators, differences in sampling procedures, populations, time periods, and question phrasing can all affect the comparability of results. For example, both Indicators 20 and 21 report data on select security and safety measures used in schools. Indicator 20 uses data collected from a sample of principals about safety and security practices used in their schools during the 2005- 06 school year. Indicator 21, however, uses data collected from 12- through 18-year-olds residing in a sample of households. These students were asked whether they observed selected safety and security measures in their school in 2005, but they may not have known if, in fact, the security measure was present. In addition, different indicators contain various approaches to the analysis of school crime data and, therefore, will show different perspectives on school crime. For example, both Indicators 2 and 3 report data on theft and violent crime at school 2 Data in this report are not adjusted to reflect the number of hours that youths spend on school property versus the number of hours they spend elsewhere. based on the National Crime Victimization Survey and the School Crime Supplement to that survey, respectively. While Indicator 2 examines the number of incidents of crime, Indicator 3 examines the percentage or prevalence of students who reported victimization. Figure A provides a summary of some of the variations in the design and coverage of sample surveys used in this report. Several indicators in this report are based on self- reported survey data. Readers should note that limitations inherent to self-reported data may affect estimates (Cantor and Lynch 2000). First, unless an interview is "bounded" or a reference period is established, estimates may include events that exceed the scope of the specified reference period. This factor may artificially increase reports because respondents may recall events outside of the given reference period. Second, many of the surveys rely on the respondent to "self-determine" a condition. This factor allows the respondent to define a situation based upon his or her own interpretation of whether the incident was a crime or not. On the other hand, the same situation may not necessarily be interpreted in the same way by a bystander or the perceived offender. Third, victim surveys tend to emphasize crime events as incidents that take place at one point in time. However, victims can often experience a state of victimization in which they are threatened or victimized regularly or repeatedly. Finally, respondents may recall an event inaccurately. For instance, people may forget the event entirely or recall the specifics of the episode incorrectly. These and other factors may affect the precision of the estimates based on these surveys. Data trends are discussed in this report when possible. Where trends are not discussed, either the data are not available in earlier surveys or the wording of the survey question changed from year to year, eliminating the ability to discuss any trend. Where data from samples are reported, as is the case with most of the indicators in this report, the standard error is calculated for each estimate provided in order to determine the "margin of error" for these estimates. The standard errors of the estimates for different subpopulations in an indicator can vary considerably and should be taken into account when making comparisons. Throughout this report, in cases where the standard error was at least 30 percent of the associated estimate, the estimates were noted with a "!" symbol (interpret data with caution). In cases where the standard error was greater than 50 percent of the associated estimate, the estimate was suppressed. See appendix A for more information. The comparisons in the text have been tested for statistical significance to ensure that the differences are larger than might be expected due to sampling variation. Unless otherwise noted, all statements cited in the report are statistically significant at the .05 level. Several test procedures were used, depending upon the type of data being analyzed and the nature of the statement being tested. The primary test procedure used in this report was the Student's t statistic, which tests the difference between two sample estimates. Linear trend tests were used when differences among percentages were examined relative to ordered categories of a variable, rather than the differences between two discrete categories. This test allows one to examine whether, for example, the percentage of students who reported using drugs increased (or decreased) over time or whether the percentage of students who reported being physically attacked in school increased (or decreased) with age. When differences among percentages were examined relative to a variable with ordered categories (such as grade), analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test for a linear relationship between the two variables. Appendix A of this report contains descriptions of all the datasets used in this report and a discussion of how standard errors were calculated for each estimate. VIOLENT DEATHS INDICATOR 1 VIOLENT DEATHS AT SCHOOL AND AWAY FROM SCHOOL The percentage of youth homicides occurring at school remained at less than 2 percent of the total number of youth homicides over all available survey years even though the absolute number of homicides of school-age youth at school varied to some degree across the years. Violent deaths at schools are rare but tragic events with far-reaching effects on the school population and surrounding community. From July 1, 2005, through June 30, 2006, there were 35 school-associated violent deaths in elementary and secondary schools in the United States (tables 1.1 and 1.2).3 In this indicator, a school- associated violent death is defined as "a homicide, suicide, legal intervention (involving a law enforcement officer), or unintentional firearm-related death in which the fatal injury occurred on the campus of a functioning elementary or secondary school in the United States." Victims of school-associated violent deaths included students, staff members, and others who are not students. School-associated violent deaths include violent deaths that occurred while the victim was on the way to or from regular sessions at school, or while the victim was attending or traveling to or from an official school- sponsored event. At school and away from school homicides and suicides data were drawn from a number of sources. Data for school-associated violent deaths for the 2005-06 school year are preliminary. Data for total homicides and suicides are available for 2004-05.4 The most recent data available for the total number of homicides of school-age youth are from the 2004-05 school year (figure 1.1 and table 1.1), during which there were 1,534 homicides. In the 2004 calendar year, there were 1,471 suicides of school-age youth. In each school year, youth were over 50 times more likely to be murdered and were over 150 times more likely to commit suicide when they were away from school than at school. From July 1, 2005, through June 30, 2006, there were 14 homicides and 3 suicides of school-age youth (ages 5-18) at school (figure 1.2 and table 1.1). Combined, this number translates into 1 homicide or suicide of a school-age youth at school per 3.2 million students enrolled during the 2005-06 school year.5 Between July 1, 1992, and June 30, 1999, no consistent pattern of increase or decrease was observed in the number of homicides at school (figure 1.2 and table 1.1). During this period, between 28 and 34 homicides of school-age youth occurred at school in each school year. The number of homicides of school-age youth at school declined between the 1998-99 and 1999- 2000 school years from 33 to 13 homicides. The number of homicides of school-age youth at school increased from 11 to 21 between the 2000-01 and 2004-05 school years, but dropped to 14 in 2005-06. The percentage of youth homicides occurring at school remained at less than 2 percent of the total number of youth homicides over all available survey years even though the absolute number of homicides of school-age youth at school varied to some degree across the years. Between the 1992-93 and 2004-05 school years, from one to eight school-age youth committed suicide at school each year, with no consistent pattern of increase or decrease. 3 Between July 1, 2005, and June 30, 2006, there were 35 student, staff, and nonstudent school-associated violent deaths, including 26 homicides, 7 suicides, and 2 legal interventions (table 1.2). 4 Data on total suicides are available only by calendar year, whereas data on suicides and homicides at school and total homicides are available by school year. Data for total suicides (2005) and total homicides (2005-06) are not yet available. 