A Look at School Crime Safety (Safety and Risk in Society)

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. 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 book presents the most recent data available on school crime and student safety with information drawn from a variety of sources, including national surveys of students, teachers and principals. Title Page......Page 4 Contents......Page 6 Preface......Page 8 Summary......Page 12 State Grants......Page 13 Program Performance......Page 0 National Activities......Page 17 Reauthorization Issues......Page 19 The SDFSCA Advisory Committee Recommendations......Page 20 State Grant Issues......Page 21 Data Requirements......Page 22 Reauthorization Status in the 110th Congress......Page 23 End Notes......Page 25 Summary......Page 26 Overview......Page 27 Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act......Page 28 Grants to LEAs......Page 29 National Programs......Page 30 Other Relevant ESEA Programs......Page 32 Unsafe School Choice Option......Page 33 HEA Title IV Institutional Eligibility Requirements......Page 34 Campus Crime and Security Requirements in the HEA......Page 35 Funding and Related Support......Page 36 Public Information Availability......Page 37 End Notes......Page 38 Introduction......Page 42 Selected Findings: School Year 2007–08......Page 43 Estimate Tables......Page 45 Appendix A: Standard Error Tables......Page 66 Sample Design......Page 78 Data Collection......Page 79 Weighting......Page 80 Unit Response Rates......Page 81 Item Response Rates......Page 83 Sampling Variability......Page 84 School Characteristic (Row) Variables......Page 85 Table 1......Page 87 Table 3......Page 88 Table 6......Page 89 Table 9......Page 90 Table 11......Page 91 Appendix D: 2007–08 School Survey on Crime and Safety Questionnaire......Page 92 Endnotes......Page 110 Executive Summary......Page 112 Nonfatal Student and Teacher Victimization......Page 113 School Environment......Page 114 Fights, Weapons, and Illegal Substances......Page 115 Discipline, Safety, and Security Measures......Page 116 Purpose and Organization of This Chapter......Page 117 Data......Page 118 Indicator 1. Violent Deaths at School and Away From School......Page 120 Indicator 2. Incidence of Victimization at School and Away From School......Page 124 Indicator 3. Prevalence of Victimization at School......Page 131 Indicator 4. Threats and Injuries with Weapons on School Property......Page 133 Indicator 5. Teachers Threatened with Injury or Physically Attacked by Students......Page 137 Indicator 6. Violent and Other Crime Incidents at Public Schools and Those Reported to the Police......Page 146 Indicator 7. Discipline Problems Reported by Public Schools......Page 162 Indicator 8. Students’ Reports of Gangs at School......Page 165 Indicator 9. Students’ Reports of Drug Availability on School Property......Page 169 Indicator 10. Students’ Reports of Being Called Hate-Related Words and Seeing Hate-Related Graffiti......Page 172 Indicator 11. Bullying at School and Cyber-Bullying Anywhere......Page 179 Indicator 12. Teachers’ Reports on School Conditions......Page 187 Indicator 13. Physical Fights on School Property and Anywhere......Page 193 Indicator 14. Students Carrying Weapons on School Property and Anywhere......Page 198 Indicator 15. Students’ Use of Alcohol on School Property and Anywhere......Page 203 Indicator 16. Students’ Use of Marijuana on School Property and Anywhere......Page 209 Indicator 17. Students’ Perceptions of Personal Safety at School and Away From School......Page 212 Indicator 18. Students’ Reports of Avoiding School Activities or Specific Places in School......Page 216 Indicator 19. Serious Disciplinary Actions Taken by Public Schools......Page 220 Indicator 20. Safety and Security Measures Taken by Public Schools......Page 225 Indicator 21. Students’ Reports of Safety and Security Measures Observed at School......Page 231 School-Associated Violent Deaths Surveillance Study (SAVD)......Page 234 Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System Fatal (WISQARSTM Fatal)......Page 236 National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)......Page 237 School Crime Supplement (SCS)......Page 238 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS)......Page 241 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS)......Page 244 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS)......Page 245 Accuracy of Estimates......Page 246 Statistical Procedures......Page 247 General Terms......Page 249 National Crime Victimization Survey......Page 250 Youth Risk Behavior Survey......Page 251 Schools and Staffing Survey......Page 252 School Survey on Crime and Safety......Page 253 References......Page 256 End Notes......Page 259 Index......Page 262