NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS

Statistical Analysis Report March 1998

Violence and Discipline

Problems in U.S. Public

Schools: 1996-97

U.S. Department of Education

Office of Educational Research and Improvement NCES 98-030
NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS

Statistical Analysis Report March 1998

Violence and Discipline

Problems in U.S. Public

Schools: 1996-97

Sheila Heaviside

Cassandra Rowand

Catrina Williams

Elizabeth Farris

Westat, Inc.

Shelley Burns

Edith McArthur

Project Officers

National Center for Education Statistics

U.S. Department of Education

Office of Educational Research and Improvement NCES 98-030
U.S. Department of Education

Richard W. Riley

Secretary

Office of Educational Research and

Improvement

Ricky T. Takai

Acting Assistant Secretary

National Center for Education Statistics

Pascal D. Forgione, Jr.

Commissioner

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

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review and report on education activities in foreign countries.

NCES activities are designed to address high priority education data needs; provide consistent, reliable,

complete, and accurate indicators of education status and trends; and report timely, useful, and high

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National Center for Education Statistics

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March 1998

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Suggested Citation

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Violence and Discipline Problems

in U.S. Public Schools: 1996-97, NCES 98-030, by Sheila Heaviside, Cassandra Rowand, Catrina

Williams, and Elizabeth Farris. Project Officers, Shelley Burns and Edith McArthur. Washington, DC:

1998.

Contact:

Shelley Burns

(202) 219-1463

For sale by the U.S. Government Printing Office

Superintendent of Documents, Mail Stop: SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-9328
iii

Executive Summary

“No matter where you are, parents want their students to be

safe and secure... that might even precede a quality

education...” With drugs, gangs, and guns on the rise in

many communities the threat of violence “weighs heavily on

most principals’ minds these days...Anyone who thinks they

are not vulnerable is really naïve.” (Principal Michael

Durso, Springbrook High School, as quoted in the

Washingtonian Magazine, September 1997).

Background Recent events have again focused the nation’s attention on violence in U.S.

public schools, an issue that has generated public concern and directed

research for more than two decades.1 Despite long-standing attention to the

problem, there is a growing perception that not all public schools are safe

places of learning, and media reports highlight specific school-based violent

acts. The seventh goal of the National Education Goals states that by the year

2000, “all schools in America will be free of drugs and violence and the

unauthorized presence of firearms and alcohol, and offer a disciplined

environment that is conducive to learning.” In response to this goal, the

Congress passed the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of

1994, which provides for support of drug and violence prevention programs.

As part of this legislation, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

is required to collect data to determine the “frequency, seriousness, and

incidence of violence in elementary and secondary schools.” NCES responded

to this requirement by commissioning a survey, the Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence, 1996-97, the results of which are

detailed in this report.

The school violence survey was conducted with a nationally representative

sample of 1,234 regular public elementary, middle, and secondary schools in

the 50 states and the District of Columbia in the spring and summer of 1997.

The survey requested information on four main topics:

• The incidence of crime and violence that occurred in public schools during

the 1996-97 academic year;

• Principals’ (or school disciplinarians’) perceptions about the seriousness

of a variety of discipline issues in their schools;

• The types of disciplinary actions schools took against students for

serious offenses; and

 

1

 U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, “Violent Schools - Safe Schools: The Safe School

Study Report to the Congress,” December 1977.
iv

• The kinds of security measures and violence prevention programs that

were in place in public schools.

The types of criminal incidents that schools were asked to report included

murder, suicide, rape or other type of sexual battery, assault or fight with a

weapon, robbery, assault or fight without a weapon, theft/ larceny, and

vandalism. Any effort to quantify the frequency and seriousness of these

crimes and violent incidents occurring in public schools will be affected by

the way in which the information is collected and reported. Three important

aspects of the process that were used to gather the data reported in this

publication were:

• The survey questions asked, including how the questions were phrased,

definitions applied, time span covered, and the context in which they

were asked;

• The choice of survey respondent; and

• The survey sample size.

The reader should keep these aspects of the survey in mind when comparing

results of this particular sample survey with other studies on school crime

and violence. The data reported from this study may vary from data reported

elsewhere because of differences in definitions, coverage, respondents, and

sample. For example, the data reported in this survey describe the number of

incidents of crime, not the number of individuals involved in such incidents.

It should be noted that an incident could involve more than one individual

perpetrator or individual victim. Similarly, an individual perpetrator or

victim could be involved in multiple incidents.

Key Findings HOW SERIOUS A PROBLEM WAS CRIME AND VIOLENCE IN

U.S. PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THE 1996-97 SCHOOL YEAR?

More than half of U.S. public schools reported experiencing at least one

crime incident in school year 1996-97, and 1 in 10 schools reported at

least one serious violent crime during that school year (table 7).

• Fifty-seven percent of public elementary and secondary school

principals reported that one or more incidents of crime/violence that

were reported to the police or other law enforcement officials had

occurred in their school during the 1996-97 school year.

• Ten percent of all public schools experienced one or more serious

violent crimes (defined as murder, rape or other type of sexual battery,

suicide, physical attack or fight with a weapon, or robbery) that were

reported to police or other law enforcement officials during the 1996-97

school year.
v

• Physical attacks or fights without a weapon led the list of reported

crimes in public schools with about 190,000 such incidents reported for

1996-97 (figure 1). About 116,000 incidents of theft or larceny were

reported along with 98,000 incidents of vandalism. These less serious

or nonviolent crimes were more common than serious violent crimes,

with schools reporting about 4,000 incidents of rape or other type of

sexual battery, 7,000 robberies, and 11,000 incidents of physical attacks

or fights in which weapons were used.

• While 43 percent of public schools reported no incidents of crime in

1996-97, 37 percent reported from one to five crimes and about 20

percent reported six crimes or more (figure 3).

WHAT TYPES OF SCHOOLS WERE LIKELY TO HAVE MORE

SERIOUS PROBLEMS WITH CRIME AND VIOLENCE?

Crime and violence were more of a problem in middle and high schools

than in elementary schools. Middle schools and high schools were more

likely to report that they had experienced one or more incidents of any

crime and one or more incidents of serious violent crime than

elementary schools (table 7).

• Forty-five percent of elementary schools reported one or more violent

incidents compared with 74 percent of middle and 77 percent of high

schools.

• Four percent of elementary schools reported one or more serious violent

crimes compared with 19 percent of middle and 21 percent of high

schools.

• Of the less serious or nonviolent crimes, the largest ratios of crimes per

100,000 students were found in middle and high schools compared with

elementary schools. This was true for physical attacks or fights without

a weapon, theft/larceny, and vandalism (table 10).

• In general, elementary schools reported proportionately fewer incidents

of serious violent crime. They reported lower rates of physical attacks

or fights with a weapon and rape or other type of sexual battery when

compared with middle schools and high schools. However, while

elementary schools reported lower ratios of robbery compared with high

schools, they were not significantly different from middle schools.
vi

Schools that reported serious discipline problems were more likely to have

experienced one or more incidents of crime or violence, and were more

likely to experience serious violent crime than those with less serious

discipline problems (table 7).

• Sixteen percent of public school principals considered at least one serious

discipline problem (out of 17 discipline issues that they were asked about)

to be a serious problem in their schools in 1996-97 (table 12). The

remaining schools were about equally divided between those that had

minor or no discipline problems on all 17 issues (43 percent) and those

that reported a moderate (but no serious) problem on at least 1 of the

issues (41 percent).

• Principals in public high schools and middle schools were more likely than

public elementary school principals to rate at least one discipline issue as a

serious problem in their schools. Thirty-seven percent of high school

principals reported at least one serious discipline problem in their schools

compared with 18 percent of middle school principals and 8 percent of

elementary school principals (table 12).

• In both 1990-91 and 1996-97, the three discipline issues most frequently

rated as serious or moderate problems by principals were student tardiness,

student absenteeism or class cutting, and physical conflicts among students

(table 13).

WHAT MEASURES ARE SCHOOLS TAKING TO DEAL WITH

PROBLEMS OF CRIME AND VIOLENCE?

Most public schools reported having zero tolerance policies towards

serious student offenses (table 19).

• Principals were asked about whether the school had “zero-tolerance”

policies, defined as school or district policy mandating predetermined

consequences for various student offenses. The proportion of schools

that had such policies ranged from 79 to 94 percent on violence, tobacco,

alcohol, drugs, weapons other than firearms, and firearms (figure 8 and

table 19).

Most schools reported that they employed low levels of security

measures to prevent violence (figure 11).

• To discover what types of security were employed, schools were asked

whether visitors must sign in, if there was a closed campus policy for

most students during lunch, if access to the school building was

controlled, if access to school grounds was controlled, if there had been

one or more drug sweeps, whether the school used random metal

detector checks on students, or whether students must pass through
vii

metal detectors daily (table 22). Schools were also asked about the

presence of police or other law enforcement at the school (table 23).

• Two percent of public schools had stringent security, which was defined

as a full-time guard and daily or random metal detector checks

(figure 11). Eleven percent of schools had instituted moderate security

measures such as a full-time guard, or a part-time guard with restricted

access to the school, or metal detectors with no guards, while 84 percent

of public schools reported having a low level of security-restricted

access to their schools but no guards or metal detectors. Another

3 percent reported that none of the security measures asked about in the

survey were used.

Most schools reported having formal school violence prevention

programs (table 25).

• Seventy-eight percent of schools reported having some type of formal

violence-prevention or violence reduction program or effort.

• Fifty percent of public schools with violence-prevention programs

indicated that all or almost all of their students participated in these

programs (figure 12 and table 30).
viii
ix

Table of Contents

Page

Executive Summary .............................................................................................................. iii

Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 1

Incidents of Crime and Violence in Public Schools ............................................................. 5

Percent of Public Schools Reporting Crime and Violence ................................................... 7

Frequency of Crime and Violence ........................................................................................ 9

Frequency of Specific Crimes............................................................................................... 11

Principals’ Perceptions of Discipline Issues in Their Schools ............................................. 12

Types of Schools With Discipline Problems.................................................................. 13

Relationship Between Safety and Principals’ Perceptions of Discipline

Issues....................................................................................................................... 15

Comparisons of Principals’ Perceptions in 1991 and 1997............................................ 15

School Actions and Reactions to Discipline Issues.............................................................. 16

Zero Tolerance Policies.................................................................................................. 18

Policies to Report Crimes to the Public.......................................................................... 18

Requiring School Uniforms............................................................................................ 19

School Efforts to Ensure Safety and Promote Discipline ..................................................... 19

Presence of Police or Other Law Enforcement in Public Schools................................. 22

Stringency of Security Across School Characteristics.......................................................... 22

Violence Prevention Programs.............................................................................................. 23

Participation in Violence Prevention Programs.................................................................... 25

Summary and Conclusions.................................................................................................... 26

Survey Methodology and Data Reliability............................................................................ 27

Sample Selection ............................................................................................................ 27

Respondent and Response Rates.................................................................................... 27

Sampling and Nonsampling Errors................................................................................. 29

Variances........................................................................................................................ 30

Background Information................................................................................................. 30

References ...................................................................................................................... 31

Glossary of Terms .......................................................................................................... 32

Tables of Estimates and Standard Errors.............................................................................. 37
x

Table of Contents (continued)

List of Appendices

Appendix

A Survey Questionnaire ........................................................................................................ A-1

List of Figures

Figure Page

1 Number of various crimes occurring in public schools: 1996-97 .................................... 6

2 Percent of public schools indicating the seriousness of reported crimes occurring at

the school: 1996-97 ........................................................................................................... 7

3 Percent of public schools with number of reported crime incidents at the school:

1996-97.............................................................................................................................. 10

4 Percent of public schools reporting the extent to which discipline issues were a

problem at the school: 1996-97 ........................................................................................ 13

5 Percent of public schools reporting that specific discipline issues were a serious or

moderate problem at the school, by instructional level: 1996-97 .................................... 14

6 Percent of public schools reporting the extent to which discipline issues were a

problem at the school, by reported crime in the school: 1996-97 .................................... 15

7 Percent of specified disciplinary actions taken by public schools for specific

offenses, by type of action taken: 1996-97....................................................................... 17

8 Percent of public schools that have adopted zero tolerance policies for various

student offenses: 1996-97................................................................................................. 18

9 Percent of public schools requiring school uniforms, by year requirement initiated........ 19

10 Percent of public schools reporting various types of security measures at the schools:

1996-97.............................................................................................................................. 20

11 Percent of public schools, by degree of security: 1996-97............................................... 23

12 Percent of public schools with violence prevention programs, by the proportion of

their students that participated in these programs: 1996-97............................................. 25
xi

Table of Contents (continued)

List of Text Tables

Table Page

A Number and percent of responding public schools in the study sample and estimated

number and percent of public schools the sample represents, by school

characteristics: 1996-97.................................................................................................... 28

List of Tables of Estimates and Standard Errors

Table

1 Number and percent of public schools reporting one or more incidents of rape or

other type of sexual battery, and total number of incidents of rape or other type of

sexual battery reported in public schools in which police or other law enforcement

were contacted, by school characteristics: 1996-97......................................................... 39

1a Standard errors of the number and percent of public schools reporting one or more

incidents of rape or other type of sexual battery and of the total number of incidents

of rape or other type of sexual battery reported in public schools in which police or

other law enforcement were contacted, by school characteristics: 1996-97.................... 41

2 Number and percent of public schools reporting one or more incidents of physical

attacks or fights with weapons, and total number of incidents of physical attacks or

fights with weapons reported in public schools in which police or other law

enforcement were contacted, by school characteristics: 1996-97.................................... 42

2a Standard errors of the number and percent of public schools reporting one or more

incidents of physical attacks or fights with weapons and of the total number of

incidents of physical attacks or fights with weapons reported in public schools in

which police or other law enforcement were contacted, by school characteristics:

1996-97.............................................................................................................................. 44

3 Number and percent of public schools reporting one or more incidents of robbery,

and total number of incidents of robbery reported in public schools in which police

or other law enforcement were contacted, by school characteristics: 1996-97................ 45

3a Standard errors of the number and percent of public schools reporting one or more

incidents of robbery and of the total number of incidents of robbery reported in

public schools in which police or other law enforcement were contacted, by school

characteristics: 1996-97.................................................................................................... 47
xii

Table of Contents (continued)

List of Tables of Estimates and Standard Errors (continued)

Table Page

4 Number and percent of public schools reporting one or more incidents of physical

attacks or fights without weapons, and total number of incidents of physical attacks

or fights without weapons reported in public schools in which police or other law

enforcement were contacted, by school characteristics: 1996-97.................................... 48

4a Standard errors of the number and percent of public schools reporting one or more

incidents of physical attacks or fights without weapons and of the total number of

incidents of physical attacks or fights without weapons reported in public schools in

which police or other law enforcement were contacted, by school characteristics:

1996-97.............................................................................................................................. 50

5 Number and percent of public schools reporting one or more incidents of theft or

larceny, and total number of incidents of theft or larceny reported in public schools

in which police or other law enforcement were contacted, by school characteristics:

1996-97.............................................................................................................................. 51

5a Standard errors of the number and percent of public schools reporting one or more

incidents of theft or larceny and of the total number of incidents of theft or larceny

reported in public schools in which police or other law enforcement were contacted,

by school characteristics: 1996-97 ................................................................................... 53

6 Number and percent of public schools reporting one or more incidents of

vandalism, and total number of incidents of vandalism reported in public schools in

which police or other law enforcement were contacted, by school characteristics:

1996-97.............................................................................................................................. 54

6a Standard errors of the number and percent of public schools with one or more

incidents of vandalism and of the total number of incidents of vandalism occurring

in public schools in which police or other law enforcement were contacted, by

school characteristics: 1996-97 ........................................................................................ 56

7 Percent of public schools reporting crime incidents and the seriousness of crime

incidents reported, by school characteristics: 1996-97 .................................................... 57

7a Standard errors of the percent of public schools reporting crime incidents and the

seriousness of crime incidents reported, by school characteristics: 1996-97................... 59

8 Percent of public schools reporting that various crimes occurred at the school,

involved students, and occurred during school hours or at school-sponsored events,

by type of crime at the school: 1996-97 ........................................................................... 60

8a Standard errors of the percent of public schools reporting that various crimes

occurred at the school, involved students, and occurred during school hours or at

school-sponsored events, by type of crime at the school: 1996-97.................................. 61
xiii

Table of Contents (continued)

List of Tables of Estimates and Standard Errors (continued)

Table Page

9 Ratio of crimes per 100,000 public school students, by school characteristics:

1996-97.............................................................................................................................. 62

9a Standard errors of the ratio of crimes per 100,000 public school students, by school

characteristics: 1996-97.................................................................................................... 64

10 Ratio of reported crimes per 100,000 public school students, by type of crime and

instructional level: 1996-97.............................................................................................. 65

10a Standard errors of the ratio of reported crimes per 100,000 public school students,

by type of crime and instructional level: 1996-97............................................................ 66

11 Percent of public school principals indicating the extent of problems in their

schools with certain discipline issues: 1990-91 and 1996-97 .......................................... 67

11a Standard errors of the percent of public school principals indicating the extent of

problems in their schools with certain discipline issues: 1990-91 and 1996-97.............. 68

12 Percent of public school principals reporting level of discipline problems in their

schools, by school characteristics: 1996-97 ..................................................................... 69