5 The total projected number of students enrolled in prekindergarten through 12th grade during the 2005-06 school year was 54,772,000 (U.S. Department of Education 2007). This indicator has been updated to include 2005-06 data. For more information: Tables 1.1 & 1.2 Anderson et al. 2001 NONFATAL STUDENT AND TEACHER VICTIMIZATION INDICATOR 2 INCIDENCE OF VICTIMIZATION AT SCHOOL AND AWAY FROM SCHOOL At school, total crime and theft victimization rates for students were not measurably different between 2004 and 2005. The victimization rate of students age 12 to 18 at school was 55 victimizations per 1,000 students in 2004 and 57 victimizations in 2005. Theft and violence at school and while going to and from school can lead to a disruptive and threatening environment, physical injury, and emotional stress, and can be an obstacle to student achievement (Elliot, Hamburg, and Williams 1998). Data from the National Crime Victimization Survey show that students age 12 to 18 were victims of about 1.5 million nonfatal crimes (theft plus violent crime) while they were at school and about 1.2 million nonfatal crimes while they were away from school in 2005 (table 2.1).6 These figures represent total crime victimization rates of 57 crimes per 1,000 students at school, and 47 crimes per 1,000 students away from school (figure 2.1 and table 2.1). Between 1992 and 2005, the total crime victimization rates for students age 12 to 18 generally declined both at school and away from school; this pattern held for the total crime rate as well as for thefts,7 violent crimes,8 and serious violent crimes9 (figure 2.1 and table 2.1). At school, total crime and theft victimization rates for students were not measurably different between 2004 and 2005. The victimization rate of students age 12 to 18 at school was 55 victimizations per 1,000 students in 2004 and 57 victimizations in 2005. There were an estimated 33 theft victimizations per 1,000 students at school in both 2004 and 2005. Away from school, total crime and violent crime victimization rates were also not measurably different between 2004 and 2005. There were 48 total crime victimizations per 1,000 students away from school in 2004 and 47 victimizations in 2005. There were 21 violent victimizations per 1,000 students away from school in 2004 and 24 violent victimizations in 2005. Generally, more students age 12 to 18 were victims of theft at school than away from school between 1992 and 2005. In 2005, students were victims of 868,000 crimes of theft at school and 610,000 crimes of theft away from school. This translates into 33 thefts per 1,000 students at school, compared to 23 thefts per 1,000 students away from school. From 1992 to 1997, the victimization rates for violent crime were generally lower at school than away from school; however, there were no measurable differences in these rates in the years between 1998 and 2005, except in 2000, when victimization rates at school were lower. The rates for serious violent crime were lower at school than away from school in each survey year from 1992 to 2005. In 2005, students age 12 to 18 were victims of 5 serious violent crimes per 1,000 students at school, compared to 10 serious violent crimes per 1,000 students away from school. The victimization rates for students age 12 to 18 varied according to certain student characteristics in 2005. A greater percentage of younger students (age 12 to 14) than older students (age 15 to 18) were victims of crime at school, but the reverse was true away from school (figures 2.2 and 2.3 and tables 2.2 and 2.3). Students residing in suburban areas had a lower rate of violent victimization at school and away from school than students in urban areas, while no measurable difference was found between the rates of violent victimization in suburban and rural areas. 6 "Students" refers to youth ages 12-18 whose educational attainment did not exceed grade 12 at the time of the survey. An uncertain percentage of these persons may not have attended school during the survey reference period. These data do not take into account the number of hours that students spend at school or away from school. 7 Theft includes purse snatching, pick pocketing, and all attempted and completed thefts except motor vehicle thefts. Theft does not include robbery in which threat or use of force is involved. 8 Violent crimes include serious violent crimes and simple assault. 9 Serious violent crimes include rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault. This indicator has been updated to include 2005 data. For more information: Tables 2.1, 2.2, & 2.3 Catalano 2006 INDICATOR 3 PREVALENCE OF VICTIMIZATION AT SCHOOL In 2005, some 4 percent of students ages 12-18 reported being victimized at school during the previous 6 months. About 3 percent reported theft, 1 percent reported violent victimization, and less than half of a percent of students reported serious violent victimization. Theft is the most frequent type of nonfatal crime in the United States (U.S. Department of Justice 2006). Data from the School Crime Supplement10 to the National Crime Victimization Survey show the percentage of students ages 12-18 who reported criminal victimization at school during the previous 6 months. In 2005, some 4 percent of students ages 12-18 reported being victimized at school during the previous 6 months. About 3 percent reported theft,11 1 percent reported violent victimization12 (figure 3.1 and table 3.1), and less than half of a percent of students reported serious violent victimization.13 Overall, the percentage of students ages 12-18 who were victimized at school during the previous 6 months decreased between 1995 and 2005 from 10 to 4 percent. For each type of victimization, the percentage of students reporting victimization decreased between 1995 and 2005 (figure 3.1 and table 3.1). Between the most recent survey years (2003 and 2005), the percentage of students reporting victimization declined from 5 to 4 percent, and the percentage reporting theft declined from 4 to 3 percent. There were no measurable changes in the percentages reporting violent and serious violent crime during this period. In 2005, the prevalence of victimization varied somewhat according to student characteristics. Male students were more likely than female students to report being victims of violent crime at school (2 vs. 1 percent), but no measurable differences were detected by sex in the likelihood of reporting theft (3 percent each). There were also no measurable differences in the percentages reporting victimization across grades. Further, in 2005, no measurable differences were detected in the percentages of White, Black, or Hispanic students who reported victimization, theft, or violent victimization. Students in urban schools were more likely to report victimization (5 percent) and theft (4 percent) than students in rural schools (3 and 2 percent, respectively). However, no other measurable differences were observed by urbanicity. 10 In 2005, the unit response rate for this survey did not meet NCES statistical standards; therefore, interpret the data with caution. For more information, please see appendix A. 11 Theft includes purse snatching, pick pocketing, all burglaries, attempted forcible entry, and all attempted and completed thefts except motor vehicle thefts. Theft does not include robbery in which threat or use of force is involved. 12 Violent crimes include serious violent crimes and simple assault. 