School Violence Statistics for Bullying and Hazing in the United States 

As New York school violence lawyers, we understand that students can face a number of threats and safety issues not only while on campus or school grounds, but also on the Internet. These threats and safety issues can come from other students, or from teachers, administrators, and others who have some form of control over the school environment.

The following statistics discuss critical threats facing our students.

Hazing 

Hazing can take many forms.  At college, hazing can range from something mildly embarrassing (perhaps singing a song in the middle of the commons) to taking a physical beating to consuming large amounts of alcohol.  Almost all hazing involves certain common elements; namely, humiliation and subjecting one’s personal safety and welfare to a larger group.

Estimates show that 1.5 million high school students are hazed each year. Among these students 43% were subjected to humiliating activities and 30% performed potentially illegal acts as part of their initiation.

For college age student-athletes, the data indicate a startling frequency of hazing. More than 250,000 students experienced some sort of hazing to join a college athletic team. Among the general population of students, 5% of all college students admit to being hazed while 40% admit to knowing about hazing activities. 40% report that a coach or club advisor was aware of the hazing. 22% report that the coach or advisor was involved in the hazing.

Bullying

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2011, about 28 percent of students between the ages of 12 and 18 reported being bullied at school during the school year. Of those students, 18 percent reported that they were made fun of, called names, or insulted. 18 percent of students reported being the subject of rumors, 5 percent reported being threatened with harm, and 3 percent reported that others tried to make them do things they did not want to do. 6 percent of students reported being excluded from activities on purpose, 3 percent reported that their property was destroyed by others on purpose, and 8 percent said they were pushed, shoved, tripped, or spit on. In 2011, about 21 percent of students who were pushed, shoved, tripped, or spit on at school during the school year reported being injured as a result of the incident.

Cyberbullying

In 2011, approximately 9 percent of students between the ages of 12 and 18 reported being cyberbullied during the school year. 4 percent of students reported that another student had posted hurtful information on the Internet and 4 percent reported being subject to harassing text messages. 3 percent of students reported being subject to harassing instant messages, 2 percent reported being subject to harassing e-mails, and 1 percent each reported having their private information purposefully shared on the Internet, being harassed while gaming, and being excluded online.

School Violence 

According to a 2011 Centers for Disease Control, national survey of youth in grades 9-12, 12% reported being in a physical fight on school property in the 12 months before the survey. Among these students, 5.9% reported that they did not go to school on one or more days in the 30 days before the survey because they felt unsafe at school or on their way to or from school. 5.4% reported carrying a weapon (gun, knife, or club) on school property on one or more days in the 30 days before the survey. 7.4% reported beingthreatened or injured with a weapon on school property one or more times in the 12 months before the survey.

All Students Should Be Free from Physical and Psychological Harm 

We are the voice for those who have been harmed, threatened, bullied, assaulted, hazed, or subject to cyberbullying or inappropriate teacher misconduct.  Those in power – particularly school districts and universities – may feel that they are above the law.

This is not the case.

When their conduct or the conduct of their employees results in harm and injury to our clients, we will seek to hold them fully accountable in a court of law to the fullest extent permitted.  Through the litigation process, we will make them answer for the conduct that caused hurt and pain to our clients.  While we will usually attempt to secure a fair settlement for our client before trial, if a fair settlement is not forthcoming, we will take the case of our client to trial and let a jury determine fault and compensation.

Learn About How We May Be Able to Help

Call us for a free consultation to learn how we work to hold universities, school districts, and others liable for their actions or negligence in cases of wrongful action involving schools or at school campuses.  As we typically represent clients in personal injury and wrongful death on a contingency fee basis, there will be no fee to us under this representation unless we recover compensation for you.  

If you or your son or daughter has been the victim of school violence, please call us for a free, no-obligation consultation so that we can learn about your case.  Once we understand the facts and circumstances, we can explain what actions can be taken to prevent future harm from occurring, and the damages and compensation to which you may be entitled.

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