12a Standard errors of the percent of public school principals reporting level of

discipline problems in their schools, by school characteristics: 1996-97 ........................ 70

13 Percent of public school principals reporting that certain discipline issues were

serious or moderate problems in their schools, by type of issue and instructional

level: 1990-91 and 1996-97.............................................................................................. 71

13a Standard errors of the percent of public school principals reporting that certain

discipline issues were serious or moderate problems in their schools, by type of

issue and instructional level: 1990-91 and 1996-97......................................................... 72

14 Percent of public school principals reporting that certain discipline issues were

serious or moderate problems in their schools, by type of issue and size of school:

1990-91 and 1996-97......................................................................................................... 73

14a Standard errors of the percent of public school principals reporting that certain

discipline issues were serious or moderate problems in their schools, by type of

issue and size of school: 1990-91 and 1996-97................................................................. 74

15 Percent of public school principals reporting that certain discipline issues were

serious or moderate problems in their schools, by type of issue and location of

school: 1990-91 and 1996-97 ............................................................................................ 75

15a Standard errors of the percent of public school principals reporting that certain

discipline issues were serious or moderate problems in their schools, by type of

issue and location of school: 1990-91 and 1996-97.......................................................... 76
xiv

Table of Contents (continued)

List of Tables of Estimates and Standard Errors (continued)

Table Page

16 Percent of public school principals reporting that certain discipline issues were

serious or moderate problems in their schools, by type of issue and minority

enrollment of school: 1990-91 and 1996-97 ..................................................................... 77

16a Standard errors of the percent of public school principals reporting that certain

discipline issues were serious or moderate problems in their schools, by type of

issue and minority enrollment of school: 1990-91 and 1996-97....................................... 78

17 Percent of public school principals reporting that certain discipline issues were

serious or moderate problems in their schools, by type of issue and poverty level of

school: 1990-91 and 1996-97 ............................................................................................ 79

17a Standard errors of the percent of public school principals reporting that certain

discipline issues were serious or moderate problems in their schools, by type of

issue and poverty level of school: 1990-91 and 1996-97.................................................. 80

18 Number and percent of schools in which specified disciplinary actions were taken

against students, total number of actions taken, and percent of specific disciplinary

actions taken against students, by type of infraction: 1996-97 ........................................ 81

18a Standard errors of the number and percent of schools in which specified

disciplinary actions were taken against students, total number of actions taken, and

percent of specific disciplinary actions taken against students, by type of infraction:

1996-97.............................................................................................................................. 82

19 Percent of public schools reporting that they have a zero tolerance policy for

various specified student offenses, by school characteristics: 1996-97........................... 83

19a Standard errors of the percent of public schools reporting that they have a zero

tolerance policy for various specified student offenses, by school characteristics:

1996-97.............................................................................................................................. 85

20 Percent of public schools with policy to report crimes to the public, by school

characteristics: 1996-97.................................................................................................... 86

20a Standard errors of the percent of public schools with policy to report crimes to the

public, by school characteristics: 1996-97 ....................................................................... 88

21 Percent of public schools reporting that students were required to wear school

uniforms, by school characteristics: 1996-97................................................................... 89

21a Standard errors of the percent of public schools reporting that students were

required to wear school uniforms, by school characteristics: 1996-97............................ 91
xv

Table of Contents (continued)

List of Tables of Estimates and Standard Errors (continued)

Table Page

22 Percent of public schools reporting various types of security measures at the

schools, by school characteristics: 1996-97 ..................................................................... 92

22a Standard errors of the percent of public schools reporting various types of security

measures at the schools, by school characteristics: 1996-97 ........................................... 94

23 Percent of public schools reporting various levels of police or other law

enforcement presence during a typical week, by school characteristics: 1996-97........... 95

23a Standard errors of the percent of public schools reporting various levels of police or

other law enforcement presence during a typical week, by school characteristics:

1996-97.............................................................................................................................. 97

24 Percent of public schools with various degrees of security measures, by school

characteristics: 1996-97.................................................................................................... 98

24a Standard errors of the percent of public schools with various degrees of security

measures, by school characteristics: 1996-97 .................................................................. 100

25 Percent of public schools with formal school violence prevention or reduction

programs or efforts, by school characteristics: 1996-97 .................................................. 101

25a Standard errors of the percent of public schools with formal school violence

prevention or reduction programs or efforts, by school characteristics: 1996-97............ 103

26 Number of schools with violence prevention or reduction programs or efforts, and

mean number of programs in schools with violence prevention or reduction

programs or efforts, by school characteristics: 1996-97 .................................................. 104

26a Standard errors of the number of schools with violence prevention or reduction

programs or efforts, and of the mean number of programs in schools with violence

prevention or reduction programs or efforts, by school characteristics: 1996-97............ 106

27 Percent of public schools with formal school violence prevention or reduction

programs and the mean number of programs, by type of crime reported at the

school: 1996-97 ................................................................................................................ 107

27a Standard errors of the percent of public schools with formal school violence

prevention or reduction programs and of the mean number of programs, by type of

crime reported at the school: 1996-97.............................................................................. 108

28 Percent of public schools with violence prevention programs and reporting one or

more crimes to the police in 1996-97 indicating that crimes were used to modify or

to introduce new violence prevention programs, by school characteristics: 1996-97 ..... 109
xvi

Table of Contents (continued)

List of Tables of Estimates and Standard Errors (continued)

Table Page

28a Standard errors of the percent of public schools with violence prevention programs

and reporting one or more crimes to the police in 1996-97 indicating that crimes

were used to modify or to introduce new violence prevention programs, by school

characteristics: 1996-97.................................................................................................... 111

29 Percent of public schools with formal violence prevention or reduction programs

indicating that at least one of these programs included selected components:

1996-97.............................................................................................................................. 112

29a Standard errors of the percent of public schools with formal violence prevention or

reduction programs indicating that at least one of these programs included selected

components: 1996-97 ....................................................................................................... 113

30 Percent of public schools with violence prevention programs indicating the

proportion of their students participating in school violence prevention or reduction

programs that directly serve students, by school characteristics: 1996-97 ...................... 114

30a Standard errors of the percent of public schools with violence prevention programs

indicating the proportion of their students participating in school violence

prevention or reduction programs that directly serve students, by school

characteristics: 1996-97.................................................................................................... 116

31 Percent of public schools with violence prevention programs indicating the

proportion of teachers and staff in the school who were substantially involved in

school violence efforts or programs, by school characteristics: 1996-97 ........................ 117

31a Standard errors of the percent of public schools with violence prevention programs

indicating the proportion of teachers and staff in the school who were substantially

involved in school violence efforts or programs, by school characteristics: 1996-97 ..... 119

32a Table of standard errors for the figures............................................................................. 120
1

Introduction The disruption caused by violence in our nation’s public elementary and

secondary schools is a national concern. Crime in and around schools

threatens the well-being of students, school staff, and communities. It also

impedes learning and student achievement. The seventh goal of the National

Education Goals states that by the year 2000, “all schools in America will be

free of drugs and violence and the unauthorized presence of firearms and

alcohol, and offer a disciplined environment that is conducive to learning.”

To accomplish this goal, the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities

Act of 1994 provides for support of drug and violence prevention programs.

The Act includes an impact evaluation component, which contains a

provision requiring the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to

collect data to determine the frequency, seriousness, and incidence of

violence in elementary and secondary schools.

Responding to this legislation, NCES commissioned a survey (the

Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence) to obtain

current data on school violence and other discipline issues in our nation’s

public elementary and secondary schools. The survey requested information

about 1) the actual number of specific crimes that had occurred at school

during the 1996-97 academic year; 2) principals’ perceptions about the

seriousness of a variety of discipline issues at their schools; 3) the types of

disciplinary actions schools took against students for some serious

violations; and 4) the kinds of security measures and violence prevention

programs that were in place in public schools. Principals were asked to

provide information about incidents of crime and violence that were serious

enough for the police or other law enforcement representatives to have been

contacted. They were also asked to report only on incidents occurring in

school buildings, on school grounds, on school buses, and at schoolsponsored events or activities held in places other than school grounds or

school property. The data collected indicate both the incidence and

frequency of many types of serious crimes that took place in public schools

and the types of security and other violence-prevention measures in place in

schools.

This report presents the findings from the survey, which was conducted for

NCES by Westat, a research firm in Rockville, Maryland. The survey was

conducted through the NCES Fast Response Survey System (FRSS) during

the spring and summer of 1997. FRSS is a survey system designed to collect

small amounts of issue-oriented data with minimal burden on respondents

and within a relatively short time frame. Questionnaires were mailed to

school principals, who were asked to complete the survey form or to have it

completed by the person most knowledgeable about discipline issues at the

school.

The survey was conducted with a nationally representative sample of regular

public elementary, middle, and high schools in the 50 states and the District

of Columbia. Special education, alternative, and vocational schools, and

schools that taught only prekindergarten, kindergarten, or adult education
2

were not represented in the sample. Survey findings are presented separately

for all regular public schools, and by the following school characteristics

(defined in the glossary of terms on pages 32 through 35):

• Instructional level: elementary, middle, high school.

• Size of enrollment: less than 300 students (small schools), 300 to 999

students (medium-sized schools), 1,000 or more students (large schools).

• Locale of school: city, urban fringe, town, rural.

• Geographic region: Northeast, Southeast, Central, West.

• Percent minority enrollment: less than 5 percent, 5 to 19 percent, 20 to

49 percent, 50 percent or more.

• Percent of students eligible for the federally funded free or reduced-price

lunch program used as a measure of poverty concentration: less than

20 percent, 20 to 34 percent, 35 to 49 percent, 50 to 74 percent,

75 percent or more.

Some survey findings are also presented by school characteristics reported in

the survey:

• Principals’ reports on discipline problems in their schools: no problems/

minor problems reported by principal, moderate problems, and serious

problems.

• Types of crime reported: no crime, any crime (including less serious or

nonviolent crime only and/or some serious crimes reported), lesser

crimes only, some serious crimes reported.

• Zero tolerance policy for violence: schools reporting that they do have a

zero tolerance policy for violence, schools reporting that they do not

have a zero tolerance policy for violence.

• Police/law enforcement presence: 30 hours or more per week; 10-29

hours per week; 1-9 hours per week; stationed as needed; none stationed

at the school.

It is important to note that many of the school characteristics used for

independent analyses may also be related to each other. The size of

enrollment and instructional level of schools, for example, are known to be

related with middle schools and high schools typically being larger than

elementary schools. Similarly, locale may be related to poverty level and

other relationships between analysis variables may exist. The sample size

was not large enough to control for these types of relationships. Their
3

existence, however, should be considered in the interpretation of the data

presented in this report.

Among the data collected on school discipline and violence issues in public

schools were incidents of specific crimes and on a variety of specific

discipline issues. The types of crimes and discipline issues on which this

survey focused do not represent an exhaustive list of possible school crime

or discipline infractions. Also, the number of incidents of crime reported by

schools is not the same as the number of individuals involved in such

incidents and the reader should keep in mind the specifics of this study when

comparing the findings reported here with other studies on school crime and

violence. The data reported in this study may vary from data reported

elsewhere because of differences in definitions, coverage, respondents, and

sample. Among the issues to consider in interpreting the data presented in

this report are:

The Choice of Survey Respondent. This survey relied on the responses of

public school principals (or school disciplinarians) to report on all data items

requested. This includes the reports on the incidence of specific crimes in

their schools. There are other surveys in existence, most notably the annual

National Crime Victimization Survey of the Bureau of Justice Statistics,

Department of Justice, that request information from actual crime victims.2

It is likely that the incident reports provided by a third party, in this case

school principals, may be an undercount of the incidents of crime and

violence that might have occurred during the school year examined. This is

particularly likely for lesser incidents, such as theft, that may not have been

reported to the principal as they occurred. Thus, comparisons with reports

by victims of crimes that occurred in public schools will not necessarily

match those reports provided by school principals in this study.

The Survey Questions Asked. For reporting on specific incidents of

crime, principals were asked to provide information only on those serious

enough for the police or other law enforcement representatives to have been

contacted. Additionally, the incidents reported were restricted to those that

occurred in school buildings, on school grounds, on school buses, and at

school-sponsored events or activities held in places other than school

grounds or school property. These restrictions were necessary to improve

recall and to ensure that the incidents that were reported were both of a

serious nature and comparable across schools. These restrictions could

result in a lower number of reported incidents when compared with the

number reported by other studies that do not similarly restrict the questions

asked.

 

2

 For victim-reported student crime data see L. Bastian and B. Taylon, School Crime, U.S. Department of

Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1991 (NCJ-121645),
4

The Survey Sample Size. The sample size for this survey, 1,234 public

schools, was too small to ensure reliable estimates for very rare events. In

the case of school-based violence, both murders and suicides are relatively

rare events. In fact, no murders were reported by principals in this survey.

Although a small number of suicides were reported and later verified, the

number was too small to allow the calculation of reliable estimates and is

therefore not reported in the results of this survey, except where combined

with other types of violent events to present general statistics. This does not

mean that no murders or suicides occurred in public schools during the 1996-

97 school year. Other studies have detailed both incidents of murder and

suicide in public schools and discussed the methodology employed to make

such estimates.3

Finally, the reader should be cautioned that any sample survey is subject to

data collection errors and response bias. Further information on the technical

specifications, response rates, calculation of standard errors and testing of

comparisons presented in this text are provided in the section on survey

methodology and sample selection at the end of the report.

Data have been weighted to national estimates of regular public schools and

table A on page 28 provides the weighted and unweighted distribution of the

sample by the analysis variables. All comparative statements made in this

report have been tested for statistical significance through chi-square tests or

t-tests adjusted for multiple comparisons using the Bonferroni adjustment

and are significant at the 0.05 level or better. However, not all statistically

significant comparisons have been presented. Data are presented in figures

appearing in the text and in reference tables that appear in the Table of

Estimates and Standard Errors on pages 37 to 122. The survey questionnaire

is reproduced in appendix A.

 

3

 S. P. Kachur, et al., “School Associated Violent Deaths in the United States, 1992 to 1994, “Journal of

the American Mediical Association, June 12, 1996, 275 (22): 1729-1733.
5

Incidents of

Crime and

Violence in

Public Schools

Public school principals were presented with a list of crimes and asked to

report the number of incidents of each type of crime that had occurred at

their schools during the 1996-97 school year. The crimes about which

schools were asked were murder, suicide, rape or other type of sexual

battery, physical attack or fight with a weapon, robbery, physical attack or

fight without a weapon, theft or larceny, and vandalism. Respondents were

provided with definitions for each of these types of crime (those definitions

appear in the glossary of this report on pages 32 through 35). Under the

assumption that crimes or offenses reported to police would be more

accurately recalled, schools were asked to report only those incidents for

which the police or other law enforcement representatives had been

contacted. It was also assumed that requiring a benchmark of law

enforcement contact would minimize subjective judgment about which

incidents to include. Only crimes occurring at the school, including those

that took place in school buildings, on school grounds, on school buses, and

at school-sponsored events or activities, but not officially on school grounds,

were to be reported. While student victimization and teacher-reported data

on crimes occurring at school have been collected and reported elsewhere,

school principals were asked to report unduplicated incidents at the school

level.4

During 1996-97, about 4,000 incidents of rape or other types of sexual

battery were reported in our nation’s public schools (figure 1 and table 1).

There were about 11,000 incidents of physical attacks or fights in which

weapons were used and 7,000 robberies in schools that year. About 190,000

fights or physical attacks not involving weapons also occurred at schools in

1996-97, along with about 115,000 thefts and 98,000 incidents of vandalism

(tables 2-6).

 

4

See W. Mansfield, D. Alexander, and E. Farris, Teacher Survey on Safe, Disciplined, and Drug-Free

Schools, Fast Response Survey System, FRSS 42, U.S. Department of Education, National Center for

Education Statistics, 1991 (NCES 91-091) for teacher-reported data. For student-reported crime data

see L. Bastian and B. Taylor, School Crime, U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics,

1991 (NCJ-131645), and M.J. Nolan, E. Daily, and K. Chandler, Student Victimization at School, U.S.

Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1995 (NCES 95-204).
6

Figure 1.—Number of various crimes occurring in public schools:

1996-97

4,170 7,150 10,950

98,490

115,500

187,890

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,000

140,000

160,000

180,000

200,000

Rape/

sexual 

battery

Robbery Physical 

attack or 

fight 

with weapon

Vandalism Theft/

larceny

Physical

attack or 

fight

without

weapon

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.

Because the sample size was not large enough to produce reliable estimates

for very rare events, the survey was not able to estimate either the percentage

of schools experiencing one or more incidents of murder or suicide or the

total number of these crimes that occurred at public schools during 1996-97.

For example, in the sample of 1,234 public schools, murder was not reported

by any of the schools and, similarly, only 4 schools in the sample reported

any incidents of suicide. The rarity of the occurrence of these crimes at

school, given the sample size of the study, precluded the generation of

reliable national estimates. In a descriptive case study of violent deaths in

schools, Kachur, et al., estimated that there were 105 school-associated

violent deaths including 85 murders occurring at schools during a 2-year

period from 1992 to 1994.5

 

5

 S.P. Kachur, et al., “School Associated Violent Deaths in the United States, 1992 to 1994,” Journal of

the American Medical Association, June 12, 1996, 275(22): 1729-1733.
7

Percent of

Public Schools

Reporting

Crime and

Violence

Schools were asked to report the number of incidents of various crimes. To

understand the extent to which crimes affect our nation’s public schools and

public school students, the incidence of crime in terms of the proportion of

schools experiencing crimes are examined below. Nationally, 43 percent of

schools reported that none of the listed crimes had occurred there during the

1996-97 school year (figure 2 and table 7). Fifty-seven percent, however,

reported that at least one of these crimes had occurred and had been reported

to the police. One in 10 public schools reported at least one serious violent

crime such as rape or sexual battery, suicide, physical attacks or fights with

weapon, or robbery had occurred at the school. Almost half (47 percent)

indicated that they had experienced no incidents of serious violent crime, but

one or more less serious crimes such as a physical attack or fight without the

use of a weapon, theft, or vandalism had occurred.

