Bureau of Justice Statistics Releases 2013 School Crime and Safety Report

The Bureau of Justice Statistics, in collaboration with the National Center for Education Statistics, has released "Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2013."
This annual report provides the most recent data on school crime and student safety based on a variety of sources, including national surveys of students, teachers, principals, and postsecondary institutions.
Each topic covered in the report has a dedicated section containing a set of indicators that aim to describe a distinct aspect of school crime and safety.
Key Topics:
•Victimization at school
•Teacher injury
•Bullying and cyberbullying
•School conditions
•Fights and weapons
•Student use of drugs and alcohol
•Student perceptions of personal safety at school
Key Findings:

•In 2012, students ages 12 to 18 experienced about 1.4 million nonfatal victimizations at school, including 615,600 thefts and 749,200 violent victimizations.
•The total nonfatal crime victimization rate at school increased from 35 victimizations per 1,000 students in 2010 to 52 per 1,000 in 2012.
•During the 2009–10 school year, 85 percent of public schools recorded that one or more crime incidents had taken place at school, amounting to an estimated 1.9 million crimes.
•In 2009–10, about 74 percent of public schools recorded one or more violent incidents of crime, 16 percent recorded one or more serious violent incidents, 44 percent recorded one or more thefts, and 68 percent recorded one or more other incidents.
For further details, read the full report online.

Cecilia Bianco is an account executive for Prichard Communications. She contributes to the Reclaiming Futures blog regarding topics of juvenile justice reform and substance abuse prevention.