Startling Bullying Statistics from Federal Conference
I was recently an invited participant at the 2nd Annual Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention Summit hosted by the Dept. of Education and eight other Federal Agencies.
I learned a lot at the conference and was a part of panel discussion about solutions to bullying in our schools. .
The statistics on bullying reported at the conference were significant. They speak to the horrific consequences bullying can take on our young people. Here are a few of the recently reported statistics reported for students 12-18 in a study of 6500 students. These are results from the 2009 School Crime supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey.
Did you know that 28% of students ages 12-18 reported bullying during the 2008-2009 school year, the most recent time frame for empirical data on bullying?
The good news about the top statistics is that bullying is decreasing during the years kids go through school, a testament to the progress we are making with anti-bullying measures and programs. However, when we look at the types of bullying incidents and the potential for criminality, there are some startling findings:
- 18.8% of kids surveyed reported being verbally bullied,16.5% were the subject of hurtful rumors,5.7% were bullied by physical means or threatened with harm, 9% were tripped or spit on; and 4.7% were bullied by acute exclusion.
- 8.9% of students bullied in school also reported being a victim of a crime.
- 4.1% of students who were bullied reported bringing a gun, knife, or other weapon to school.
Clearly, we have much work to do.
Beyond a first glance at the numbers, what of the emotional consequences of bullying abuse?
A few data-points shout to the alarming consequences of bullying through fear and avoidance.
- If bullied at school, fear of attack or harm on the way to and from school is experienced by 10.8% of the young people out there.
- Bullied students reported avoiding a specific place at school at the same rate.
The bottom line is this. Kids who are bullied are more worried about their safety than they are about learning and enjoying school. Bullied kids can drop 1.5 letter grades or more.
We simply have to unite and stand up for the rights of young children to gain an education in an academic environment free from fear.