Figure 2.—Percent of public schools indicating the seriousness of

reported crimes occurring at the school: 1996-97

No crime*

At least one 

serious violent 

crime

47%

43%

10%

No serious violent

crime but at least

one serious 

or nonviolent

crime 

*No crime means school did not report contacting the police or other law enforcement representative

during the 1996-97 school year about crimes listed in the questionnaire. However, other crimes not

specified on the survey questionnaire could have occurred or crimes could have occurred but not been

reported to the police.

NOTE: Serious violent crime means that any one of the following crimes occurred at the school: murder,

rape or other type of sexual battery, suicide, physical attack or fight with a weapon, or robbery. Less

serious or nonviolent crimes include physical attack or fight without a weapon, theft/larceny, and

vandalism.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
8

Vandalism was reported by 38 percent of public schools, theft/larceny by

31 percent of schools, and physical attacks or fights without a weapon by 28

percent (table 8). These crimes were the most frequently occurring in terms

of the percentages of schools affected. Smaller percentages of schools

reported more serious crimes: 3 percent of public schools reported the

occurrence of a rape or other type of sexual battery at the school; 3 percent, a

robbery; and 6 percent, a physical attack or fight in which a weapon had

been used.

With the exception of vandalism, roughly the same percentage of schools

reporting various types of crime also reported incidents involving students as

either victims or perpetrators and that crime occurred during school hours or

at school-sponsored events.

A smaller percentage of elementary schools than middle schools or high

schools reported that any crime at all occurred during the 1996-97 school

year (table 7). About half of all elementary schools (45 percent) reported at

least one crime. In contrast, 74 percent of middle schools and 77 percent of

high schools did so. Higher percentages of middle and high schools also

reported at least one serious violent crime (i.e., robbery, rape or sexual

battery, or assault or fight with a weapon), with about 20 percent indicating a

serious violent crime had occurred at the school compared with 4 percent for

elementary schools.

School crime was also more likely in larger schools. While 38 percent of

small schools reported any incidents, 60 percent of medium-sized schools,

and 89 percent of large schools reported criminal incidents. Serious violent

crime was more likely to be reported by the largest schools. One-third of

schools with enrollments of 1,000 or more reported at least one serious

violent crime, compared with 4 to 9 percent in schools with fewer than 1,000

students.

Schools in cities were at least twice as likely to report serious violent crime

as those in towns and in rural locations, although city schools were not

significantly different from urban fringe schools. Seventeen percent of city

schools reported at least one serious violent crime, while 8 percent of rural

schools and 5 percent of schools located in towns reported any serious

violent crime. Eleven percent of schools in urban fringe areas reported a

serious violent crime, which was not significantly different from cities.

Schools with the highest proportion of minority students were more likely to

report crimes than schools with the smallest proportion of minority

enrollment. Sixty-eight percent of schools with minority enrollments of 50

percent or more reported some crime compared with 47 percent of those with

less than 5 percent minority enrollment. Further, schools with 50 percent or

more minority enrollment were more likely to report serious violent crime

than with less than 5 percent minority enrollment (15 percent compared with

6 percent).
9

Schools indicating that they have a policy to report crimes to the public were

less likely to report having experienced any crime than those without this

policy, but both types of schools were about as likely to report at least one

serious crime. Greater police or law enforcement presence, however, was

associated with the incidence of serious crime. Schools with police or other

law enforcement stationed at the school for 30 or more hours per week were

more likely to report having experienced a serious violent crime (38 percent)

compared with schools in which police were not stationed or stationed only

as needed (6 to 14 percent, respectively).

Schools in which principals perceived that general discipline issues were not

a serious problem were more likely to report that they had no crime

incidents. Sixty percent of public schools in which principals reported no

discipline problems or only minor discipline problems reported no crime for

the 1996-97 school year. Thirty-eight percent of those in which school

principals reported some moderate discipline problems reported having no

crime, and 14 percent of schools with at least one discipline problem

considered serious by their principal had no reported crime. Among schools

with at least one discipline problem considered serious, 28 percent reported

serious crime compared with 3 percent of schools with no discipline

problems or minor problems, and 10 percent of those with moderate

problems.

Frequency of

Crime and

Violence

Most public schools experienced a relatively small number of crimes in

1996-97. While 43 percent reported none of the crimes for which the survey

collected data, 37 percent reported 1 to 5 incidents of crime at the school

(figure 3). Seven percent of public schools reported having between 6 and

10 separate incidents during the 1996-97 school year, and 12 percent

reported more than 10 incidents for that period. The number of incidents is a

factor of the size of schools. Therefore, another measure, the ratio of

incidents of crimes, was used to determine the frequency of crime in

schools.6

Overall, about 1,000 crimes per 100,000 students were reported in our

nation’s public schools (table 9). This included about 950 crimes per

100,000 that were not serious or violent crimes (theft, vandalism, fights or

assaults without a weapon) and about 50 serious violent crimes per 100,000

students (rape or sexual battery, robbery, fight with a weapon, suicide). The

overall rate of crime differed by school characteristics. Elementary schools

reported about 350 crimes per 100,000 students, compared with about 1,625

in middle schools and about 1,800 in high schools. The ratio of serious

violent crime was lowest in elementary schools, with 13 violent crimes

 

6

 It should be noted that the ratio of incidents of crimes was calculated from the number of incidents

reported by public schools per 100,000 public school students and does not represent student-reported

victimization rates.
10

reported per 100,000 students compared with 93 per 100,000 students in

middle schools and 103 per 100,000 students in high schools.

Figure 3.—Percent of public schools with number of reported crime

incidents at the school: 1996-97

37%

12% 7%

43% 1 to 5 

reported 

incidents

6 to 10 

reported 

incidents More than 10 

reported incidents

No 

reported 

incidents

NOTE: The number of reported incidents of crime at the school are based on the total number of the

following crimes for which the school reported that the police were contacted: murder, rape or other

sexual battery, suicide, physical attack or fight with and without a weapon, robbery, theft or larceny, and

vandalism. Percents may not add to 100 because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.

While a lower percentage of small schools reported any serious violent crime

compared with medium and large schools, the ratio of serious violent crimes

per 100,000 students was lower in medium-sized schools than in large

schools. Medium-sized schools reported 38 serious violent crimes per

100,000 students, compared with the 90 serious violent crimes per 100,000

students reported by large schools. Small schools reported 61 serious violent

crimes per 100,000 students.

City schools reported 95 incidents of serious violence per 100,000 students,

compared with 28 serious violent incidents per 100,000 students in towns.

City schools, however, were not significantly different from rural or urban

fringe schools in this regard.

The ratio of serious violent crime was associated with percent minority

enrollment. While the ratio of serious violent crime per 100,000 students

was 19 in schools with less than 5 percent minority enrollment, it was 51 per

100,000 students in those schools with 20 to 49 percent minority students,

and 96 per 100,000 in schools with 50 percent or more minority enrollment.
11

Frequency of

Specific Crimes

For every 100,000 public school students, 26 attacks or fights with a

weapon, 17 robberies, and 10 rapes occurred at school (table 10). These

represented the serious violent crimes for which the survey collected data.

More frequently reported were the less serious or nonviolent crimes

including 444 attacks or fights without a weapon, 274 incidents of theft or

larceny, and 234 incidents of vandalism per 100,000 students in public

schools.

Elementary schools, which reported proportionately fewer incidents of

serious violent crime in general, reported lower rates of both physical attacks

or fights in which weapons were used and rape or other type of sexual

battery than middle and high schools. Differences between elementary

schools and high schools were also found in the rate at which robbery was

reported, although no difference was found between elementary and middle

schools for this crime. Physical attacks or fights in which weapons were

used were almost 7 times more frequent in middle and high schools than in

elementary schools. While there were 7 physical attacks or fights with a

weapon per 100,000 students in elementary schools, the rate was 49 per

100,00 middle school students and 46 per 100,000 high school students.

Rapes or other types of sexual battery were reported in middle and high

schools at about the same rate, with 17 per 100,000 students in middle

schools and 18 per 100,000 in high schools, as compared to the 3 rapes or

other type of sexual battery per 100,000 students reported in elementary

schools.

Of the less serious or nonviolent crimes (vandalism, physical attacks or

fights without a weapon, and theft or larceny), the ratio at which all three

crimes occurred was more frequent in middle and high schools than in

elementary schools. Physical attacks or fights without a weapon were the

number one crime in both middle schools and high schools, followed by

theft and vandalism.
12

Principals’

Perceptions of

Discipline

Issues in Their

Schools

Principals were asked to report the extent to which specific discipline issues

were a problem in their schools during the 1996-97 school year so that the

relationship between discipline and crime could be examined. Additionally,

data were available on this topic from a 1991 survey which could be used for

comparisons.

Principals were asked to rate each of the following discipline

issues as a serious problem, moderate problem, minor problem,

or not a problem at the school

• Student tardiness

• Student absenteeism

• Physical conflicts among

students

• Robbery or theft of items

worth over $10

• Vandalism of school

property

• Student alcohol use

• Student drug use

• Sale of drugs on school

grounds

• Student tobacco use

• Student possession of

weapons

• Trespassing

• Verbal abuse of teachers

• Physical abuse of teachers

• Teacher absenteeism

• Teacher alcohol or drug use

• Racial tensions and

• Gangs

Overall, principals generally perceived these discipline issues in their

schools as no more than minor problems (43 percent) or moderate problems

(41 percent; figure 4). Sixteen percent of public school principals, however,

perceived at least one discipline issue as a serious problem.

During the 1996-97 school year, student tardiness (40 percent), student

absenteeism or class cutting (25 percent), and physical conflicts among

students (21 percent) were the three discipline issues most often cited by

public school principals as serious or moderate problems in their schools

(derived from table 11). Public school principals were much less likely (0 to

2 percent) to indicate that teacher alcohol or drug use, physical abuse of

teachers, the sale of drugs on school grounds, and student possession of

weapons were serious or moderate problems at their school than the three

most prevalent problems.
13

Figure 4.—Percent of public schools reporting the extent to which

discipline issues were a problem at the school: 1996-97

No problems/

minor problems

Moderate 

problems

Serious 

problems 

41%

16%

43%

NOTE: Serious problems means the respondent indicated at least 1 of 17 different discipline issues was a

serious problem. Moderate problems means the respondent indicated at least one discipline issue was a

moderate problem and there were no serious problems. No problems/minor problems means the

respondent indicated all discipline issues were either no problem or a minor problem.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.

Types of Schools

With Discipline

Problems

Principals were more likely to perceive at least one discipline issue as a

serious problem in high schools and schools with enrollments of more than

1,000 students (table 12). Comparatively, the lowest percent of schools with

principals reporting serious discipline problems were elementary schools (8

percent), followed by middle schools (18 percent). Twice as many

principals in high schools reported some serious discipline problems (37

percent). Thirty-eight percent of principals in large schools reported some

serious discipline problems compared with 15 percent of principals in

medium-sized schools and 10 percent of principals in small schools.

The discipline issues most frequently reported as moderate or serious

problems by principals differed by instructional level, school size, location

of school, minority enrollment, and the percentage of students eligible for

the federally funded free or reduced-price lunch program (tables 13 through

17). For elementary and high schools, student tardiness and student

absenteeism or class cutting were among the three most often cited serious

or moderate discipline problems (32 and 67 percent, respectively, for student

tardiness, and 17 and 52 percent, respectively, for student absenteeism/class

cutting; figure 5 and table 13). Principals of elementary and middle schools

also reported physical conflicts among students as one of their top three

serious or moderate discipline problems (18 percent and 35 percent,

respectively), whereas in high schools, student tobacco, drug, and alcohol

use were more often reported as serious or moderate problems than physical
14

conflicts among students (48, 36, and 27 percent compared with 17 percent,

respectively).

Figure 5.—Percent of public schools reporting that specific discipline

issues were a serious or moderate problem at the school, by

instructional level: 1996-97

40

32

40

67

25

17

24

52

21

18

35

17

14

2

19

48

0

20

40

60

80

100

All public schools Elementary Middle High

Percent Student tardiness

Student absenteeism/class cutting

Physical conflicts among students

Student tobacco use

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.

Principals in large schools were more likely to report student tardiness was a

serious or moderate problem than those in medium-sized and small schools

(64 percent compared with 42 percent and 29 percent, respectively; table

14). Student absenteeism/class cutting was also more of an issue in large

schools, with 53 percent of these schools compared with 24 percent of

medium schools and 19 percent of small schools considering it a serious or

moderate problem. Tobacco use was also more frequently regarded as a

serious or moderate problem in large schools (40 percent of large schools,

compared with 11 percent of medium and 13 percent of small schools).

Physical conflicts among students were more frequently reported to be

serious or moderate discipline problems in city schools than in rural schools

(25 percent versus 14 percent; table 15). Student tardiness was more

frequently reported as a serious or moderate problem by principals in schools

with a minority enrollment of more than 50 percent (56 percent) compared

with 25 to 42 percent in schools with less than 20 percent minority

enrollment (table 16). This pattern was also found in schools with the

highest percentage of students eligible for the federally funded free or

reduced-price lunch program compared to the lowest (table 17). Twentynine percent of schools with 75 percent or more students eligible for the

school lunch program reported physical conflicts as a serious or moderate
15

problem, compared with 13 percent in schools that have fewer than 20

percent of students eligible for the free or reduced-price lunch.

Relationship

Between Safety

and Principals’

Perceptions of

Discipline Issues

Principals’ perceptions of discipline issues were related to reported crime in

their schools. Among principals in schools with no reported crime,

59 percent reported that discipline issues were either not a problem or that

there were only minor problems compared with 31 percent in schools with at

least one crime (figure 6). Conversely, 24 percent of principals in schools

with any crime at their schools perceived at least one discipline issue as a

serious problem while 5 percent of principals in schools with no crime

perceived that their schools had one or more serious discipline problems.

Figure 6.—Percent of public schools reporting the extent to which

discipline issues were a problem at the school, by reported

crime in the school: 1996-97

1

Serious problems means the respondent indicated at least 1 of 17 different discipline issues was a serious

problem. Moderate problems means the respondent indicated at least one discipline issue was a moderate

problem and there were no serious problems. No problems/minor problems means the respondent

indicated all discipline issues were either no problem or a minor problem.

2No crime means school did not report contacting the police or other law enforcement representative

during 1996-97 school year about listed crimes. Any crime means the school reported contacting the

police or other law enforcement representative at least once about the listed crimes.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.

Comparisons of

Principals’

Perceptions in

1991 and 1997

Identical information on principals’ perceptions of discipline problems, with

the exception of an item about gangs, was collected in another FRSS survey

conducted in 1991. A few comparisons of the principal-reported data over

time are noteworthy, and tables 13 through 17 provide data for both years.

59

31

36

45

5

24

0

20

40

60

80

100

Schools with no crime2 Schools with any crime2

Percent No problems/minor problems1

Moderate problems1

Serious problems1
16

Although student tardiness, student absenteeism/class cutting, and physical

conflicts were the three most often mentioned serious or moderate discipline

problems in 1991 and 1997, principals in high schools were more likely to

report tardiness, absenteeism/class cutting, and student drug use as serious or

moderate problems in 1997 (67, 52, and 36 percent, respectively) than in

1991 (50, 39, and 20 percent, respectively; table 13).

Among those schools with 75 percent or more students eligible for the

federally funded free or reduced-price lunch program, teacher absenteeism

was less likely to be rated as a serious or moderate problems in 1997 by

principals (table 17). In 1991 teacher absenteeism was reported to be a

serious or moderate problem by 33 percent of principals compared to 15

percent of principals in 1997.

School Actions

and Reactions

to Discipline

Issues

The survey asked respondents to indicate how many of three specific

actions were taken against students for each of the following offenses:

• The possession or use of a firearm;

• The possession or use of a weapon other than a firearm;

• The possession, distribution, or use of alcohol or drugs, including

tobacco; and

• Physical attacks or fights.

The three disciplinary actions about which schools were asked to report were

expulsions, transfers to alternative schools or programs, and out-of-school

suspensions lasting 5 or more days. It is important to note that schools may

have chosen to invoke any, more than one, or none of these disciplinary

actions during the 1996-97 school year for the above offenses. They may

also have taken other disciplinary actions. Thus, these three disciplinary

options are not an exhaustive list, simply those that were focused upon in

this survey. It is important to note that schools may not have experienced

any of the crimes or infractions and therefore took no actions.

Possession or use of a firearm. For the possession or use of a firearm,

5 percent of all schools reported taking one or more of these three actions

against students for a total of 16,587 actions (table 18). Half of the actions

reported were out-of-school suspensions lasting 5 or more days (49 percent;

figure 7). Twenty percent of school-reported actions were transferring

students to alternative schools or programs, and 31 percent were expulsions

of students for the possession or use of a firearm (figure 7 and table 18).