13 Serious violent crimes include rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault. This indicator repeats information from the 2006 Indicators of School Crime and Safety report. For more information: Table 3.1 Addington et al. 2002 INDICATOR 4 THREATS AND INJURIES WITH WEAPONS ON SCHOOL PROPERTY The percentage of students who were threatened or injured with a weapon has fluctuated between 7-9 percent in all survey years from 1993 through 2005. Every year, some students are threatened or injured with a weapon while they are on school property. The percentage of students victimized in this way provides an important measure of how safe our schools are and how their safety has changed over time. In the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, students in grades 9-12 were asked whether they had been threatened or injured with a weapon on school property during the 12 months preceding the survey. In 2005, some 8 percent of students reported being threatened or injured with a weapon, such as a gun, knife, or club, on school property (table 4.1). The percentage of students who were threatened or injured with a weapon fluctuated between 1993 and 2005 without a clear trend. In all survey years from 1993 through 2005, between 7-9 percent of students reported being threatened or injured in this way. The likelihood of being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property varied by student characteristics. In each survey year, males were more likely than females to report being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property (figure 4.1 and table 4.1). In 2005, some 10 percent of male students reported being threatened or injured in the past year, compared with 6 percent of female students. In each survey year, students in lower grades were generally more likely to report being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property than those in higher grades (figure 4.2 and table 4.1). Eleven percent of 9thgraders reported that they were threatened or injured with a weapon on school property in 2005, compared with 9 percent of 10th- graders and 6 percent of 11th- and 12th-graders. Students' likelihood of being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property varied by race/ethnicity in 2005. Hispanic students were more likely than White students to report being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property (10 vs. 7 percent). However, no measurable differences were found in the percentages of Black and White students or Black and Hispanic students who reported being threatened or injured in this way. In 2005, student reports of being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property varied among states for which data were available. Among states, the percentage of students with such reports ranged from 5 to 12 percent (table 4.2). This indicator repeats information from the 2006 Indicators of School Crime and Safety report. For more information: Tables 4.1 & 4.2 Eaton et al. 2006 INDICATOR 5 TEACHERS THREATENED WITH INJURY OR PHYSICALLY ATTACKED BY STUDENTS In the 2003-04 school year, a greater percentage of public teachers in city schools than their peers in suburban, town, or rural schools reported being threatened with injury or physically attacked. Students are not the only victims of intimidation or violence in schools. Teachers are also subject to threats and physical attacks, and students from their schools sometimes commit these offenses. In the Schools and Staffing Survey, teachers were asked whether they had been threatened with injury or physically attacked by a student from their school in the previous 12 months. A smaller percentage of teachers, 7 percent, were threatened with injury by a student from their school in the 2003-04 school year than in 1993-94 and 1999-2000 school years, 12 and 9 percent respectively (figure 5.1 and table 5.1). A smaller percentage of teachers reported being physically attacked in 2003-04, 3 percent, than in 1993-94, 4 percent (table 5.2). A greater percentage of teachers in city schools reported being threatened with injury or physically attacked in 2003-04 than teachers in suburban, town, or rural schools (figure 5.2 and tables 5.1 and 5.2). For example, in 2003-04, 10 percent of teachers in city schools were threatened with injury by students, compared to 6 percent of teachers in suburban schools, 5 percent of teachers in town schools, and 5 percent of teachers in rural schools. Five percent of teachers in city schools were physically attacked by students, compared to 3 percent of teachers in suburban schools, 3 percent of teachers in town schools, and 2 percent of teachers in rural schools. A greater percentage of teachers in suburban schools reported being threatened with injury or physically attacked than teachers in rural schools. In the 2003-04 school year, teachers' reports of being threatened or physically attacked by students varied according to the level of their school. A greater percentage of secondary school teachers, 8 percent, reported being threatened with injury by a student than elementary school teachers, 6 percent (table 5.1). However, a greater percentage of elementary school teachers, 4 percent, reported having been physically attacked than secondary school teachers, 2 percent (table 5.2). Generally, a greater percentage of elementary and secondary teachers in city schools reported being threatened with injury or physically attacked than elementary or secondary teachers in suburban, town, or rural schools (figure 5.2). For example, in the 2003-04 school year, 12 percent of secondary teachers in city schools reported being threatened with injury compared to 7 percent of secondary suburban school teachers, and 6 percent of town and rural secondary school teachers. A greater percentage of public than private school teachers reported being threatened with injury (7 vs. 2 percent) or physically attacked (4 vs. 2 percent) by students in school (tables 5.1 and 5.2). Among teachers in city schools, those in public schools were at least five times more likely to be threatened with injury than their colleagues in private schools (12 vs. 2 percent) and at least four times more likely to be physically attacked (5 vs. 1 percent). Public school teachers' reports of being threatened with injury or physically attacked varied among states. In 2003-04, the percentage of public school teachers who reported being threatened in the previous 12 months ranged from 4 to 18 percent (table 5.3), and the percentage who were physically attacked ranged from 1 to 7 percent (table 5.4). This indicator has been modified to include new urbanicity codes. For more information: Tables 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, & 5.4 Appendix B for definitions of school levels and urbanicity codes Strizek et al.2006 SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT INDICATOR 6 VIOLENT AND OTHER CRIME INCIDENTS AT PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND THOSE REPORTED TO THE POLICE In 2005-06, 78 percent of schools experienced one or more violent incidents of crime, 17 percent experienced one or more serious violent incidents, 46 percent experienced one or more thefts, and 68 percent experienced another type of crime. This indicator presents the percentage of schools that experienced one or more specified crimes, the total number of these crimes reported by schools, and the rate of crimes per 1,000 students. These data are also presented for the crimes that were reported to the police. In the School Survey on Crime and Safety, public school principals were asked to provide the number of serious violent incidents,14 violent incidents,15 thefts of items valued at $10 or greater, and other incidents16 that occurred at their school, as well as the number of these incidents reported to the police. During the 2005- 06 school year, 86 percent of public schools responded that one or more incidents of these crimes had taken place (including violent incidents, theft, and other crimes), amounting to an estimated 2.2 million crimes (figure 6.1 and table 6.1). This figure translates into a rate of 46 crimes per 1,000 students enrolled in 2005-06. During the same year, 61 percent of schools reported an incident of one of the specified crimes to the police, amounting to about 763,000 crimes-or 16 crimes per 1,000 students enrolled. In 2005-06, 78 percent of schools experienced one or more violent incidents of crime, 17 percent experienced one or more serious violent incidents, 46 percent experienced one or more thefts, and 68 percent experienced another type of crime. Thirty-eight percent of public schools reported at least one violent incident to police, 13 percent reported at least one serious violent incident to police, 28 percent reported at least one theft to police, and 51 percent reported one of the other specified crimes to police. The prevalence of violent incidents at public schools and those reported to the police varied by school level (figure 6.2 and tables 6.2 and 6.3). A smaller percentage of primary schools than middle or high schools experienced any violent incident: 67 percent of primary schools did so, compared to 94 percent of middle schools and 95 percent of high schools. Similar relationships were observed for serious violent incidents, theft, and other incidents. However, both primary schools and high schools had lower rates of violent crime per 1,000 students than middle schools. In 2005-06, there were 25 to 26 violent crimes per 1,000 students in primary schools and high schools, compared to 52 violent crimes in middle schools. Rates of serious violent crime ranged between 1 and 2 per 1,000 students for different school levels in 2005-06. The percentage of public schools experiencing incidents of crime was lower in 2005-06 than in 2003-04. In 2003- 04, 88 percent of schools experienced crimes, compared to 86 percent of schools in 2005-06 (figure 6.3 and table 6.1). The percentage of schools experiencing crimes in 2005-06 was not measurably different from the percentage of schools experiencing crimes in 1999-2000. The percentage of public schools that reported crimes to the police followed a similar pattern. In 1999-2000, 62 percent of schools reported crimes to the police, in 2003-04, 65 percent of schools reported crimes to the police, and in 2005-06, 61 percent of schools did so. 14 Serious violent incidents include rape or attempted rape, sexual battery other than rape, physical attack or fight with a weapon, threat of physical attack with a weapon, and robbery with or without a weapon. 