Possession or use of a weapon other than a firearm. Weapons other than

a firearm were defined as any instrument or object used with the intent to
17

threaten, injure, or kill, including knives, razor blades or other sharp-edged

objects, ice picks or other pointed objects, baseball bats, sticks, rocks, or

bottles. Twenty-two percent of public schools reported having taken one or

more of the specific actions against students for possession or use of a

weapon other than a firearm (table 18). About 58,000 actions were reported:

23 percent of these actions were expulsions, 22 percent were transfers to

alternative programs or schools, and 55 percent were out-of schoolsuspensions lasting 5 or more days (figure 7 and table 18).

Possession, distribution, or use of alcohol or drugs, including tobacco.

For the possession, distribution, or use of alcohol, drugs, and tobacco,

27 percent of schools reported taking a total of about 170,000 actions:

62 percent of the actions were out-of-school suspensions lasting 5 or more

days, 20 percent were transfers to alternative schools or programs, and 18

percent were expulsions (figure 7 and table 18).

Figure 7.—Percent of specified disciplinary actions taken by public

schools for specific offenses, by type of action taken:

1996-97

31

23

18 15

49

55

62

66

20 22 20 19

0

20

40

60

80

100

Possession or use 

of a firearm

Possession or use 

of a weapon other 

than a firearm

Possession,

distribution, or use of

alcohol or drugs,

including tobacco

Physical attacks or

fights

Percent Expulsions

Out-of-school suspensions lasting 5 or more days

Transfers to alternative schools or programs

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.

Physical Attacks or Fights. About 40 percent of all public schools reported

having taken at least one of the actions against students for fighting for an

estimated total of 331,000 actions (figure 7 and table 18). The most

commonly reported action was out-of-school suspensions lasting 5 or more

days (66 percent), followed by transfers to an alternative school or program

and expulsions (19 and 15 percent, respectively).
18

Zero Tolerance

Policies

Three-quarters or more of all schools reported having zero tolerance policies

for various student offenses (figure 8 and table 19). “Zero tolerance policy”

was defined as a school or district policy that mandates predetermined

consequence/s or punishments for specific offenses. About 90 percent of

schools reported zero tolerance policies for firearms (94 percent) and

weapons other than firearms (91 percent). Eighty-seven and 88 percent had

policies of zero tolerance for alcohol and drugs, respectively. Seventy-nine

percent had a zero tolerance policy for violence and 79 percent had a zero

tolerance policy for tobacco.

Figure 8.—Percent of public schools that have adopted zero tolerance

policies for various student offenses: 1996-97

79 79

87 88 91 94

0

20

40

60

80

100

Violence Tobacco Alcohol Drugs Weapons,

other than

firearms

Firearms

Percent

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.

Schools with no crime reported were less likely to have a zero tolerance

policy for violence (74 percent) than schools that had reported one or more

serious crimes (85 percent).

Policies to Report

Crimes to the

Public

Thirty-nine percent of public schools had a policy to report serious crimes to

the public (table 20). Schools with no reported crime (46 percent) were

more likely than schools with reported crime (34 percent) to have such a

policy.
19

Requiring School

Uniforms

Three percent of all public schools require students to wear uniforms (table

21). About one-fourth (26 percent) of these schools initiated the requirement

prior to the 1994-95 school year, 40 percent initiated it between the 1994-95

and 1995-96 school years, and 34 percent initiated it in 1996-97 (figure 9).

Figure 9.—Percent of public schools requiring school uniforms, by year

requirement initiated

40%

34%

26%

Prior to 1994-95 school year

1994-95 or 1995-96 school years

1996-97 school year

NOTE: Based on the 3 percent of all public schools which require uniforms.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.

Uniforms were more likely to be required in schools with a high percentage

of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (11 percent in schools

with 75 percent or more free or reduced-price lunch eligibility) compared

with schools in which less than 50 percent of students were eligible (2

percent or less; table 21). Schools with 50 percent or more minority

enrollment were also more likely to require student uniforms than those with

lower minority enrollment (13 percent compared with 2 percent or less).

School Efforts

to Ensure

Safety and

Promote

Discipline

Schools completing the survey were given a list of seven security measures

widely used to ensure safety in schools and asked if these measures were

used in their institutions.

Schools reported on whether the following actions were taken:

• Visitors were required to sign in;

• Access to school grounds was controlled;

• Access to the school building was controlled;

• School campuses were closed for most students during lunch;
20

• Students had to pass through metal detectors daily;

• Random metal detector checks were performed; and

• Schools conducted drug sweeps (e.g., locker searches, dog searches).

Ninety-six percent of public schools reported that visitors were required to

sign in before entering the school buildings (figure 10). This measure was

required by almost all schools, with a range of 91-100 percent, regardless of

instructional level, size, locale, region, minority enrollment, or percentage of

students eligible for free or reduced-priced school lunch (table 22).

Figure 10.—Percent of public schools reporting various types of security

measures at the schools: 1996-97

96

80

53

24 19

4

1

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Visitors 

sign in

Closed

campus for

most

students

during lunch

Controlled

access to

school

building

Controlled

access to

school

grounds

One or more

drug sweeps

Random

metal

detector

checks

Students

pass through

metal

detectors

daily

Percent

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.

Security included controlled access to school grounds in 24 percent of public

schools and was most prevalent in large schools. Forty-nine percent of large

schools reported controlling access to school grounds, compared with 16

percent of small schools and 24 percent of medium-sized schools.

Controlled access to school grounds also varied by locale, region, percent

minority enrollment, percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price

lunch, and principals’ reported discipline problems. City schools were more

likely to secure school grounds than rural schools (35 percent, compared

with 13 percent). Schools in the Central region of the country were about

half as likely to report controlling access to school grounds as those in the

Southeast and the West (12 percent compared with 28 to 31 percent,

respectively). Controlled access to school grounds was higher in schools

with the highest percentages of minority students than those with the lowest

percentages (14 percent in schools with less than 5 percent minority
21

enrollment and 38 percent in schools in which at least half the students were

minorities) and in schools with the largest proportions of students in poverty

than in those with the lowest (18 percent in schools with less than 20 percent

eligibility for the free or reduced-price school lunch program and 37 percent

in schools with 75 percent eligibility for the school lunch program).

Fifty-three percent of public schools controlled access to their school

buildings. Elementary and middle schools were more likely to secure access

to the school building than high schools (57 and 51 percent compared with

40 percent). Differences were also found by school size. Fifty-five percent

of large schools and 57 percent of medium-sized schools controlled access to

their school buildings compared with 40 percent for small schools. City and

urban fringe schools were also more likely to control building access (62 and

68 percent, respectively) compared with those located in towns (49 percent)

and rural areas (33 percent). Northeastern schools were more inclined to

have controlled access to their school buildings (70 percent) compared with

Western schools (46 percent), Central schools (48 percent), and Southeastern

schools (52 percent).

Eighty percent of schools reported having a closed campus policy

prohibiting most students from leaving the campus for lunch. At 93 percent,

middle school principals overwhelmingly reported having this policy (table

22). A smaller percentage of elementary and high schools had this policy

(76 and 78 percent, respectively). Sixty-seven percent of small schools had

instituted the closed campus policy compared with 82 percent of large

schools.

Daily use of metal detectors as a security measure was reported in 1 percent

of public schools. Schools where serious violent crimes were reported were

more likely to employ metal detectors than those with less serious crime only

or no crime (4 percent compared with 1 percent or less). Random metal

detector checks were more likely to be reported by large schools (15 percent)

compared with small schools (less than 1 percent) or medium-sized schools

(4 percent). Similarly, a higher percentage of schools where a serious crime

was reported (15 percent) performed these checks compared to schools

where no crime was reported (1 percent) or schools where only less serious

crimes were reported (4 percent).

Middle and high schools where principals reported at least one serious

discipline problem were more likely to use drug sweeps (36 and 45 percent,

respectively) compared with elementary schools (5 percent).
22

Presence of Police

or Other Law

Enforcement in

Public Schools

In addition to the security measures above, 6 percent of public schools had

police or other law enforcement representatives stationed 30 hours or more

at the school, 1 percent of schools had law enforcement officials stationed 10

to 29 hours, 3 percent had officials stationed from 1 to 9 hours, 12 percent of

schools did not have officials stationed during a typical week (but were

available as needed), and 78 percent of schools did not have any officials

stationed at their school during the 1996-1997 school year (table 23). The

full-time presence of law officials, while rare at elementary schools

(1 percent), was found in 10 percent of middle schools and 19 percent of

high schools. It was also reported in 39 percent of large schools with 1,000

or more students, in 13 percent of city schools and schools with 50 percent

or more minority enrollment, in 15 percent of schools in which principals

felt there were some serious discipline issues, and in 23 percent of schools in

which at least one serious crime was reported in 1996-97.

Stringency of

Security Across

School

Characteristics

From school-reported information on the types of security measures and

police presence at the schools, a composite variable was developed to

determine how stringent security was in public schools during 1996-97.

Security measures were considered to be stringent if a police or other law

enforcement representative such as a guard was present full-time and

students passed through metal detectors on a daily basis or were subject to

random checks with metal detectors. Moderate security measures were

defined as either a full-time policeman or guard with no metal detectors and

no controlled access to the school building, or a part-time guard with or

without metal detectors and controlled access to the school building.

Schools with no regular guard but with metal detectors were also considered

to have moderate security measures. Schools with low security measures

were those with no guards, no metal detectors, but controlled access to the

school building. Schools were considered to have no security measures if

there were no guards, no metal detectors, and no controlled access to the

school.

Overall, security was considered stringent in 2 percent of public schools

(table 24). Security was moderate in 11 percent of schools, but most, 84

percent, had low security, and another 3 percent had no security (figure 11).
23

Figure 11.—Percent of public schools, by degree of security: 1996-97

Low 

security

Stringent 

security

2%

Moderate 

security

No 

security

3%

84%

11%

NOTE: Security measures were considered stringent if a full-time guard was present and students must

pass through a metal detector daily or were subject to random checks with metal detectors. Moderate

security measures were defined as either a full-time guard with no metal detectors and no restricted access

to school, or a part-time guard with or without metal detectors, but had restricted access. No security

measures were schools with no guards, no metal detectors and no restricted access to the school.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.

Violence

Prevention

Programs

A majority of public school principals (78 percent) reported having some

type of formal school violence prevention or reduction programs (tables 25

and 26). The percentage of schools with both 1-day and ongoing programs

(43 percent) was almost double the percentage of schools with only ongoing

programs (24 percent) and quadruple the percentage of schools with only 1-

day programs (11 percent).

Schools in which a serious crime was reported were more likely to have

violence prevention programs than those in which no crime or only less

serious crime had occurred (93 percent compared with 74 and 79 percent,

respectively; tables 25 and 27). Schools with serious crime also had more

programs per school. They reported a mean of 6 programs per school

compared with 3.4 violence prevention programs in schools with no crime or

lesser crimes only (table 27).

In some public schools, incidents during 1996-97 requiring police contact

were used to modify or introduce new violence prevention programs. Of

schools with violence prevention programs that had reported one or more

crimes in 1996-97, 31 percent had used these incidents to introduce or

modify their violence prevention programs (table 28).

School principals were asked if, during the 1996-97 school year, they had

any formal programs or efforts intended to prevent or reduce school

violence. Selected components of prevention/reduction programs were
24

listed and principals were asked if any of their programs included each of the

following:

Program components

• Prevention curriculum, instruction, or training for students (e.g., social

skills training)

• Behavioral programming or behavior modification for students

• Counseling, social work, psychological, or therapeutic activity for

students

• Activities involving individual attention for students (e.g., tutoring,

mentoring)

• Recreational, enrichment, or leisure activities for students

• Student involvement in resolving student conduct problems (e.g., dispute

or conflict resolution or mediation, student court)

• Training, supervision, or technical assistance in classroom management

for teachers

• Review, revision, or monitoring of schoolwide discipline practices and

procedures

• Community or parent involvement in school violence prevention

programs or efforts

• Reorganization of school, grades, or schedules (e.g., school within a

school, “houses” or “teams” of students)

The prevention curriculum, counseling/social work, and review/revision of

schoolwide discipline practices were components used most often by schools

with violence prevention or reduction programs (89 percent, 87 percent, and

85 percent, respectively), while reorganization of school, grades, or

schedules was used least often (28 percent; table 29). With the exception of

community/parental involvement, which 48 percent of schools reported

using, between 63 percent and 81 percent of the schools with violence

prevention or reduction programs reported using the remaining components.
25

Participation in

Violence

Prevention

Programs

When asked how many students in their schools participated in violence

prevention programs that directly served students, 50 percent of principals in

schools with violence prevention programs reported that all or almost all of

their students participated (figure 12 and table 30).

Figure 12.—Percent of public schools with violence prevention

programs, by the proportion of their students that

participated in these programs: 1996-97

Most

About half

Some

Few

None

All or 

almost all

10%

8%

14%

13%

4%

50%

NOTE: Percents may not add to 100 because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.

When asked what proportion of teachers and staff in the schools were

substantially involved in the programs, 44 percent of principals in schools

with violence prevention programs reported all or almost all (table 31).

Fifty-one percent of elementary school principals reported that all or almost

all of their staff were substantially involved in school violence efforts or

programs compared to 40 percent of middle schools and 26 percent of high

schools. Forty-six percent of medium-sized schools reported that all or

almost all of their staff were involved in violence prevention programs,

compared to 32 percent of large schools.
26

Summary and

Conclusions

Providing a safe and disciplined learning environment in which our children

can learn is a national and worthy priority. The FRSS Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence was conducted to estimate the

incidence and frequency and seriousness of school related crime and

violence during the 1996-97 school year. A nationally representative sample

of 1,234 regular schools participated in the study, and data were weighted to

national totals of all regular public schools in the 50 states and the District of

Columbia.

The sample size was not large enough to yield reliable estimates for

incidents with very low incidence such as murder and suicide at school.

However, the survey provided estimates for a number of other school-related

violent and nonviolent crimes. Data obtained regarding the occurrence of

crime reflect only incidents that occurred at school, including those that took

place in school buildings, on school grounds, on school buses, and at schoolsponsored events or activities.

Almost half of all public schools reported no incidents of the types of crimes

examined during the 1996-97 school year. However, other schools

experienced a variety of crimes ranging from minor to very serious offenses.

Serious violent crime in schools was of particular interest since it speaks to

the safety of our children in their schools. Schools reported incidents of

suicide, rape or sexual battery, robbery, and physical attacks or fights with a

weapon--all of which were considered serious violent crimes. One in 10

public schools experienced at least one of these crimes, which occurred at a

rate of 53 incidents per 100,000 students, during 1996-97. Serious violent

crimes were more likely to occur in large schools. Thirty-three percent of

schools with 1,000 or more students experienced a serious violent crime

compared with 4 to 9 percent in small and medium-sized schools. Large

schools also had a ratio of 90 incidents per 100,000 public school students,

compared with the medium-size schools, with 38 serious violent crimes per

100,000.

Higher percentages of middle and high schools experienced serious violent

crime than elementary schools. Schools in central cities, while more likely

to experience serious violent crime than those in towns and rural locales, did

not differ significantly from urban fringe schools in terms of the percent of

schools reporting at least one incident. City schools also reported a much

higher ratio of violence than those in towns, with 95 incidents per 100,000

students compared with 28 per 100,000 students attending schools in towns.

Less serious crimes were also examined since they also threaten the order

and safety of schools. Less serious crime for which data were obtained

included incidents of physical attacks or fights without a weapon, theft or

larceny, and vandalism. The rate of less serious crime was nearly 20 times

that of serious violent crime with 949 incidents per 100,000 students.
27

Overall, 38 percent of public schools reported vandalism, 31 percent

reported theft, and 28 percent had at least one physical attack or fight in

which no weapon was used during 1996-97.

Students attending schools with crime experience a learning environment in

which discipline and safety are jeopardized. The study found that efforts to

prevent or reduce violence were being implemented in 78 percent of public

schools. Those in which serious crime was reported were more likely to

have these programs than those with no crime or only less serious crimes

(93 percent compared with 74 and 79 percent, respectively).

Survey

Methodology

and Data

Reliability

Sample Selection

The sample of public schools for the FRSS Principal/School Disciplinarian

Survey on School Violence was selected from the 1993-94 NCES Common

Core of Data (CCD) Public School Universe File. Over 84,000 public

schools are contained in the CCD Universe File, of which almost 79,000—

49,000 regular elementary schools, 14,000 regular middle schools, and

15,801 regular secondary/combined schools in the 50 states and the District

of Columbia—meet the eligibility criteria for this study. Excluded from the

sampling frame were special education, vocational, and alternative/other

schools, schools in the territories, and schools with a high grade lower than

one or ungraded.

The sample was stratified by instructional level (elementary, middle, and

secondary/combined), locale (city, urban fringe, town, rural), and school size

(less than 300, 300 to 999, and 1,000 or more; table A). Within the primary

strata, schools were also sorted by geographic region (Northeast, Southeast,

Central, West) and by percent minority enrollment (less than 5 percent or

missing, 5 to 19 percent, 20 to 49 percent, and 50 percent or more). The

sample sizes were then allocated to the primary strata in rough proportion to

the aggregate square root of the size of enrollment of schools in the stratum.