15 Violent incidents include serious violent incidents plus physical attacks or fights without a weapon and threats of physical attacks without a weapon. 16 Other incidents include possession of a firearm or explosive device, possession of a knife or sharp object, distribution, possession, or use of illegal drugs or alcohol, and vandalism. This indicator has been updated to include 2005-06 data. For more information: Tables 6.1, 6.2, & 6.3 Appendix B for definitions of school levels and urbanicity Nolle, Guerino, and Dinkes 2007 INDICATOR 7 DISCIPLINE PROBLEMS REPORTED BY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Between 1999-2000 and 2005-06, the percentage of principals reporting student bullying as a frequently occurring discipline problem declined from 29 to 24 percent and student verbal abuse of teachers declined from 13 to 9 percent. The existence of discipline problems in a school may contribute to an environment that facilitates school violence and crime. In the School Survey on Crime and Safety, school principals were asked how often certain disciplinary problems happen in their schools. This indicator examines the daily or weekly occurrence of student racial tensions, bullying, sexual harassment of other students, verbal abuse of teachers, widespread classroom disorder, and acts of disrespect for teachers in public schools. It also looks at occurrences of undesirable gang and cult activities, and due to the severe nature of these incidents, presents all reports of gang and cult activities during the school year. Twenty-four percent of public schools reported that bullying occurred among students on a daily or weekly basis and 18 percent reported that student acts of disrespect for teachers took place on a daily or weekly basis during the 2005-06 school year (figure 7.1 and table 7.1). With regard to other frequently occurring discipline problems in public schools (those occurring at least once a week), 9 percent of principals reported student verbal abuse of teachers, 3 percent reported student sexual harassment of other students, 3 percent reported student racial/ethnic tensions, and 2 percent reported widespread disorder in classrooms. Seventeen percent of public schools reported that undesirable gang activities and 4 percent reported that undesirable cult or extremist activities had happened at all during 2005- 06. The percentage of principals reporting that student bullying and student verbal abuse of teachers occurred at least once a week declined between 1999-2000 and 2005-06 (table 7.1). During this period, the percentage of principals reporting student bullying as a frequently occurring discipline problem declined from 29 to 24 percent and student verbal abuse of teachers declined from 13 to 9 percent. Discipline problems reported by public schools varied by school characteristics in 2005-06. In general, the percentage of principals reporting discipline problems was higher in large schools than in small schools (figure 7.1 and table 7.2). For example, 35 percent of principals at schools with 1,000 or more students reported that student acts of disrespect for teachers occurred at least once a week, whereas 12 percent at schools with less than 300 students reported this discipline problem. Also, in 2005-06, a higher percentage of middle schools than primary schools reported various types of discipline problems. Also, a higher percentage of middle schools than high schools reported daily or weekly occurrences of student bullying and student sexual harassment of other students. In 2005-06, the percentage of schools reporting the discipline problems of widespread disorder in the classroom, student acts of disrespect for teachers, student verbal abuse of teachers, and undesirable gang activities was generally smaller for schools where 20 percent or fewer of the students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch than for schools where more than 50 percent of the students were eligible (table 7.2). For example, 14 percent of schools where more than 50 percent of the students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch reported the daily or weekly occurrence of student verbal abuse of teachers compared to 3 percent of schools where 20 percent or fewer of the students were eligible. The percentage of students eligible for free or reduced- price lunch programs is a proxy measure of school poverty. This indicator has been updated to include 2005-06 data. For more information: Tables 7.1 & 7.2 Appendix B for definitions of school levels Nolle, Guerino, and Dinkes 2007 INDICATOR 8 STUDENTS' REPORTS OF GANGS AT SCHOOL The percentage of students reporting the presence of gangs at school increased from 21 to 24 percent between 2003 and 2005. Gangs are organized groups often involved in drugs, weapons trafficking, and violence. Such gangs at school can be disruptive to the school environment because their presence may incite fear among students and increase the level of school violence (Laub and Lauritsen 1998). In the School Crime Supplement17 to the National Crime Victimization Survey, students ages 12-18 were asked if gangs were present at their school during the previous 6 months. In 2005, some 24 percent of students reported that there were gangs at their schools (figure 8.1 and table 8.1). Students in urban schools were more likely to report the presence of gangs at their school than suburban students and rural students (36 vs. 21 and 16 percent, respectively). No measurable difference was found between suburban and rural students in their likelihood of reporting gang presence. The total percentage of students who reported the presence of gangs at school increased from 21 percent in 2003 to 24 percent in 2005. The only statistically significant increase in the reported presence of gangs occurred in urban schools; the percentage of students who reported that gangs were present at school increased from 31 to 36 percent during this period. No measurable change was found for the percentage of suburban or rural students reporting gang presence during this period. Hispanic and Black students were more likely than White students to report gangs in their schools in 2005 (38 and 37 percent, respectively, vs. 17 percent; figure 8.2 and table 8.1). This pattern held among students in both urban and suburban schools. Between 2003 and 2005, reports of gangs increased among both Black students (29 vs. 37 percent) and White students (14 vs. 17 percent). No measurable change was detected in the percentage of Hispanic students reporting the presence of gangs between 2003 and 2005. Students in public schools were more likely to report the presence of gangs than were students in private schools regardless of the school's location (table 8.1). In 2005, some 25 percent of students in public schools reported that there were gangs in their schools, compared with 4 percent of students in private schools. In 2005, there were no measurable differences between males and females in the extent to which they reported gang presence in their schools, with the exception of males at suburban schools, who were more likely to report gang presence than females (22 vs. 19 percent). Between 2001 and 2005, the percentage of male students reporting the presence of gangs increased (from 21 to 25 percent), as did the percentage of suburban males reporting gang activity (from 19 to 22 percent). In the same time period, the percentage of urban females reporting gang activity also increased from 26 to 34 percent. 