The use of the square root of the size of enrollment to determine the sample

allocation is considered efficient for estimating school-level characteristics

(e.g., number or percent of schools that reported an incident of robbery

occurred at their school). The sample sizes were large enough to permit

limited analysis of the questionnaire (along one dimension) by the four

regions, four locales, three enrollment size categories, five levels of poverty

concentration, and four categories of minority enrollment, but not the

independent effects of each characteristic.

Respondent and

Response Rates

In April 1997 questionnaires were mailed to 1,415 school principals. The

principal was asked either to complete the questionnaire or to have it

completed by the school disciplinarian who was most knowledgeable about

discipline issues at the school. Telephone followup of nonrespondents was

initiated in late April, and data collection was completed in July 1997.

Eleven schools were found to be out of the scope of the study (no longer in
28

Table A.—Number and percent of responding public schools in the study sample and estimated

number and percent of public schools the sample represents, by school characteristics:

1996-97

Respondent sample National estimate

School characteristic Number Percent Number Percent

All public schools ............................... 1,234 100 77,752 100

Instructional level

Elementary................................................... 354 29 48,100 62

Middle ......................................................... 439 36 14,008 18

Secondary .................................................... 441 36 15,644 20

Size of enrollment

Less than 300............................................... 169 14 20,280 26

300 to 999.................................................... 745 60 50,071 64

1,000 or more............................................... 320 26 7,402 10

Locale

City .............................................................. 406 33 17,990 23

Urban fringe................................................. 279 23 19,017 25

Town ........................................................... 296 24 19,656 25

Rural ............................................................ 253 21 21,089 27

Geographic region

Northeast...................................................... 229 19 14,997 19

Southeast ..................................................... 296 24 16,949 22

Central ......................................................... 323 26 22,500 29

West............................................................. 386 31 23,203 30

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent ...................................... 309 25 24,208 31

5 to 19 percent ............................................. 297 24 17,555 23

20 to 49 percent ........................................... 290 24 17,747 23

50 percent or more....................................... 328 27 17,425 23

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent .................................... 332 27 18,473 24

20 to 34 percent ........................................... 281 23 17,350 22

35 to 49 percent ........................................... 204 17 12,958 17

50 to 74 percent ........................................... 233 19 16,038 21

75 percent or more....................................... 177 14 12,520 16

Zero tolerance for violence

Yes............................................................... 987 80 61,185 79

No ................................................................ 246 20 16,538 21

Policy to report crimes to public

Yes............................................................... 454 37 30,467 39

No ................................................................ 776 63 47,101 61

Principals’ report on problems in school

No problems/only minor problems.............. 352 28 33,312 43

Only minor or moderate problems............... 574 47 31,907 41

Some problems considered serious.............. 307 25 12,419 16

Types of crimes reported

No crime ...................................................... 352 28 33,566 43

Any crime .................................................... 881 72 43,992 57

 Lesser crimes only ..................................... 628 51 36,134 47

 Some serious crimes reported .................... 253 21 7,859 10

NOTE: Details may not add to totals because of rounding and because data were not available for some schools.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
29

existence), and a total of 1,234 schools completed the survey. Thus, the

final raw response rate was 88 percent (1,234 schools divided by the 1,404

eligible schools in the sample). The weighted overall response rate was 89

percent. Weighted item nonresponse rates ranged from 0 percent to 0.9

percent. Because the item nonresponse was so low, imputation for item

nonresponse was not implemented.

Comparisons with principals’ perceptions about school discipline in 1991

used the results the 1991 FRSS Principal Survey on Safe, Disciplined, and

Drug-Free Schools. That survey was mailed to a sample of 890 public

schools in April 1991. Six of the schools were found to be closed, leaving

884 schools in the sample. Telephone followup commenced in mid-May;

data collection was completed by the end of June, 1991. A response rate of

94 percent was achieved (830 responding principals divided by 884

principals in the sample) for the 1991 study and item nonresponse ranged

from 0.0 percent to 3.1 percent.

Because of small sampling differences between the 1991 and 1996-97

surveys, it was preferable not to simply make comparisons with data

provided in the 1991 survey report; consequently, new analyses were run on

the 1991 data file. The 1991 survey design had included regular, vocational

education, and alternative schools in the sample, while the 1996-97 survey

included only regular schools and excluded vocational and alternative

schools from the sampling frame. Thus, additional analyses were done

dropping vocational and alternative schools from the 1991 data set so that

the samples would be comparable. Thirteen vocational and alternative

schools were dropped from the analyses, and all 1991 data were recalculated

on a sample of 817 regular public schools.

Sampling and

Nonsampling

Errors

The responses were weighted to produce national estimates. The weights

were designed to adjust for the variable probabilities of selection and

differential nonresponse. The findings of this survey are estimates based

upon the sample selected and, as a result, are subject to sampling variability.

The survey estimates are also subject to nonsampling errors that can arise

because of nonobservation (nonresponse or noncoverage) errors, errors of

reporting, and errors made in collection of the data. These errors can

sometimes bias data. Nonsampling errors may include such problems as the

differences in the respondents’ interpretation of the meaning of the

questions; memory effects; misrecording of responses; incorrect editing,

coding, and data entry; differences related to the particular time the survey

was conducted; or errors in data preparation. While general sampling theory

can be used in part to determine how to estimate the sampling variability of a

statistic, nonsampling errors are not easy to measure and, for measurement

purposes, usually require that an experiment be conducted as part of the data

collection procedures or that data external to the study be used. To
30

minimize the potential for nonsampling errors, the questionnaire was

pretested with public school principals like those who completed the survey.

During the design of the survey and the survey pretest, an effort was made to

check for consistency of interpretation of questions and to eliminate

ambiguous items. The questionnaire and instructions were extensively

reviewed by the National Center for Education Statistics. Manual and

machine editing of the questionnaire responses were conducted to check the

data for accuracy and consistency. Cases with missing or inconsistent items

were recontacted by telephone. Data were keyed with 100 percent

verification.

Variances The standard error is a measure of the variability of estimates due to

sampling. It indicates the variability of a sample estimate that would be

obtained from all possible samples of a given design and size. Standard

errors are used as a measure of the precision expected from a particular

sample. If all possible samples were surveyed under similar conditions,

intervals of 1.96 standard errors below to 1.96 standard errors above a

particular statistic would include the true population parameter being

estimated in about 95 percent of the samples. This is a 95 percent

confidence interval. For example, the estimated percentage of public

schools reporting any incidence of crime is 57 percent, and the estimated

standard error is 2.1 percent. The 95 percent confidence interval for the

statistic extends from [57-(2.1 times 1.96)] to [57+ (2.1 times 1.96)] or from

52.8 to 61.1 percent.

Estimates of standard errors for this report were computed using a technique

known as a jackknife replication method. Standard errors for all of the

estimates are presented in the tables. All specific statements of comparison

made in this report have been tested for statistical significance through ttests adjusted for multiple comparisons using the Bonferroni adjustment, and

they are significant at the 95 percent confidence level or better.

Background

Information

The survey was performed under contract with Westat, using the NCES Fast

Response Survey System (FRSS). Westat’s Project Director was Elizabeth

Farris, and the Associate Project Director and Survey Manager was Sheila

Heaviside. Shelley Burns and Edith McArthur were the NCES Project

Officers. The data were requested by Kathryn Chandler of the National

Center for Education Statistics, Office of Educational Research and

Improvement, U.S. Department of Education, and Joanne Wiggins of

Planning and Evaluation Services in the U.S. Department of Education.
31

This report was reviewed by the following individuals:

Outside NCES

• Lois Fingerhut, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,

Washington, National Center for Health Statistics, Office of Analysis,

Epidemiology and Health Promotion

• Oliver Moles, U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational

Research and Improvement, National Institute on the Education of AtRisk Students

• Lloyd Potter, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta,

National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Violence Prevention

Division

• Ronald Stephens, National School Safety Center

Inside NCES

• Mary Frase, Data Development and Longitudinal Surveys Group

• Kerry Gruber, Survey and Cooperative Systems Group

• Marilyn McMillen, Survey and Cooperative Systems Group

• Dawn Nelson, Data Development and Longitudinal Surveys Group

• Jeffrey Williams, Survey and Cooperative Systems Group

For more information about the Fast Response Survey System or the

Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence, contact Shelley

Burns, Data Development and Longitudinal Studies Group, National Center

for Education Statistics, Office of Educational Research and Improvement,

555 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20208-5651, telephone

(202) 219-1463. This and other NCES reports are available on the Internet

at http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/index.html.

References Kachur, S.P., Stennies, G.M., Powell, K.E., Modzeleski, W., Stephens, R.,

Murphy, R., Kresnow, M., Sleet, D., and Lowry, R. (1996). “School

Associated Violent Deaths in the United States, 1992 to 1994,”

Journal of the American Medical Association, 275(22):1729-1733.
32

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics

(1991). Teacher Survey on Safe, Disciplined, and Drug-Free Schools,

FRSS 42, NCES 91-091. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing

Office.

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics

(1995). Student Victimization at School, NCES 95-204. Washington,

DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics (1991). School

Crime, NCJ-131645. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing

Office.

Glossary of

Terms

Terms Defined on the Survey Questionnaire

Firearm - any weapon that is designed to (or may readily be converted to)

expel a projectile by the action of an explosive. This includes guns, bombs,

grenades, mines, rockets, missiles, pipebombs, or similar devices designed to

explode and capable of causing bodily harm or property damage.

Incident - a specific criminal act or offense involving one or more victims

and one or more offenders.

Physical attack or fight without a weapon - an actual and intentional

touching or striking of another person against his or her will, or the

intentional causing of bodily harm to an individual without using a weapon.

This category should be used only when the attack is serious enough to

warrant calling the police or other law enforcement representative.

Police or other law enforcement representatives - any regular state or

local law enforcement officers, school resource officers, campus police,

security personnel employed by school or district, or other security personnel

with power to arrest or hold for arrest.

Robbery - the taking or attempting to take anything of value that is owned

by another person or organization, under confrontational circumstances by

force or threat of force or violence and/or by putting the victim in fear. A

key difference between robbery and theft/larceny is that a threat or battery is

involved in robbery.
33

Sexual battery - an incident that includes rape, fondling, indecent liberties,

child molestation, or sodomy. These incidents should take into

consideration the age and developmentally appropriate behavior of the

offenders and are severe enough to warrant calling the police or other law

enforcement representative.

Theft/larceny - the unlawful taking of another person’s property without

personal confrontation, threat, violence, or bodily harm. Included are pocket

picking, stealing purse or backpack (if left unattended or no force was used

to take it from the owner), theft from a building, theft from a motor vehicle

or motor vehicle parts or accessories, theft of bicycles, theft from vending

machines, and other types of thefts.

Typical week - a typical full week of school. Avoid weeks with holidays,

vacation periods, or weeks when unusual events took place at the school.

Vandalism - the damage or destruction of school property including

bombing, arson, graffiti, and other acts that cause property damage.

Weapon - any instrument or object used with the intent to threaten, injure, or

kill. Examples include guns, knives, razor blades or other sharp-edged

objects, ice picks, other pointed objects (including pens, pencils), baseball

bats, frying pans, sticks, rocks, and bottles.

Zero tolerance policy - a school or district policy that mandates

predetermined consequences or punishment for specific offenses.

Sample Universe and Analysis Variables

Instructional level – Schools were classified according to their grade span

in the Common Core of Data (CCD).

Elementary school – low grade of 3 or less and high grade of 1 through

8.

Middle school – low grade of 4 through 9 and high grade of 4 through 9.

High school – low grade of 9 through 12 and a high grade of 10 through

12.

Schools that did not precisely meet these qualifications were classified

as “combined” and included in the analyses with high schools.
34

Size of enrollment - total number of students enrolled as defined by

Common Core of Data (CCD).

Small – less than 300 students.

Medium – 300 to 999 students.

Large – 1,000 or more students.

Locale - as defined in the Common Core of Data (CCD).

City - a central city of a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).

Urban fringe - a place within an MSA of a central city, but not

primarily its central city.

Town - a place not within an MSA, but with a population greater than or

equal to 2,500 and defined as urban by the U.S. Bureau of the Census.

Rural - a place with a population less than 2,500 and defined as rural by

the U.S. Bureau of the Census.

Geographic region:

Northeast - Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine,

Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York,

Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Southeast - Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana,

Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and

West Virginia.

Central - Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota,

Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

West - Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana,

Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington,

and Wyoming.

Percent minority enrollment - The percent of students enrolled in the

school whose race or ethnicity is classified as one of the following:

American Indian or Alaskan Native, Asian or Pacific Islander, black, or

Hispanic, based on data in the 1993-94 CCD file.

Percent of students at the school eligible for free or reduced-price

lunch - Based on responses to question 9 on the survey questionnaire (see

appendix A). This item served as the measurement of the concentration of

poverty at the school.
35

Principals’ report on discipline problems in school - based on a

composite of principal responses to question 1, items a-q on the

questionnaire (see appendix C).

No problems/minor problems - principals selected the responses “not a

problem” or “minor” for all of the discipline problems listed in items

a-q.

Moderate problems - principals selected “moderate” for one or more

items a-q, but did not select “serious” for any of the items a-q.

Serious problems - principals selected “serious” for one or more items

a-q.

Types of crime reported - based on a composite of principal responses to

question 2, items a-h on the questionnaire providing the number of each of

the following listed crimes: murder, suicide, rape or sexual battery, physical

attack or fight with a weapon, robbery, physical attack or fight without a

weapon, theft or larceny, and vandalism.

No crime - principals reported none of the crimes specified in question

2, a-h.

Any crime - principals reported at least one of any of the crimes

specified in question 2, a-h.

Less serious or nonviolent crime - principals reported at

least one incident of any of the specified less serious crimes

(physical attack or fight without a weapon, theft or larceny,

or vandalism) and no incidents of the more serious crimes

(murder, suicide, rape or sexual battery, physical attack or

fight with a weapon, or robbery).

Serious violent crime - principals reported at least one

incident of any of the specified more serious or violent

crimes (murder, suicide, rape or sexual battery, physical

attack or fight with a weapon, or robbery).
36
37

Tables of

Estimates and Standard Errors
38
39

Table 1.—Number and percent of public schools reporting one or more incidents of rape or other

type of sexual battery, and total number of incidents of rape or other type of sexual

battery reported in public schools in which police or other law enforcement were

contacted, by school characteristics: 1996-97

Rape or other types of sexual battery

School characteristic Number of schools

with one or more

incidents

Percent of schools

with one or more

incidents

Total number of

incidents

All public schools.................................................. 2,326 3 4,170

Instructional level

Elementary school...................................................... 404 1 690

Middle school............................................................. 731 5 1,400

High school ................................................................ 1,191 8 2,070

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ............................................................. 255 1 320

300-999...................................................................... 1,232 2 2,010

1,000 or more ............................................................. 840 11 1,830

Locale

City............................................................................. 912 5 1,930

Urban fringe ............................................................... 708 4 1,130

Town .......................................................................... 256 1 290

Rural .......................................................................... 451 2 820

Region

Northeast.................................................................... 333 2 510

Southeast.................................................................... 595 4 1,210

Central........................................................................ 661 3 1,180

West ........................................................................... 738 3 1,270

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent..................................................... 430 2 680

5 to 19 percent............................................................ 557 3 760

20 to 49 percent.......................................................... 636 4 1,480

50 percent or more ..................................................... 704 4 1,250

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent................................................... 531 3 820

20 to 34 percent.......................................................... 589 3 1,140

35 to 49 percent.......................................................... 566 4 970

50 to 74 percent.......................................................... 250 2 630

75 percent or more ..................................................... 373 3 590

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes............................................................................. 2,017 3 3,670

No .............................................................................. 309 2 500
40

Table 1.—Number and percent of public schools reporting one or more incidents of rape or other

type of sexual battery, and total number of incidents of rape or other type of sexual

battery reported in public schools in which police or other law enforcement were

contacted, by school characteristics: 1996-97--continued

Rape or other types of sexual battery

School characteristic Number of schools

with one or more

incidents

Percent of schools

with one or more

incidents

Total number of

incidents

Principals’ report on discipline problems in school*

No problems/minor problems..................................... 129 (+) 180

Moderate problems..................................................... 1,028 3 1,930

Serious problems........................................................ 1,169 9 2,060

(+) Less than 0.5 percent.

*Discipline problems included student tardiness, student absenteeism, physical conflicts among students, robbery or theft of items over

$10, vandalism of school property, student alcohol use, student drug use, sale of drugs on school grounds, student tobacco use, student

possession of weapons, trespassing, verbal abuse of teachers, physical abuse of teachers, teacher absenteeism, teacher alcohol or drug

use, racial tensions, and gangs. Serious problems means the respondent indicated at least 1 of 17 different discipline issues was a serious

problem. Moderate problems means the respondent indicated at least one discipline issue was a moderate problem and there were no

serious problems. No problems/minor problems means the respondent indicated all discipline issues were either no problem or a minor

problem.

NOTE: Details may not add to totals because of rounding and because some classification variables were missing for some schools.

The total number of incidents are rounded to the nearest 10.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
41

Table 1a.—Standard errors of the number and percent of public schools reporting one or more

incidents of rape or other type of sexual battery and of the total number of incidents of

rape or other type of sexual battery reported in public schools in which police or other

law enforcement were contacted, by school characteristics: 1996-97

Rape or other types of sexual battery

School characteristic Number of schools

with one or more

incidents

Percent of schools

with one or more

incidents

Total number of

incidents

All public schools.................................................. 371.4 0.5 676.1

Instructional level

Elementary school...................................................... 229.4 0.5 417.6

Middle school............................................................. 169.1 1.2 364.5

High school ................................................................ 197.4 1.3 334.8

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ............................................................. 129.2 0.6 173.0

300-999...................................................................... 317.8 0.6 573.5

1,000 or more ............................................................. 119.6 1.7 312.7

Locale

City............................................................................. 174.9 1.0 439.4

Urban fringe ............................................................... 186.3 1.0 294.2

Town .......................................................................... 106.3 0.5 117.2

Rural .......................................................................... 187.1 0.9 364.6

Region

Northeast.................................................................... 88.2 0.6 136.0

Southeast.................................................................... 155.3 0.9 329.9

Central........................................................................ 231.3 1.0 475.4

West ........................................................................... 176.7 0.8 337.0

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent..................................................... 188.2 0.8 341.1

5 to 19 percent............................................................ 215.8 1.2 332.9

20 to 49 percent.......................................................... 125.7 0.7 317.6

50 percent or more ..................................................... 169.4 1.0 258.6

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent................................................... 147.7 0.8 238.8

20 to 34 percent.......................................................... 176.4 1.0 364.6

35 to 49 percent.......................................................... 214.7 1.7 411.2

50 to 74 percent.......................................................... 64.7 0.4 218.0

75 percent or more ..................................................... 104.3 0.9 151.1

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes............................................................................. 367.7 0.6 674.0

No .............................................................................. 113.0 0.7 201.4

Principals’ report on discipline problems in school

No problems/minor problems..................................... 56.4 -- 90.1

Moderate problems..................................................... 265.2 0.8 494.3

Serious problems........................................................ 246.0 2.0 432.7

-- Estimate of standard error is not derived because it is based on a statistic estimated at less than 0.5 percent or at 100 percent.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
42

Table 2.—Number and percent of public schools reporting one or more incidents of physical

attacks or fights with weapons, and total number of incidents of physical attacks or

fights with weapons reported in public schools in which police or other law enforcement

were contacted, by school characteristics: 1996-97

Physical attack or fight with a weapon

School characteristic Number of schools

with one or more

incidents

Percent of schools

with one or more

incidents

Total number of

incidents

All public schools.................................................. 4,694 6 10,950

Instructional level

Elementary school...................................................... 1,108 2 1,590

Middle school............................................................. 1,626 12 4,080

High school ................................................................ 1,960 13 5,280

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ............................................................. 383 2 1,400

300-999...................................................................... 2,804 6 5,700

1,000 or more ............................................................. 1,507 20 3,850

Locale

City............................................................................. 1,845 10 5,430

Urban fringe ............................................................... 1,230 6 2,060

Town .......................................................................... 580 3 1,670

Rural .......................................................................... 1,039 5 1,800

Region

Northeast.................................................................... 627 4 1,130

Southeast.................................................................... 850 5 1,570

Central........................................................................ 1,313 6 4,310

West ........................................................................... 1,904 8 3,940

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent..................................................... 773 3 860

5 to 19 percent............................................................ 974 6 2,440

20 to 49 percent.......................................................... 1,320 7 2,220

50 percent or more ..................................................... 1,628 9 5,440

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent................................................... 946 5 1,380

20 to 34 percent.......................................................... 1,120 6 2,370

35 to 49 percent.......................................................... 785 6 1,460

50 to 74 percent.......................................................... 959 6 2,890

75 percent or more ..................................................... 844 7 2,740

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes............................................................................. 3,860 6 9,180

No .............................................................................. 834 5 1,770
43

Table 2.—Number and percent of public schools reporting one or more incidents of physical

attacks or fights with weapons, and total number of incidents of physical attacks or

fights with weapons reported in public schools in which police or other law enforcement

were contacted, by school characteristics: 1996-97--continued

Physical attack or fight with a weapon

School characteristic Number of schools

with one or more

incidents

Percent of schools

with one or more

incidents

Total number of

incidents

Principals’ report on discipline problems in school*

No problems/minor problems..................................... 479 1 530

Moderate problems..................................................... 1,998 6 4,910

Serious problems........................................................ 2,217 18 5,510

*Discipline problems included student tardiness, student absenteeism, physical conflicts among students, robbery or theft of items over

$10, vandalism of school property, student alcohol use, student drug use, sale of drugs on school grounds, student tobacco use, student

possession of weapons, trespassing, verbal abuse of teachers, physical abuse of teachers, teacher absenteeism, teacher alcohol or drug/

use, racial tensions, and gangs. Serious problems means the respondent indicated at least 1 of 17 different discipline issues was a serious

problem. Moderate problems means the respondent indicated at least one discipline issue was a moderate problem and there were no

serious problems. No problems/minor problems means the respondent indicated all discipline issues were either no problem or a minor

problem.

NOTE: Details may not add to totals because of rounding and because some classification variables were missing for some schools.

The total number of incidents are rounded to the nearest 10.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
44

Table 2a.—Standard errors of the number and percent of public schools reporting one or more

incidents of physical attacks or fights with weapons and of the total number of

incidents of physical attacks or fights with weapons reported in public schools in which

police or other law enforcement were contacted, by school characteristics: 1996-97

Physical attack or fight with a weapon

School characteristic Number of schools

with one or more

incidents

Percent of schools

with one or more

incidents

Total number of

incidents

All public schools.................................................. 365.2 0.5 1,882.2

Instructional level

Elementary school...................................................... 383.0 0.8 555.3

Middle school............................................................. 170.4 1.2 1,440.4

High school ................................................................ 235.2 1.5 1,078.6

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ............................................................. 174.1 0.9 978.0

300-999...................................................................... 377.7 0.8 1,570.2

1,000 or more ............................................................. 137.7 2.0 514.8

Locale

City............................................................................. 285.2 1.7 1,518.8

Urban fringe ............................................................... 229.4 1.2 371.8

Town .......................................................................... 170.7 0.9 964.1

Rural .......................................................................... 252.0 1.2 586.9

Region

Northeast.................................................................... 136.2 1.0 260.2

Southeast.................................................................... 210.1 1.3 422.9

Central........................................................................ 304.2 1.4 1,577.1

West ........................................................................... 281.8 1.2 995.7

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent..................................................... 211.5 0.9 230.4

5 to 19 percent............................................................ 207.3 1.2 972.6

20 to 49 percent.......................................................... 265.6 1.6 478.0

50 percent or more ..................................................... 208.0 1.3 1,512.1

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent................................................... 198.6 1.2 321.0

20 to 34 percent.......................................................... 232.4 1.3 485.0

35 to 49 percent.......................................................... 219.6 1.7 455.1

50 to 74 percent.......................................................... 213.3 1.3 1,462.8

75 percent or more ..................................................... 174.3 1.4 976.4

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes............................................................................. 320.8 0.6 1,836.3

No .............................................................................. 209.3 1.3 587.9

Principals’ report on discipline problems in school

No problems/minor problems..................................... 222.4 0.7 229.0

Moderate problems..................................................... 269.3 0.9 1,650.9

Serious problems........................................................ 314.9 2.4 1,095.4

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
45

Table 3.—Number and percent of public schools reporting one or more incidents of robbery, and

total number of incidents of robbery reported in public schools in which police or other

law enforcement were contacted, by school characteristics: 1996-97

Robbery

School characteristic Number of schools

with one or more

incidents

Percent of schools

with one or more

incidents

Total number of

incidents

All public schools.................................................. 2,389 3 7,150

Instructional level

Elementary school...................................................... 395 1 390

Middle school............................................................. 760 5 2,330

High school ................................................................ 1,235 8 4,430

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ............................................................. 101 (+) 240

300-999...................................................................... 1,123 2 3,040

1,000 or more ............................................................. 1,166 16 3,870

Locale

City............................................................................. 1,461 8 4,520

Urban fringe ............................................................... 520 3 1,510

Town .......................................................................... 171 1 590

Rural .......................................................................... 237 1 530

Region

Northeast.................................................................... 468 3 1,570

Southeast.................................................................... 394 2 1,310

Central........................................................................ 582 3 2,100

West ........................................................................... 946 4 2,160

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent..................................................... 231 1 260

5 to 19 percent............................................................ 366 2 640

20 to 49 percent.......................................................... 520 3 1,450

50 percent or more ..................................................... 1,273 7 4,800

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent................................................... 222 1 670

20 to 34 percent.......................................................... 473 3 1,550

35 to 49 percent.......................................................... 373 3 880

50 to 74 percent.......................................................... 607 4 1,960

75 percent or more ..................................................... 698 6 2,020

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes............................................................................. 2,003 3 6,260

No .............................................................................. 386 2 890
46

Table 3.—Number and percent of public schools reporting one or more incidents of robbery, and

total number of incidents of robbery reported in public schools in which police or other

law enforcement were contacted, by school characteristics: 1996-97--continued

Robbery

School characteristic Number of schools

with one or more

incidents

Percent of schools

with one or more

incidents

Total number of

incidents

Principals’ report on discipline problems in school*

No problems/minor problems....................................... 288 1 330

Moderate problems....................................................... 820 3 2,590

Serious problems.......................................................... 1,282 10 4,230

(+) Less than 0.5 percent.

*Discipline problems included student tardiness, student absenteeism, physical conflicts among students, robbery or theft of items over

$10, vandalism of school property, student alcohol use, student drug use, sale of drugs on school grounds, student tobacco use, student

possession of weapons, trespassing, verbal abuse of teachers, physical abuse of teachers, teacher absenteeism, teacher alcohol or drug/

use, racial tensions, and gangs. Serious problems means the respondent indicated at least 1 of 17 different discipline issues was a serious

problem. Moderate problems means the respondent indicated at least one discipline issue was a moderate problem and there were no

serious problems. No problems/minor problems means the respondent indicated all discipline issues were either no problem or a minor

problem.

NOTE: Details may not add to totals because of rounding and because some classification variables were missing for some schools.

The total number of incidents are rounded to the nearest 10.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
47

Table 3a.—Standard errors of the number and percent of public schools reporting one or more

incidents of robbery and of the total number of incidents of robbery reported in public

schools in which police or other law enforcement were contacted, by school

characteristics: 1996-97

Robbery

School characteristic Number of schools

with one or more

incidents

Percent of schools

with one or more

incidents

Total number of

incidents

All public schools.................................................. 306.4 0.4 1,538.1

Instructional level

Elementary school...................................................... 197.7 0.4 197.7

Middle school............................................................. 128.7 0.9 1,021.2

High school ................................................................ 151.7 1.0 886.5

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ............................................................. 74.9 -- 206.3

300-999...................................................................... 261.8 0.5 1,249.1

1,000 or more ............................................................. 122.2 1.8 769.7

Locale

City............................................................................. 234.3 1.3 1,192.6

Urban fringe ............................................................... 127.8 0.7 623.8

Town .......................................................................... 87.9 0.4 355.8

Rural .......................................................................... 122.6 0.6 291.1

Region

Northeast.................................................................... 80.7 0.6 399.6

Southeast.................................................................... 105.1 0.6 660.8

Central........................................................................ 185.6 0.8 1,010.5

West ........................................................................... 174.4 0.8 471.4

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent..................................................... 125.7 0.5 135.4

5 to 19 percent............................................................ 142.7 0.8 247.8

20 to 49 percent.......................................................... 144.5 0.8 498.4

50 percent or more ..................................................... 180.7 1.1 1,433.3

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent................................................... 95.7 0.5 339.7

20 to 34 percent.......................................................... 123.7 0.7 607.5

35 to 49 percent.......................................................... 135.9 1.1 355.3

50 to 74 percent.......................................................... 151.2 1.0 1,017.9

75 percent or more ..................................................... 150.5 1.2 519.8

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes............................................................................. 255.1 0.4 1,306.3

No .............................................................................. 147.8 0.9 383.6

Principals’ report on discipline problems in school

No problems/minor problems..................................... 137.6 0.4 145.0

Moderate problems..................................................... 178.6 0.6 996.4

Serious problems........................................................ 194.8 1.5 892.0

--Estimate of standard error is not derived because it is based on a statistic estimated at less than 0.5 percent or at 100 percent.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
48

Table 4.—Number and percent of public schools reporting one or more incidents of physical

attacks or fights without weapons, and total number of incidents of physical attacks or

fights without weapons reported in public schools in which police or other law

enforcement were contacted, by school characteristics: 1996-97

Physical attack or fight without a weapon

School characteristic Number of schools

with one or more

incidents

Percent of schools

with one or more

incidents

Total number of

incidents

All public schools.................................................. 21,576 28 187,890

Instructional level

Elementary school...................................................... 5,801 12 21,470

Middle school............................................................. 7,177 51 73,330

High school ................................................................ 8,598 55 93,090

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ............................................................. 3,372 17 15,590

300-999...................................................................... 13,260 26 87,940

1,000 or more ............................................................. 4,944 67 84,350

Locale

City............................................................................. 5,463 30 62,130

Urban fringe ............................................................... 5,369 28 54,780

Town .......................................................................... 6,242 32 46,290

Rural .......................................................................... 4,501 21 24,680

Region

Northeast.................................................................... 3,424 23 29,060

Southeast.................................................................... 4,871 29 50,690

Central........................................................................ 5,949 26 45,590

West ........................................................................... 7,332 32 62,540

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent..................................................... 5,401 22 24,340

5 to 19 percent............................................................ 4,810 27 35,600

20 to 49 percent.......................................................... 5,595 32 53,960

50 percent or more ..................................................... 5,545 32 72,600

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent................................................... 5,343 29 39,990

20 to 34 percent.......................................................... 4,738 27 34,880

35 to 49 percent.......................................................... 3,658 28 33,270

50 to 74 percent.......................................................... 4,494 28 45,900

75 percent or more ..................................................... 3,102 25 28,800

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes............................................................................. 17,436 29 157,710

No .............................................................................. 4,140 25 30,170
49

Table 4.—Number and percent of public schools reporting one or more incidents of physical

attacks or fights without weapons, and total number of incidents of physical attacks or

fights without weapons reported in public schools in which police or other law

enforcement were contacted, by school characteristics: 1996-97--continued

Physical attack or fight without a weapon

School characteristic Number of schools

with one or more

incidents

Percent of schools

with one or more

incidents

Total number of

incidents

Principals’ report on discipline problems in school*

No problems/minor problems..................................... 3,828 11 13,680

Moderate problems..................................................... 10,204 32 94,610

Serious problems........................................................ 7,544 61 79,590

*Discipline problems included student tardiness, student absenteeism, physical conflicts among students, robbery or theft of items over

$10, vandalism of school property, student alcohol use, student drug use, sale of drugs on school grounds, student tobacco use, student

possession of weapons, trespassing, verbal abuse of teachers, physical abuse of teachers, teacher absenteeism, teacher alcohol or drug/

use, racial tensions, and gangs. Serious problems means the respondent indicated at least 1 of 17 different discipline issues was a serious

problem. Moderate problems means the respondent indicated at least one discipline issue was a moderate problem and there were no

serious problems. No problems/minor problems means the respondent indicated all discipline issues were either no problem or a minor

problem.

NOTE: Details may not add to totals because of rounding and because some classification variables were missing for some schools.