17 In 2005, the unit response rate for this survey did not meet NCES statistical standards; therefore, interpret the data with caution. For more information, please see appendix A. This indicator repeats information from the 2006 Indicators of School Crime and Safety report. For more information: Table 8.1 Addington et al. 2002 INDICATOR 9 STUDENTS' REPORTS OF DRUG AVAILABILITY ON SCHOOL PROPERTY In 2005, one-quarter of all students in grades 9-12 reported that someone had offered, sold, or given them an illegal drug on school property in the past 12 months. The availability of drugs on school property has a disruptive and corrupting influence on the school environment (Nolin et al. 1997). In the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, students in grades 9-12 were asked whether someone had offered, sold, or given them an illegal drug on school property in the 12 months before the survey. In 2005, some 25 percent of students in grades 9-12 reported that drugs were made available to them on school property (table 9.1). There was no measurable change in the percentage of students who reported that drugs were offered, sold, or given to them at school between 2003 and 2005. Males were more likely than females to report that drugs were offered, sold, or given to them on school property in each survey year from 1993 to 2005 (figure 9.1 and table 9.1). For example, in 2005, some 29 percent of males reported that drugs were available, compared with 22 percent of females. No measurable differences were detected in the percentage of students who reported that drugs were made available to them according to grade level in 2005. The percentages of students who reported having illegal drugs offered, sold, or given to them on school property differed across racial/ethnic groups (figure 9.2 and table 9.1). Specifically, in 2005, Hispanic students were more likely than Asian, Black, American Indian, and White students to report that drugs were made available to them (34 vs. 16-24 percent). Although it appears that Pacific Islander students were more likely than Hispanic students to report that drugs were made available to them, the difference was not found to be statistically significant. In 2005, student reports of the availability of drugs on school property varied among states for which data were available. Among states, the percentage of students who reported that drugs were available to them at school ranged from 16 to 39 percent (table 9.2). This indicator repeats information from the 2006 Indicators of School Crime and Safety report. For more information: Tables 9.1 & 9.2 Eaton et al. 2006 INDICATOR 10 STUDENTS' REPORTS OF BEING CALLED HATE-RELATED WORDS AND SEEING HATE-RELATED GRAFFITI In 2005, some 11 percent of students ages 12-18 reported that someone at school had used hate-related words against them, and more than one-third (38 percent) had seen hate-related graffiti at school. In the 2005 School Crime Supplement18 to the National Crime Victimization Survey, students ages 12-18 were asked if someone at school had called them a derogatory word having to do with their race, ethnicity, religion, disability, gender, or sexual orientation and if they had seen hate-related graffiti during the previous 6 months. With regard to hate-related words, students were also asked to specify the characteristic to which the word was directed. In 2005, some 11 percent of students ages 12-18 reported that someone at school had used hate-related words against them (figure 10.1 and table 10.1). Five percent of students reported that the hate-related words concerned their race, 3 percent reported that the words were related to their ethnicity, about 2 percent each reported that the words concerned their religion or gender, and 1 percent each reported that the words were related to their disability or sexual orientation (table 10.2). Students were also asked if they had seen hate- related graffiti at their school-that is, hate-related words or symbols written in classrooms, bathrooms, hallways, or on the outside of the school building (figure 10.1 and table 10.1). Some 38 percent of students reported seeing hate-related graffiti at school. Students' experiences of being called specific types of hate-related words in 2005 differed according to their sex and race/ethnicity (table 10.2). Females were more likely to report gender-related hate words than were males (3 vs. 1 percent) while male students were more likely than female students to report hate words related to both race (5 vs. 4 percent) and ethnicity (3 vs. 2 percent). White students were less likely to report race- related hate words than were Black and Hispanic students as well as students whose racial/ethnic group was categorized as "Other" (3 percent of White students vs. 7 percent of Black students, 6 percent of Hispanic students, and 9 percent of Other students). In 2005, measurable differences were found in students' reports of being called hate-related words and seeing hate-related graffiti according to the urbanicity and sector of their schools (figure 10.1 and table 10.1). Suburban students were less likely than both urban students (9 vs. 12 percent) and rural students (9 vs. 15 percent) to report being called a hate-related word. Public school students were more likely than their private school counterparts to report being called a hate-related word (12 vs. 7 percent) and seeing hate- related graffiti (39 vs. 18 percent). 18 In 2005, the unit response rate for this survey did not meet NCES statistical standards; therefore, interpret the data with caution. For more information, please see appendix A. This indicator repeats information from the 2006 Indicators of School Crime and Safety report. For more information: Tables 10.1 & 10.2 Addington et al. 2002 INDICATOR 11 BULLYING AT SCHOOL In 2005, about 28 percent of 12- to 18-year-old students reported having been bullied at school during the last 6 months. Both bullying and being bullied at school are associated with key violence-related behaviors, including carrying weapons, fighting, and sustaining injuries from fighting (Nansel et al. 2003). In the 2005 School Crime Supplement19 to the National Crime Victimization Survey, students ages 12-18 were asked if they had been bullied at school during the previous 6 months.20 In 2005, about 28 percent of students reported having been bullied at school during the last 6 months (figure 11.1 and table 11.1). Nineteen percent of students said that they had experienced bullying that consisted of being made fun of; 15 percent reported being the subject of rumors; and 9 percent said that they were pushed, shoved, tripped, or spit on (figure 11.2 and table 11.1). Of those students who had been bullied, 79 percent said that they were bullied inside the school, and 28 percent said that they were bullied outside on school grounds (figure 11.2 and table 11.2). Of the students in 2005 who reported being bullied during the previous 6 months, 53 percent said that they had been bullied once or twice during that period, 25 percent had experienced bullying once or twice a month, 11 percent reported being bullied once or twice a week, and 8 percent said that they had been bullied almost daily (table 11.3). White and Black students (30 and 29 percent) were more likely than Hispanic students to report being bullied in 2005 (22 percent; table 11.1). White students were also more likely than students of Other racial/ethnic groups to report being bullied (30 vs. 25 percent), and to report that they were the subject of rumors than were Hispanic students and students of Other racial/ethnic groups (16 vs. 12 percent). In general, grade level was inversely related to students' likelihood of being bullied: as grade level increased, students' likelihood of being bullied decreased (table 11.1). In 2005, about 37 percent of 6th- graders, 28 percent of 9th-graders, and 20 percent of 12th-graders reported that they had been bullied at school. Students in public schools were more likely to report bullying incidents than were their private school counterparts (29 vs. 23 percent). Of those students who reported bullying incidents that involved being pushed, shoved, tripped, or spit on (9 percent), 24 percent reported that they had sustained an injury21 as a result (table 11.2). While no measurable differences were found by sex in students' likelihood of reporting a bullying incident in 2005, among students who reported being bullied, males were more likely than females to report being injured during such an incident (31 vs. 18 percent). 19 In 2005, the unit response rate for this survey did not meet NCES statistical standards; therefore, interpret the data with caution. For more information, please see appendix A. 20 In 2005, the questionnaire wording for the School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey was modified with regard to bullying. In the 1999, 2001, and 2003 surveys, students were simply asked whether they had been bullied in the previous 6 months, while the 2005 iteration posed a series of questions on bullying and provided respondents with more examples of bullying behavior. Bullying includes being made fun of; subject of rumors; threatened with harm; pushed, shoved, tripped, or spit on; pressured into doing things did not want to do; excluded; or property destroyed on purpose. 