The total number of incidents are rounded to the nearest 10.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
50

Table 4a.—Standard errors of the number and percent of public schools reporting one or more

incidents of physical attacks or fights without weapons and of the total number of

incidents of physical attacks or fights without weapons reported in public schools in

which police or other law enforcement were contacted, by school characteristics:

1996-97

Physical attack or fight without a weapon

School characteristic Number of schools

with one or more

incidents

Percent of schools

with one or more

incidents

Total number of

incidents

All public schools.................................................. 932.8 1.1 17,030.4

Instructional level

Elementary school...................................................... 817.3 1.7 6,994.9

Middle school............................................................. 343.8 2.3 10,432.4

High school ................................................................ 463.3 2.9 9,362.2

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ............................................................. 616.4 2.9 3,702.9

300-999...................................................................... 737.4 1.4 10,727.6

1,000 or more ............................................................. 227.7 3.0 11,519.4

Locale

City............................................................................. 417.5 2.4 9,216.2

Urban fringe ............................................................... 521.1 2.6 11,539.2

Town .......................................................................... 452.7 2.3 5,769.4

Rural .......................................................................... 556.1 2.6 4,298.4

Region

Northeast.................................................................... 383.4 2.3 6,820.7

Southeast.................................................................... 443.2 2.7 8,804.0

Central........................................................................ 705.2 2.6 10,026.6

West ........................................................................... 681.7 3.0 7,301.6

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent..................................................... 603.2 2.4 3,251.0

5 to 19 percent............................................................ 593.0 3.0 5,122.2

20 to 49 percent.......................................................... 574.5 2.9 9,325.6

50 percent or more ..................................................... 575.7 3.1 13,703.7

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent................................................... 462.0 2.5 5,547.4

20 to 34 percent.......................................................... 534.1 2.9 7,725.4

35 to 49 percent.......................................................... 458.5 3.4 6,976.7

50 to 74 percent.......................................................... 612.5 3.4 9,867.3

75 percent or more ..................................................... 380.5 3.0 5,945.3

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes............................................................................. 907.0 1.5 15,703.4

No .............................................................................. 433.3 2.7 5,350.6

Principals’ report on discipline problems in school

No problems/minor problems..................................... 541.3 1.6 2,402.1

Moderate problems..................................................... 678.9 2.1 14,128.7

Serious problems........................................................ 585.4 4.4 9,994.1

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
51

Table 5.—Number and percent of public schools reporting one or more incidents of theft or

larceny, and total number of incidents of theft or larceny reported in public schools in

which police or other law enforcement were contacted, by school characteristics:

1996-97

Theft or larceny

School characteristic Number of schools

with one or more

incidents

Percent of schools

with one or more

incidents

Total number of

incidents

All public schools.................................................. 23,798 31 115,500

Instructional level

Elementary school...................................................... 9,041 19 19,480

Middle school............................................................. 6,166 44 31,470

High school ................................................................ 8,591 55 64,550

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ............................................................. 3,568 18 9,850

300-999...................................................................... 15,211 30 51,430

1,000 or more ............................................................. 5,019 68 54,220

Locale

City............................................................................. 6,192 34 39,930

Urban fringe ............................................................... 5,446 29 28,270

Town .......................................................................... 7,102 36 28,990

Rural .......................................................................... 5,057 24 18,320

Region

Northeast.................................................................... 3,964 26 18,070

Southeast.................................................................... 5,385 32 23,270

Central........................................................................ 5,783 26 22,990

West ........................................................................... 8,666 38 51,170

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent..................................................... 5,865 24 21,410

5 to 19 percent............................................................ 4,924 28 29,410

20 to 49 percent.......................................................... 5,418 31 25,910

50 percent or more ..................................................... 7,188 41 34,830

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent................................................... 5,538 30 29,490

20 to 34 percent.......................................................... 4,277 25 26,050

35 to 49 percent.......................................................... 4,506 35 21,630

50 to 74 percent.......................................................... 4,956 31 22,410

75 percent or more ..................................................... 4,439 35 15,800

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes............................................................................. 18,971 31 98,410

No .............................................................................. 4,798 29 17,060
52

Table 5.—Number and percent of public schools reporting one or more incidents of theft or

larceny, and total number of incidents of theft or larceny reported in public schools in

which police or other law enforcement were contacted, by school characteristics:

1996-97--continued

Theft or larceny

School characteristic Number of schools

with one or more

incidents

Percent of schools

with one or more

incidents

Total number of

incidents

Principals’ report on discipline problems in school*

No problems/minor problems..................................... 5,508 17 13,040

Moderate problems..................................................... 11,097 35 49,160

Serious problems........................................................ 7,078 58 52,960

*Discipline problems included student tardiness, student absenteeism, physical conflicts among students, robbery or theft of items over

$10, vandalism of school property, student alcohol use, student drug use, sale of drugs on school grounds, student tobacco use, student

possession of weapons, trespassing, verbal abuse of teachers, physical abuse of teachers, teacher absenteeism, teacher alcohol or drug/

use, racial tensions, and gangs. Serious problems means the respondent indicated at least 1 of 17 different discipline issues was a serious

problem. Moderate problems means the respondent indicated at least one discipline issue was a moderate problem and there were no

serious problems. No problems/minor problems means the respondent indicated all discipline issues were either no problem or a minor

problem.

NOTE: Details may not add to totals because of rounding and because some classification variables were missing for some schools.

The total number of incidents are rounded to the nearest 10.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
53

Table 5a.—Standard errors of the number and percent of public schools reporting one or more

incidents of theft or larceny and of the total number of incidents of theft or larceny

reported in public schools in which police or other law enforcement were contacted, by

school characteristics: 1996-97

Theft or larceny

School characteristic Number of schools

with one or more

incidents

Percent of schools

with one or more

incidents

Total number of

incidents

All public schools.................................................. 1,200.6 1.5 8,404.0

Instructional level

Elementary school...................................................... 983.2 2.0 3,393.6

Middle school............................................................. 350.9 2.5 3,374.4

High school ................................................................ 519.1 3.1 5,665.4

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ............................................................. 653.8 3.1 2,272.3

300-999...................................................................... 954.5 1.8 4,447.1

1,000 or more ............................................................. 286.9 3.2 5,284.7

Locale

City............................................................................. 462.3 2.7 4,185.4

Urban fringe ............................................................... 465.2 2.4 4,133.6

Town .......................................................................... 680.9 3.5 3,548.5

Rural .......................................................................... 700.4 3.3 3,591.5

Region

Northeast.................................................................... 493.4 3.3 4,826.9

Southeast.................................................................... 662.2 3.6 3,148.7

Central........................................................................ 616.1 2.7 2,797.2

West ........................................................................... 679.8 3.0 4,968.8

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent..................................................... 629.0 2.8 3,618.7

5 to 19 percent............................................................ 580.8 3.1 4,518.5

20 to 49 percent.......................................................... 659.2 3.3 4,046.2

50 percent or more ..................................................... 713.6 3.5 4,589.2

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent................................................... 583.1 2.7 3,939.8

20 to 34 percent.......................................................... 511.1 2.9 4,361.3

35 to 49 percent.......................................................... 617.4 4.8 3,782.6

50 to 74 percent.......................................................... 703.3 3.6 3,404.1

75 percent or more ..................................................... 588.5 3.9 2,703.1

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes............................................................................. 1,067.5 1.7 7,602.2

No .............................................................................. 495.2 3.3 2,562.0

Principals’ report on discipline problems in school

No problems/minor problems..................................... 718.0 2.1 1,875.4

Moderate problems..................................................... 861.9 2.5 6,020.3

Serious problems........................................................ 595.2 4.2 4,907.9

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
54

Table 6.—Number and percent of public schools reporting one or more incidents of vandalism, and

total number of incidents of vandalism reported in public schools in which police or

other law enforcement were contacted, by school characteristics: 1996-97

Vandalism

School characteristic Number of schools

with one or more

incidents

Percent of schools

with one or more

incidents

Total number of

incidents

All public schools.................................................. 29,269 38 98,490

Instructional level

Elementary school...................................................... 14,596 30 34,850

Middle school............................................................. 6,620 47 23,780

High school ................................................................ 8,053 52 39,860

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ............................................................. 4,738 23 12,260

300-999...................................................................... 19,986 40 53,990

1,000 or more ............................................................. 4,546 62 32,240

Locale

City............................................................................. 7,352 41 32,750

Urban fringe ............................................................... 7,025 37 22,820

Town .......................................................................... 8,535 44 25,710

Rural .......................................................................... 6,356 30 17,210

Region

Northeast.................................................................... 5,560 37 17,060

Southeast.................................................................... 6,174 36 17,310

Central........................................................................ 6,793 30 18,590

West ........................................................................... 10,742 47 45,520

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent..................................................... 7,020 29 18,700

5 to 19 percent............................................................ 7,005 40 19,680

20 to 49 percent.......................................................... 6,704 38 18,470

50 percent or more ..................................................... 8,151 47 40,440

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent................................................... 6,853 37 19,310

20 to 34 percent.......................................................... 5,821 34 17,690

35 to 49 percent.......................................................... 4,906 38 14,730

50 to 74 percent.......................................................... 6,237 39 20,150

75 percent or more ..................................................... 5,211 42 25,800

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes............................................................................. 24,098 40 83,250

No .............................................................................. 5,142 31 15,180
55

Table 6.—Number and percent of public schools reporting one or more incidents of vandalism, and

total number of incidents of vandalism reported in public schools in which police or

other law enforcement were contacted, by school characteristics: 1996-97--continued

Vandalism

School characteristic Number of schools

with one or more

incidents

Percent of schools

with one or more

incidents

Total number of

incidents

Principals’ report on discipline problems in school*

No problems/minor problems..................................... 8,464 25 16,670

Moderate problems..................................................... 13,086 41 39,220

Serious problems........................................................ 7,719 63 42,600

*Discipline problems included student tardiness, student absenteeism, physical conflicts among students, robbery or theft of items over

$10, vandalism of school property, student alcohol use, student drug use, sale of drugs on school grounds, student tobacco use, student

possession of weapons, trespassing, verbal abuse of teachers, physical abuse of teachers, teacher absenteeism, teacher alcohol or drug/

use, racial tensions, and gangs. Serious problems means the respondent indicated at least 1 of 17 different discipline issues was a serious

problem. Moderate problems means the respondent indicated at least one discipline issue was a moderate problem and there were no

serious problems. No problems/minor problems means the respondent indicated all discipline issues were either no problem or a minor

problem.

NOTE: Details may not add to totals because of rounding and because some classification variables were missing for some schools.

The total number of incidents are rounded to the nearest 10.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
56

Table 6a.—Standard errors of the number and percent of public schools reporting one or more

incidents of vandalism, and of the total number of incidents of vandalism reported in

public schools in which police or other law enforcement were contacted, by school

characteristics: 1996-97

Vandalism

School characteristic Number of schools

with one or more

incidents

Percent of schools

with one or more

incidents

Total number of

incidents

All public schools.................................................. 1,326.4 1.6 5,576.6

Instructional level

Elementary school...................................................... 1,104.8 2.3 4,207.6

Middle school............................................................. 396.0 2.6 2,283.3

High school ................................................................ 452.3 2.7 2,875.9

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ............................................................. 846.1 3.9 2,448.2

300-999...................................................................... 874.4 1.7 4,138.7

1,000 or more ............................................................. 281.4 3.3 3,601.1

Locale

City............................................................................. 561.5 3.2 3,381.5

Urban fringe ............................................................... 559.9 2.9 3,505.2

Town .......................................................................... 696.5 3.5 2,780.0

Rural .......................................................................... 804.3 3.7 2,654.4

Region

Northeast.................................................................... 649.2 3.6 2,380.1

Southeast.................................................................... 543.9 3.1 1,843.6

Central........................................................................ 904.1 3.6 2,688.8

West ........................................................................... 834.6 3.5 4,396.3

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent..................................................... 855.1 3.3 2,774.5

5 to 19 percent............................................................ 707.8 3.0 2,868.1

20 to 49 percent.......................................................... 679.6 3.5 2,223.4

50 percent or more ..................................................... 859.8 3.3 5,169.1

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent................................................... 714.3 3.6 2,333.8

20 to 34 percent.......................................................... 704.7 4.0 2,329.2

35 to 49 percent.......................................................... 621.7 4.4 1,966.6

50 to 74 percent.......................................................... 760.9 3.6 2,562.9

75 percent or more ..................................................... 659.0 3.9 4,306.3

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes............................................................................. 1,241.5 1.8 5,247.7

No .............................................................................. 578.1 3.3 2,327.7

Principals’ report on discipline problems in school

No problems/minor problems..................................... 873.2 2.5 2,076.1

Moderate problems..................................................... 892.5 2.5 3,259.4

Serious problems........................................................ 746.1 4.5 4,662.7

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
57

Table 7.—Percent of public schools reporting crime incidents and the seriousness of crime

incidents reported, by school characteristics: 1996-97

Seriousness of reported crime

School characteristic

No incidents

reported

Any incidents

reported

Serious violent

crime

Less serious or

nonviolent

crime only

All public schools............................................ 43 57 10 47

Instructional level

Elementary school................................................ 55 45 4 41

Middle school....................................................... 26 74 19 55

High school .......................................................... 23 77 21 56

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ....................................................... 62 38 4 34

300-999................................................................ 40 60 9 50

1,000 or more ....................................................... 11 89 33 56

Locale

City....................................................................... 41 59 17 42

Urban fringe ......................................................... 42 58 11 47

Town .................................................................... 37 63 5 58

Rural .................................................................... 53 47 8 39

Region

Northeast.............................................................. 48 52 7 45

Southeast.............................................................. 41 59 9 50

Central.................................................................. 49 51 11 40

West ..................................................................... 36 64 12 52

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent............................................... 53 47 6 41

5 to 19 percent...................................................... 42 58 11 47

20 to 49 percent.................................................... 42 58 11 47

50 percent or more ............................................... 32 68 15 53

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent............................................. 46 54 9 46

20 to 34 percent.................................................... 47 53 12 42

35 to 49 percent.................................................... 41 59 12 48

50 to 74 percent.................................................... 41 59 9 49

75 percent or more ............................................... 41 59 10 49

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes....................................................................... 41 59 11 48

No ........................................................................ 53 47 7 40

Policy to report crimes to public

Yes....................................................................... 50 50 9 41

No ........................................................................ 39 61 11 50

Police/law enforcement presence

30 or more hours per week................................... 14 86 38 49

10-29 hours per week........................................... 20 80 19 61

1-9 hours per week............................................... 13 87 28 58

Stationed as needed .............................................. 23 77 14 62

None stationed...................................................... 50 50 6 43
58

Table 7.—Percent of public schools reporting crime incidents and the seriousness of crime

incidents reported, by school characteristics: 1996-97--continued

Seriousness of reported crime

School characteristic

No incidents

reported

Any incidents

reported

Serious violent

crime

Less serious or

nonviolent

crime only

Principals’ report on discipline problems in

school*

No problems/minor problems........................... 60 40 3 37

Moderate problems........................................... 38 62 10 52

Serious problems.............................................. 14 86 28 57

*Discipline problems included student tardiness, student absenteeism, physical conflicts among students, robbery or theft of items over

$10, vandalism of school property, student alcohol use, student drug use, sale of drugs on school grounds, student tobacco use, student

possession of weapons, trespassing, verbal abuse of teachers, physical abuse of teachers, teacher absenteeism, teacher alcohol or drug

use, racial tensions, and gangs. Serious problems means the respondent indicated at least 1 of 17 different discipline issues was a serious

problem. Moderate problems means the respondent indicated at least one discipline issue was a moderate problem and there were no

serious problems. No problems/minor problems means the respondent indicated all discipline issues were either no problem or a minor

problem.

NOTE: Serious violent crime means that at least one of the following crimes occurred at the school and police were contacted: murder,

rape or other type of sexual battery, suicide, physical attack or fight with a weapon, or robbery. Less serious or nonviolent crime means

that no serious violent crimes occurred and at least one of the following occurred at the school for which police were contacted: physical

attack or fight without a weapon, theft/larceny, or vandalism. No incidents reported means that the school reported that police were not

contacted for any of the specified crimes. Specified crimes may have occurred but police were not contacted, or other, nonspecified

crimes may have occurred at the school. Details may not add to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
59

Table 7a.—Standard errors of the percent of public schools reporting crime incidents and the

seriousness of crime incidents reported, by school characteristics: 1996-97

Seriousness of reported crime

School characteristic No incidents

reported

Any incidents

reported Serious violent

crime

Less serious or

nonviolent

crime only

All public schools............................................ 2.1 2.1 0.8 2.1

Instructional level

Elementary school................................................ 3.2 3.2 1.1 3.2

Middle school....................................................... 2.3 2.3 1.9 2.8

High school .......................................................... 2.4 2.4 2.1 3.0

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ....................................................... 4.9 4.9 1.4 4.4

300-999................................................................ 2.2 2.2 1.2 2.5

1,000 or more ....................................................... 2.3 2.3 2.4 3.2

Locale

City....................................................................... 3.7 3.7 2.1 4.1

Urban fringe ......................................................... 3.2 3.2 1.8 3.2

Town .................................................................... 3.8 3.8 1.4 3.7

Rural .................................................................... 4.2 4.2 1.5 4.1

Region

Northeast.............................................................. 4.4 4.4 1.1 4.7

Southeast.............................................................. 3.8 3.8 1.6 3.9

Central.................................................................. 4.5 4.5 2.2 4.1

West ..................................................................... 3.5 3.5 1.4 3.7

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent............................................... 3.7 3.7 1.3 3.5

5 to 19 percent...................................................... 3.8 3.8 2.1 3.6

20 to 49 percent.................................................... 3.6 3.6 1.6 3.6

50 percent or more ............................................... 3.2 3.2 1.8 3.9

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent............................................. 3.3 3.3 1.5 3.2

20 to 34 percent.................................................... 4.3 4.3 2.0 4.3

35 to 49 percent.................................................... 5.0 5.0 2.3 5.0

50 to 74 percent.................................................... 4.1 4.1 1.4 4.5

75 percent or more ............................................... 4.7 4.7 1.7 4.7

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes....................................................................... 2.4 2.4 0.9 2.4

No ........................................................................ 4.1 4.1 1.4 4.0

Policy to report crimes to public

Yes....................................................................... 2.9 2.9 1.0 3.1

No ........................................................................ 2.4 2.4 1.0 2.5

Police/law enforcement presence

30 or more hours per week................................... 4.1 4.1 3.1 4.7

10-29 hours per week........................................... 12.1 12.1 8.4 12.5

1-9 hours per week............................................... 5.9 5.9 6.9 6.4

Stationed as needed .............................................. 4.4 4.4 2.7 5.0

None stationed...................................................... 2.3 2.3 0.8 2.2

Principals’ report on discipline problems in

school

No problems/minor problems........................... 3.1 3.1 1.0 3.0

Moderate problems........................................... 2.8 2.8 1.3 3.0

Serious problems.............................................. 4.0 4.0 2.9 4.4

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
60

Table 8.—Percent of public schools reporting that various crimes occurred at the school, involved

students, and occurred during school hours or at school-sponsored events, by type of

crime at the school: 1996-97

Percent of schools reporting any:

Type of crime Incidents2

Incidents2 involving

students as either

victims or perpetrators

Incidents2 occurring

during school hours or

at school-sponsored

events or activities

Murder1................................................................ † † †

Suicide1................................................................ † † †

Rape or other type of sexual battery..................... 3 3 2

Physical attack or fight with a weapon ................ 6 6 6

Robbery................................................................ 3 3 3

Physical attack or fight without a weapon ........... 28 27 26

Theft or larceny.................................................... 31 25 25

Vandalism............................................................ 38 24 17

1

In the sample of 1,234 public schools, no incidents of murder were reported and 4 schools reported that a suicide had occurred. It

should be noted that the sample size was not adequate to produce reliable estimates for either of these crimes, which are believed to have

a very low incidence.