21 Injury includes bruises or swelling; cuts, scratches, or scrapes; black eye or bloody nose; teeth chipped or knocked out; broken bones or internal injuries; knocked unconscious; or other injuries. This indicator repeats information from the 2006 Indicators of School Crime and Safety report. For more information: Tables 11.1, 11.2, & 11.3 DeVoe and Kaffenberger 2005 INDICATOR 12 TEACHERS' REPORTS OF SCHOOL CONDITIONS The percentage of teachers who reported that student misbehavior, class cutting, and tardiness interfered with their teaching varied by teacher and school characteristics. A higher percentage of teachers in city schools than in suburban, rural, or town schools reported that misbehavior and student tardiness interfered with their teaching in 2003-04. Classroom disruptions are associated with lower student achievement for the offending student as well as for that student's classmates (Lannie and McCurdy 2007). In the Schools and Staffing Survey, public and private school teachers were asked if student misbehavior and student tardiness and class cutting interfered with their teaching. In 2003-04, 35 percent of teachers agreed or strongly agreed that student misbehavior interfered with their teaching, and 31 percent reported that student tardiness and class cutting interfered with their teaching (table 12.1). Teachers were also asked if school rules were enforced by other teachers at their school, even for students not in their classes, or by the principal. Seventy-two percent of teachers agreed or strongly agreed that other teachers at their school enforced the school rules and 88 percent reported that the principal enforced the school rules in 2003-04 (figure 12.1 and table 12.2). The percentage of teachers who reported that student misbehavior, class cutting, and tardiness interfered with their teaching varied by teacher and school characteristics. In 2003-04, a higher percentage of teachers in city schools than in suburban, town, or rural schools reported that misbehavior and student tardiness interfered with their teaching (table 12.1). For example, 42 percent of teachers in city schools reported that student misbehavior in their school interfered with their teaching, compared to 33 percent of suburban teachers, 34 percent of town teachers, and 31 percent of rural teachers. Between 1987-88 and 2003-04, a larger percentage of public school teachers than private school teachers reported that student misbehavior and tardiness interfered with their teaching (figure 12.2 and table 12.1). In 2003- 04, about 37 percent of public school teachers reported that student misbehavior interfered with their teaching, compared to 21 percent of private school teachers. In 2003-04, a higher percentage of secondary school teachers than elementary school teachers agreed that student misbehavior, student tardiness, and class cutting interfered with their teaching (table 12.1). In 2003-04, for example, 40 percent of secondary school teachers reported that student misbehavior interfered with their teaching, compared to 34 percent of elementary teachers. The percentage of teachers who agreed that school rules were enforced by other teachers varied by teacher and school characteristics. In every survey year, a higher percentage of elementary school teachers than secondary school teachers agreed that school rules were enforced by teachers in their school, even for students not in their class (table 12.2 and figure 12.1). In 2003-04, for example, 79 percent of elementary teachers reported that school rules were enforced by other teachers compared to 56 percent of secondary teachers. Generally, the percentage of teachers who agreed or strongly agreed that school rules were enforced by other teachers was greater in schools with smaller school enrollment (table 12.2). In 2003-04, about 84 percent of teachers in schools with fewer than 200 students agreed that school rules were enforced by other teachers, compared to 56 percent of teachers in schools with 1,000 or more students. This is a new indicator. For more information: Tables 12.1 & 12.2 Appendix B for definitions of school levels and urbanicity codes Strizek et al. 2006 FIGHTS, WEAPONS, AND ILLEGAL SUBSTANCES INDICATOR 13 PHYSICAL FIGHTS ON SCHOOL PROPERTY AND ANYWHERE The percentage of 9th- to 12th-grade students who reported being in a physical fight anywhere increased from 33 to 36 percent between 2003 and 2005. Schools where physical fights occur frequently may not be able to maintain a focused learning environment for students. Further, students who participate in fights on school property may have difficulty succeeding in their studies (Payne, Gottfredson, and Gottfredson 2003). In the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, students in grades 9-12 were asked about their general involvement in physical fights during the preceding 12 months (referred to as "anywhere" in this report) and their involvement in physical fights on school property. Fights occurring anywhere are included as a point of comparison with fights occurring on school property. In 2005, some 36 percent of students in grades 9-12 reported being in a fight anywhere, and 14 percent said they had been in a fight on school property (figure 13.1 and table 13.1). Between 2003 and 2005, the percentage of students who reported being in a fight anywhere increased from 33 to 36 percent. However, there was no measurable change in the percentage of students who reported fighting on school property during the same period. In all survey years, males were more likely than females to have been in a fight anywhere and on school property (figure 13.1 and table 13.1). In 2005, 43 percent of males said they had been in a fight anywhere, compared with 28 percent of females. In the same year, 18 percent of males said they had been in a fight on school property, compared with 9 percent of females. Between 2003 and 2005, the percentage of females who reported having been in a physical fight anywhere increased from 25 to 28 percent. In 2005, students in lower grades were more likely to report being in fights than students in higher grades, both anywhere and on school property (figure 13.2 and table 13.1). In that year, 19 percent of 9th-graders, 14 percent of 10th-graders, 10 percent of 11th-graders, and 9 percent of 12th-graders reported being in a fight on school property. While it appears that students in most grades were more likely to report being in a physical fight in 2005 than in 2003, the only measurable increase found was for 9th-grade students anywhere: between 2003 and 2005, the percentage of 9th-graders who reported having been in a fight anywhere increased from 39 to 43 percent. In 2005, the percentage of students engaging in fights varied according to their race/ ethnicity. Specifically, Asian students were less likely than students from all other racial/ ethnic groups to report being in a fight anywhere or on school property. Six percent of Asian students reported being in a fight on school property, compared with 12 to 24 percent of students from other racial/ethnic groups. Between 2003 and 2005, the percentage of Hispanic students who reported having been in a fight anywhere increased from 36 to 41 percent. During the same period, the percentage of Asian students who reported having been in a fight on school property declined from 13 to 6 percent. In 2005, the percentage of students who reported being in a fight varied among states for which data were available. Among states, the percentages ranged from 24 to 37 percent for being in a fight anywhere, and from 8 to 16 percent for being in a fight on school property (table 13.2). This indicator repeats information from the 2006 Indicators of School Crime and Safety report. For more information: Tables 13.1 & 13.2 Eaton et al. 2006 INDICATOR 14 STUDENTS CARRYING WEAPONS ON SCHOOL PROPERTY AND ANYWHERE There was no measurable change in the percentage of students who reported carrying a weapon at school between 1999 and 2005: about 6 percent did so in both years. The presence of weapons at school may interfere with teaching and learning by creating an intimidating and threatening atmosphere (Aspy et al. 2004). In the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, students were asked if they had carried a weapon such as a gun, knife, or club in the past 30 days (referred to as "anywhere" in this report) or had carried one of these weapons on school property in the past 30 days. Weapon carrying anywhere is included as a point of comparison with weapon carrying on school property. In 2005, some 19 percent of students in grades 9-12 reported they had carried a weapon anywhere, and about 6 percent reported they had carried a weapon on school property (figure 14.1 and table 14.1). The percentage of students who reported carrying a weapon anywhere declined from 22 to 18 percent between 1993 and 1997. However, subsequently, there was no measurable change in the percentage of students who reported carrying a weapon anywhere. Similar to the pattern for carrying a weapon anywhere, between 1993 and 1999, the percentage of students who reported carrying a weapon at school declined from 12 to 7 percent. However, there was no measurable change in the percentage of students who carried a weapon at school between 1999 and 2005. When looking at the characteristics of students who reported carrying weapons, males were more than two times more likely than females to carry a weapon-either anywhere or on school property-in all survey years (figure 14.1 and table 14.1). In 2005, for example, some 10 percent of males carried a weapon on school property, compared with 3 percent of females, and 30 percent of males carried a weapon anywhere, compared with 7 percent of females. In 2005, few differences were detected in the percentage of students who reported carrying weapons anywhere and on school property according to students' race/ethnicity (figure 14.2 and table 14.1). Asian students were less likely than students from all other racial/ ethnic groups, except Pacific Islanders,22 to report carrying a weapon anywhere, but no measurable differences were detected among Black, White, and Hispanic students. Asian students were also less likely than students from all other racial/ethnic groups, except for Blacks, to report carrying a weapon on school property, but no differences were detected among Black, White, and American Indian students. Hispanic students were more likely than Black students to report carrying a weapon during the previous 30 days on school property in 2005 (8 vs. 5 percent). Between 2003 and 2005, the percentage of Hispanic students who reported doing so increased from 6 to 8 percent. In 2005, the percentage of students who reported carrying a weapon varied among states for which data were available. Among states, the percentages ranged from 11 to 28 percent for carrying a weapon anywhere, and from 4 to 11 percent for carrying a weapon on school property (table 14.2). 22 No observed measurable differences may be due to large standard errors. This indicator repeats information from the 2006 Indicators of School Crime and Safety report. For more information: Tables 14.1 & 14.2 Eaton et al. 2006 INDICATOR 15 STUDENTS' USE OF ALCOHOL ON SCHOOL PROPERTY AND ANYWHERE In 2005, some 43 percent of students in grades 9-12 reported having at least one drink of alcohol anywhere, and 4 percent had at least one drink on school property in the 30 days before being surveyed. Students' illegal consumption of alcohol on school property may lead to additional crimes and misbehavior. It may also foster a school environment that is harmful to students, teachers, and staff (Fagan and Wilkinson 1998). In the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, students in grades 9-12 were asked whether they had consumed alcohol at all in the past 30 days (referred to as "anywhere" in this report) and if they had consumed alcohol on school property. Alcohol consumption anywhere is included as a point of comparison with alcohol consumption on school property. In 2005, some 43 percent of students consumed at least one drink of alcohol anywhere, and 4 percent consumed at least one drink on school property (figure 15.1 and table 15.1). The percentage of students who reported drinking alcohol anywhere increased from 48 to 52 percent between 1993 and 1995 and then declined to 43 percent in 2005. No consistent pattern was detected in the percentage of students who reported consuming alcohol on school property between 1993 and 2005: over these years, the percentage fluctuated from 4 to 6 percent. The likelihood of drinking alcohol varied by student characteristics including sex, grade level, and race/ethnicity. In 2005, males were more likely than females to report using alcohol on school property (5 vs. 3 percent), a difference not found in the percentage who reported drinking anywhere (figure 15.1 and table 15.1). In 2005, students in higher grades were more likely to report drinking alcohol anywhere than were students in lower grades. For example, 51 percent of 12th-graders reported using alcohol, compared with 36 percent of 9th- graders (figure 15.2 and table 15.1). However, no measurable difference was found across grade levels in students' likelihood of drinking alcohol on school property. In 2005, Asian and Black students were less likely to report using alcohol anywhere than were American Indian, White, or Hispanic students. Twenty-two percent of Asian students and 31 percent of Black students reported using alcohol anywhere, compared with 46 percent of White students, 47 percent of Hispanic students, and 57 percent of American Indian students. In the same year, Hispanic students (8 percent) were more likely to use alcohol on school property than were White, Black, or Asian students (4, 3, and 1 percent, respectively). In 2005, the percentage of students who reported drinking alcohol varied among states for which data were available. Among states, the percentages ranged from 16 to 49 percent for drinking alcohol anywhere, and from 2 to 9 percent for drinking alcohol on school property (table 15.2). This indicator repeats information from the 2006 Indicators of School Crime and Safety report. For more information: Tables 15.1 & 15.2 Eaton et al. 2006 INDICATOR 16 STUDENTS' USE OF MARIJUANA ON SCHOOL PROPERTY AND ANYWHERE In 2005, some 20 percent of students in grades 9-12 reported using marijuana anywhere during the past 30 days, and 5 percent reported using marijuana on school property. In the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, students in grades 9- 12 were asked whether they had used marijuana at all during the past 30 days (referred to as "anywhere" in this report) and whether they had used marijuana on school property during this period. In 2005, some 20 percent of students in grades 9-12 reported using marijuana anywhere during the past 30 days, and 5 percent reported using marijuana on school property (figure 16.1 and table 16.1). The percentage of students who reported using marijuana anywhere increased between 1993 and 1995 (from 18 to 25 percent), and in 1995, 1997, and 1999, roughly one- quarter of students reported using marijuana anywhere (between 25 and 27 percent). By 2005, however, the percentage of students who reported using marijuana anywhere had declined to 20 percent. The percentage of students who reported using marijuana on school property increased from 6 to 9 percent between 1993 and 1995 and then declined to 5 percent in 2001. No measurable change was found in the percentage of students who reported using marijuana during the past 30 days on school property between 2001 and 2005. Both students' sex and grade level were associated with the use of marijuana among those in grades 9-12. Males were more likely than females to have reported using marijuana during the past 30 days in every survey year, both anywhere and on school property (figure 16.1 and table 16.1). For example, in 2005, some 6 percent of males and 3 percent of females reported using marijuana on school property. In that same year, 9th- grade students were less likely than 11th- and 12th-grade students to report using marijuana anywhere (figure 16.2 and table 16.1). While it appears that 9th-grade students were slightly more likely to report using marijuana on school property than were their peers in other grades, no measurable differences were detected in student reports of using marijuana on school property by grade level. In 2005, Asian students were less likely than students from other racial/ethnic groups, except Pacific Islander students, to report using marijuana anywhere (7 vs. 17-30 percent of students in other racial/ethnic groups). American Indian students were more likely than students from other racial/ethnic groups, except Hispanic students, to report using marijuana anywhere (30 vs. 7-20 percent of students in other racial/ethnic groups). At school, Hispanic students (8 percent) and American Indian students (9 percent) were more likely to report using marijuana than were White or Black students (4 and 5 percent, respectively). In 2005, the percentage of students who reported using marijuana varied among states for which data were available. Among states, the percentages ranged from 8 to 26 percent for using marijuana anywhere, and from 2 to 8 percent for using it on school property (table 16.2). This indicator repeats information from the 2006 Indicators of School Crime and Safety report. For more information: Tables 16.1 & 16.2 Eaton et al. 2006 FEAR AND AVOIDANCE INDICATOR 17 STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS OF PERSONAL SAFETY AT SCHOOL AND AWAY FROM SCHOOL In 2005, as grade level increased, the percentage of students reporting fear of an attack at school or on the way to and from school decreased. School violence can make students fearful and affect their readiness and ability to learn, and concerns about vulnerability to attacks detract from a positive school environment (Scheckner et al. 2002). In the School Crime Supplement23 to the National Crime Victimization Survey, students ages 12-18 were asked how often they had been afraid of attack "at school or on the way to and from school" and "away from school" during the previous 6 months.24 In 2005, approximately 6 percent of students ages 12-18 reported that they were afraid of attack or harm at school, and 5 percent reported that they were afraid of attack or harm away from school. There was no measurable change between 2003 and 2005 in the percentage of students reporting fear of attack or harm at or away from school (figure 17.1 and table 17.1). Consistent with findings from 1999 and 2001, students in 2005 were more likely to report being afraid of an attack at school than away from school. The percentage of students who reported that they were afraid of being attacked at school (including on the way to and from school) decreased from 12 to 6 percent between 1995 and 2001; however, no measurable difference was detected between 2001 and 2005. Similarly, there was no change in the percentage of students who feared such an attack away from school between 1999 and 2005. Black and Hispanic students were more likely than White students to fear for their safety regardless of location in 2005 (figure 17.2 and table 17.1). Nine percent of Black students and 10 percent of Hispanic students reported that they were afraid of being attacked at school (including on the way to and from school), compared with 4 percent of White students. Away from school, 7 percent of Black students, 6 percent of Hispanic students, and 4 percent of White students reported that they were afraid of an attack. There was no measurable change between 2003 and 2005 in the percentage of students who feared for their safety in either location among White, Black, or Hispanic students. In 2005, as grade level increased, students' fear of an attack at school or on the way to and from school decreased. In the same year, 10 percent of 6th-graders, 6 percent of 9th-graders, and 3 percent of 12th-graders feared for their safety at school or on the way to and from school. School location was also related to students' fear of attack. In 2005, students in urban schools were more likely than students in suburban and rural schools to fear being attacked at school or on the way to and from school. Ten percent of students in urban schools feared being attacked at school, compared with 5 percent each of their peers in suburban and rural schools. School sector was also related to students' fear of attack. In every survey year, students in public schools were more likely than students in private schools to fear being attacked at school. In 2005, about 6 percent of public school students feared being attacked at school, compared with 4 percent of private school students. Although it appears that the public school students were generally more likely than their counterparts in private schools to fear being attacked away from school in 2005, these differences were not found to be statistically significant. 23 In 2005, the unit response rate for this survey did not meet NCES statistical standards; therefore, interpret the data with caution. For more information, please see appendix A. 24 For the 2001 survey, the wording was changed to "attack or threat of attack." Includes students who reported that they sometimes or most of the time feared being victimized in this way. This indicator repeats information from the 2006 Indicators of School Crime and Safety report. For more information: Table 17.1 Addington et al. 2002 INDICATOR 18 STUDENTS' REPORTS OF AVOIDING SCHOOL ACTIVITIES OR SPECIFIC PLACES IN SCHOOL In 2005, some 6 percent of students ages 12-18 reported that they avoided school activities or one or more places in school because they thought someone might attack or harm them. School crime may lead students to perceive school as unsafe, and in trying to ensure their own safety, students may begin to skip school activities or avoid certain places within school (Schreck and Miller 2003). The percentage of students who avoid school activities and certain areas in school is a measure of their perceptions of school safety. In the School Crime Supplement25 to the National Crime Victimization Survey, students ages 12-18 were asked whether they had avoided school activities or one or more places in school because they were fearful that someone might attack or harm them.26 In 2005, some 6 percent of students reported that they had avoided a school activity or one or more places in school in the previous 6 months because of fear of attack or harm. About 2 percent of students avoided a school activity, and 4 percent avoided one or more places in school27 (figure 18.1 and table 18.1). The percentage of students ages 12-18 who reported that they avoided school activities because they thought someone might attack or harm them there decreased from 3 to 2 percent between 1999 and 2001 and remained at about 2 percent through 2005 (figure 18.1 and table 18.1). Between 4 and 5 percent of students reported avoiding one or more places in school during the same period. Students' reports of avoiding one or more places in school varied according to their race/ ethnicity. In 2005, Black and Hispanic students (7 and 6 percent, respectively) were more likely than White students or those from some Other racial/ethnic background (4 and 3 percent, respectively) to report avoiding one or more places in school because they were afraid someone might attack or harm them (table 18.2). As in all previous survey years, no measurable difference was detected in the extent to which males and females avoided places in 2005. Generally, grade level was inversely associated with students' likelihood of avoiding one or more places in school. Eight percent of 6th-graders avoided one or more places in school in 2005, compared with 1 percent of 12th-graders (figure 18.2 and table 18.2). Consistent with most previous years, students in urban areas in 2005 were the most likely to avoid places in school: 6 percent of urban students reported that they had done so, compared with 4 percent of suburban and rural students. In addition, public school students were more likely than private school students to avoid places in school (5 vs. 1 percent). 25 In 2005, the unit response rate for this survey did not meet NCES statistical standards; therefore, interpret the data with caution. For more information, please see appendix A. 26 For the 2001 survey, the wording was changed from "attack or harm" to "attack or threat of attack." See appendix A for more information. 27 Avoided a school activity includes avoiding extracurricular activities, skipping class, or staying home from school. Places include the entrance, any hallways or stairs, parts of the cafeteria, restrooms, and other places inside the school building. This indicator repeats information from the 2006 Indicators of School Crime and Safety report. For more information: Tables 18.1 & 18.2 Addington et al. 2002 DISCIPLINE, SAFETY, AND SECURITY MEASURES INDICATOR 19 SERIOUS DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS TAKEN BY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Forty-eight percent of public schools (approximately 39,600 schools) took a serious disciplinary action against a student for specific offenses during the 2005- 06 school year. Of those disciplinary actions, 74 percent were suspensions lasting 5 days or more, 5 percent were removals with no services (i.e., expulsions), and 20 percent were transfers to specialized schools. In the School Survey on Crime and Safety, public school officials were asked to report the number of disciplinary actions their schools took against students for specific offenses. Forty-eight percent of public schools (approximately 39,600 schools) took at least one serious disciplinary action against a student-including suspensions lasting 5 days or more, removals with no services (i.e., expulsions), and transfers to specialized schools-for specific offenses during the 2005-06 school year (figure 19.1 and table 19.1). The offenses included physical attacks or fights; insubordination; distribution, possession, or use of alcohol; distribution, possession, or use of illegal drugs; use or possession of a weapon other than a firearm or explosive d