2

Schools were asked to report only incidents serious enough for the school to have contacted the police or other law enforcement

representative.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
61

Table 8a.—Standard errors of the percent of public schools reporting that various crimes occurred

at the school, involved students, and occurred during school hours or at schoolsponsored events, by type of crime at the school: 1996-97

Percent of schools reporting any:

Type of crime Incidents

Incidents involving

students as either

victims or perpetrators

Incidents occurring

during school hours or

at school-sponsored

events or activities

Murder ................................................................. -- -- --

Suicide ................................................................. -- -- --

Rape or other type of sexual battery..................... 0.5 0.5 0.4

Physical attack or fight with a weapon ................ 0.5 0.5 0.5

Robbery................................................................ 0.4 0.4 0.3

Physical attack or fight without a weapon ........... 1.1 1.1 1.1

Theft or larceny.................................................... 1.5 1.2 1.3

Vandalism............................................................ 1.6 1.3 0.9

-- Estimate of standard error is not derived because it is based on a statistic estimated at less than 0.5 percent.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
62

Table 9.—Ratio of crimes per 100,000 public school students, by school characteristics: 1996-97

Seriousness of reported crime

School characteristic All incidents reported Serious violent crime Less serious or

nonviolent crime only

All public schools............................................ 1,003 53 949

Instructional level

Elementary school................................................ 352 13 339

Middle school....................................................... 1,623 93 1,530

High school .......................................................... 1,807 103 1,704

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ....................................................... 1,073 61 1,013

300-999................................................................ 730 38 692

1,000 or more ....................................................... 1,692 90 1,602

Locale

City....................................................................... 1,164 95 1,070

Urban fringe ......................................................... 882 38 845

Town .................................................................... 1,023 28 995

Rural .................................................................... 899 45 854

Region

Northeast.............................................................. 806 39 768

Southeast.............................................................. 922 40 883

Central.................................................................. 954 78 876

West ..................................................................... 1,218 55 1,164

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent............................................... 693 19 674

5 to 19 percent...................................................... 871 40 830

20 to 49 percent.................................................... 1,018 51 968

50 percent or more ............................................... 1,325 96 1,229

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent............................................. 813 26 787

20 to 34 percent.................................................... 916 58 858

35 to 49 percent.................................................... 1,073 49 1,024

50 to 74 percent.................................................... 1,167 68 1,099

75 percent or more ............................................... 1,125 81 1,044

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes....................................................................... 1,047 57 990

No ........................................................................ 814 39 775

Police/law enforcement presence

30 or more hours per week................................... 2,343 137 2,206

10-29 hours per week........................................... 1,549 58 1,490

1-9 hours per week............................................... 1,679 130 1,549

Stationed as needed .............................................. 1,258 41 1,217

None stationed...................................................... 608 33 575
63

Table 9.—Ratio of crimes per 100,000 public school students, by school characteristics: 1996-97--

continued

Seriousness of reported crime

School characteristic All incidents reported Serious violent crime Less serious or

nonviolent crime only

Principals’ report on discipline problems in

school*

No problems/minor problems........................... 299 8 290

Moderate problems........................................... 1,058 52 1,006

Serious problems.............................................. 2,051 130 1,921

*Discipline problems included student tardiness, student absenteeism, physical conflicts among students, robbery or theft of items over

$10, vandalism of school property, student alcohol use, student drug use, sale of drugs on school grounds, student tobacco use, student

possession of weapons, trespassing, verbal abuse of teachers, physical abuse of teachers, teacher absenteeism, teacher alcohol or drug

use, racial tensions, and gangs. Serious problems means the respondent indicated at least 1 of 17 different discipline issues was a serious

problem. Moderate problems means the respondent indicated at least one discipline issue was a moderate problem and there were no

serious problems. No problems/minor problems means the respondent indicated all discipline issues were either no problem or a minor

problem.

NOTE: Serious violent crime means that at least one of the following crimes occurred at the school and police were contacted: murder,

rape or other type of sexual battery, suicide, physical attack or fight with a weapon, or robbery. Less serious or nonviolent crime means

that no serious violent crimes occurred and at least one of the following occurred at the school for which police were contacted: physical

attack or fight without a weapon, theft/larceny, or vandalism. No incidents reported means that the school reported that police were not

contacted for any of the specified crimes. Specified crimes may have occurred but police were not contacted, or other, nonspecified

crimes may have occurred at the school. Details may not add to totals because of rounding and because some classification variables

were missing for some schools.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
64

Table 9a.—Standard errors of the ratio of crimes per 100,000 public school students, by school

characteristics: 1996-97

Seriousness of reported crime

School characteristic All incidents reported Serious violent crime Less serious or

nonviolent crime only

All public schools............................................ 66.4 7.8 62.6

Instructional level

Elementary school................................................ 48.5 3.5 48.8

Middle school....................................................... 184.0 29.1 162.2

High school .......................................................... 129.9 15.7 124.2

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ....................................................... 189.2 35.0 172.7

300-999................................................................ 61.6 10.0 55.2

1,000 or more ....................................................... 162.8 11.4 157.9

Locale

City....................................................................... 141.2 21.3 122.7

Urban fringe ......................................................... 125.6 8.0 122.4

Town .................................................................... 95.6 13.2 92.6

Rural .................................................................... 124.6 10.3 120.1

Region

Northeast.............................................................. 140.3 7.7 137.8

Southeast.............................................................. 121.7 10.3 115.8

Central.................................................................. 145.5 25.3 126.7

West ..................................................................... 95.2 10.6 93.5

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent............................................... 87.0 4.7 85.9

5 to 19 percent...................................................... 89.6 13.1 86.6

20 to 49 percent.................................................... 128.9 8.5 125.0

50 percent or more ............................................... 181.1 24.7 163.3

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent............................................. 80.0 4.9 79.8

20 to 34 percent.................................................... 133.9 11.3 127.0

35 to 49 percent.................................................... 174.8 10.7 171.5

50 to 74 percent.................................................... 193.6 30.9 170.0

75 percent or more ............................................... 151.4 21.7 140.5

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes....................................................................... 75.0 9.1 70.5

No ........................................................................ 107.0 10.8 101.8

Police/law enforcement presence

30 or more hours per week................................... 234.8 20.9 227.9

10-29 hours per week........................................... 342.6 21.3 328.8

1-9 hours per week............................................... 310.2 71.2 263.4

Stationed as needed .............................................. 175.5 7.8 175.6

None stationed...................................................... 63.1 9.7 56.4

Principals’ report on discipline problems in

school

No problems/minor problems........................... 32.4 2.2 31.6

Moderate problems........................................... 123.4 14.7 115.7

Serious problems.............................................. 157.3 19.9 149.6

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
65

Table 10.—Ratio of reported crimes per 100,000 public school students, by type of crime and

instructional level: 1996-97

Instructional level

Type of crime

All public

schools

Elementary

school Middle school High school

Murder1................................................................. † † † †

Suicide1................................................................. † † † †

Rape/sexual battery............................................... 10 3 17 18

Attack/fight with a weapon................................... 26 7 49 46

Robbery................................................................. 17 2 28 38

Attack/fight without a weapon.............................. 444 96 872 808

Theft/larceny......................................................... 274 87 374 562

Vandalism............................................................. 234 157 283 347

1

In the sample of 1,234 public schools, no incidents of murder were reported and 4 schools reported that a suicide had occurred. It

should be noted that the sample size was not adequate to produce reliable estimates for either of these crimes, which are believed to have

a very low incidence.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
66

Table 10a.—Standard errors of the ratio of reported crimes per 100,000 public school students, by

type of crime and instructional level: 1996-97

Instructional level

Type of crime

All public

schools

Elementary

school

Middle

school

High

school

Murder .................................................................. -- -- -- --

Suicide .................................................................. -- -- -- --

Rape/sexual battery............................................... 1.6 1.9 4.3 2.9

Attack/fight with a weapon................................... 4.5 2.5 17.1 9.4

Robbery................................................................. 3.7 0.9 12.2 7.7

Attack/fight without a weapon.............................. 41.0 31.2 123.1 83.1

Theft/larceny......................................................... 19.9 15.0 39.5 49.5

Vandalism............................................................. 13.4 19.2 27.2 24.4

-- Estimate of standard error is not derived because it is based on a statistic estimated at less than 0.5 percent.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
67

Table 11.—Percent of public school principals indicating the extent of problems in their schools

with certain discipline issues: 1990-91 and 1996-97

Extent of problem

1990-91 1996-97

Discipline issue

Serious Moderate Minor

Not a

problem

Serious Moderate Minor

Not a

problem

Student tardiness............................ 6 28 46 20 9 32 45 14

Student absenteeism/class cutting.. 5 20 40 35 4 21 46 29

Physical conflicts among students.

3 20 53 25 1 20 59 21

Robbery or theft of items over $10.

(+) 7 31 62 1 5 37 58

Vandalism of school property........ 1 11 42 46 2 6 49 43

Student alcohol use........................ 3 7 17 72 2 5 19 74

Student drug use ............................ 1 5 20 74 2 8 20 70

Sale of drugs on school grounds.... (+) 1 11 89 (+) 2 15 83

Student tobacco use ....................... 3 10 24 63 4 10 25 60

Student possession of weapons...... (+) 3 16 81 (+) 2 21 77

Trespassing.................................... 1 6 27 67 (+) 4 25 71

Verbal abuse of teachers................ 2 9 44 45 2 10 46 42

Physical abuse of teachers............. (+) 1 8 91 0 2 9 89

Teacher absenteeism...................... 1 13 37 49 1 10 38 52

Teacher alcohol or drug use........... (+) 1 10 89 0 (+) 6 94

Racial tensions............................... (+) 5 21 74 (+) 3 24 73

Gangs............................................. ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ (+) 4 19 76

‡ Data not available because this item was not asked in the 1991 survey.

(+) Less than 0.5 percent.

NOTE: Percents may not add to 100 because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997; “Public School Principal Survey on Safe, Disciplined and Drug-Free

Schools,” FRSS 41, 1991.
68

Table 11a.—Standard errors of the percent of public school principals indicating the extent of

problems in their schools with certain discipline issues: 1990-91 and 1996-97

Extent of problem

1990-91 1996-97

Discipline issue

Serious Moderate Minor

Not a

problem

Serious Moderate Minor

Not a

problem

Student tardiness............................ 0.8 2.4 2.1 1.8 0.8 1.4 1.8 1.5

Student absenteeism/class cutting.. 0.8 1.6 1.9 1.6 0.6 1.4 1.7 1.7

Physical conflicts among students.

0.6 1.5 1.7 1.8 0.3 1.2 1.9 1.6

Robbery or theft of items over $10.

-- 0.8 1.6 2.0 0.2 0.6 1.5 1.6

Vandalism of school property........ 0.5 1.0 1.4 1.6 0.4 0.6 1.5 1.4

Student alcohol use........................ 0.5 0.9 1.5 1.6 0.3 0.6 1.0 1.1

Student drug use ............................ 0.3 0.6 1.3 1.4 0.3 0.6 1.0 0.9

Sale of drugs on school grounds.... -- 0.2 1.0 1.0 -- 0.3 0.8 0.7

Student tobacco use ....................... 0.5 1.0 1.6 1.8 0.5 0.8 1.3 1.3

Student possession of weapons...... -- 0.4 1.0 1.0 -- 0.4 1.1 1.2

Trespassing.................................... 0.3 0.9 1.7 1.9 -- 0.6 1.4 1.5

Verbal abuse of teachers................ 0.4 1.0 1.9 1.8 0.4 0.9 1.8 1.7

Physical abuse of teachers............. -- 0.3 1.0 1.1 -- 0.6 1.0 1.0

Teacher absenteeism...................... 0.4 1.2 1.3 1.7 0.2 0.8 1.7 1.6

Teacher alcohol or drug use........... -- 0.4 1.3 1.3 -- -- 0.9 0.9

Racial tensions............................... -- 0.7 1.5 1.5 -- 0.4 1.3 1.3

Gangs............................................. ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ -- 0.5 1.2 1.2

‡ Data not available because this item was not asked in the 1991 survey.

-- Estimate of standard error is not derived because it is based on a statistic estimated at less than 0.5 percent or at 100 percent.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997; “Public School Principal Survey on Safe, Disciplined and Drug-Free

Schools,” FRSS 41, 1991.
69

Table 12.—Percent of public school principals reporting level of discipline problems in their

schools, by school characteristics: 1996-97

School characteristic No problems/minor

problems Moderate problems Serious problems

All public schools.................................................. 43 41 16

Instructional level

Elementary school...................................................... 56 36 8

Middle school............................................................. 30 51 18

High school ................................................................ 15 48 37

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ............................................................. 52 39 10

300-999...................................................................... 44 41 15

1,000 or more ............................................................. 14 49 38

Locale

City............................................................................. 35 46 19

Urban fringe ............................................................... 41 45 14

Town .......................................................................... 45 39 16

Rural .......................................................................... 49 35 16

Region

Northeast.................................................................... 48 39 13

Southeast.................................................................... 38 44 18

Central........................................................................ 50 37 14

West ........................................................................... 36 45 18

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent..................................................... 57 33 10

5 to 19 percent............................................................ 43 40 17

20 to 49 percent.......................................................... 38 45 17

50 percent or more ..................................................... 28 50 22

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent................................................... 52 35 13

20 to 34 percent.......................................................... 46 39 16

35 to 49 percent.......................................................... 33 48 19

50 to 74 percent.......................................................... 43 41 16

75 percent or more ..................................................... 37 46 17

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes............................................................................. 41 43 16

No .............................................................................. 51 35 14

Police/law enforcement presence

30 or more hours per week......................................... 15 47 39

10-29 hours per week................................................. 14 58 29

1-9 hours per week..................................................... 17 52 31

Stationed as needed .................................................... 26 50 24

None stationed............................................................ 49 39 12

NOTE: Serious problems means the respondent indicated at least 1 of 17 specified discipline issue was a serious problem. Moderate

problems means the respondent indicated at least one discipline issue was a moderate problem and there were no serious problems. No

problems/minor problems means the respondent indicated all discipline issues were either no problem or a minor problem. Percents may

not add to 100 because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
70

Table 12a.—Standard errors of the percent of public school principals reporting level of discipline

problems in their schools, by school characteristics: 1996-97

School characteristic No problems/

minor problems

Moderate

problems

Serious

problems

All public schools.................................................. 1.7 1.6 1.2

Instructional level

Elementary school...................................................... 2.4 2.2 1.6

Middle school............................................................. 2.5 2.5 1.8

High school ................................................................ 2.0 2.8 2.5

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ............................................................. 4.5 4.2 2.1

300-999...................................................................... 2.1 1.9 1.5

1,000 or more ............................................................. 2.6 3.3 2.9

Locale

City............................................................................. 3.6 3.9 2.3

Urban fringe ............................................................... 3.5 3.6 2.0

Town .......................................................................... 3.4 3.3 1.9

Rural .......................................................................... 3.9 3.5 2.7

Region

Northeast.................................................................... 4.0 3.7 2.4

Southeast.................................................................... 3.5 3.3 2.3

Central........................................................................ 3.7 3.6 2.0

West ........................................................................... 3.4 3.0 2.6

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent..................................................... 3.6 3.2 1.5

5 to 19 percent............................................................ 3.9 3.3 2.1

20 to 49 percent.......................................................... 3.5 4.1 3.0

50 percent or more ..................................................... 3.2 3.9 2.7

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent................................................... 3.6 3.5 1.4

20 to 34 percent.......................................................... 4.6 3.9 2.5

35 to 49 percent.......................................................... 3.8 4.4 3.1

50 to 74 percent.......................................................... 4.6 3.8 2.5

75 percent or more ..................................................... 4.2 5.0 2.9

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes............................................................................. 1.6 1.9 1.4

No .............................................................................. 4.7 4.1 2.2

Police/law enforcement presence

30 or more hours per week......................................... 3.8 4.6 3.5

10-29 hours per week................................................. 8.0 13.0 12.3

1-9 hours per week..................................................... 7.2 7.5 7.2

Stationed as needed .................................................... 4.5 5.2 3.9

None stationed............................................................ 2.0 2.0 1.2

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
71

Table 13.—Percent of public school principals reporting that certain discipline issues were serious

or moderate problems in their schools, by type of issue and instructional level: 1990-91

and 1996-97

Instructional level

1990-91 1996-97

Discipline issue

Total

Elementary

school

Middle

school

High

school

Total

Elementary

school

Middle

school

High

school

Student tardiness............................... 34 25 44 50 40 32 40 67

Student absenteeism/class cutting..... 25 18 31 39 25 17 24 52

Physical conflicts among students.... 23 20 40 17 21 18 35 17

Robbery or theft of items over $10 ... 7 4 10 14 5 2 7 15

Vandalism of school property........... 12 10 16 13 8 6 10 13

Student alcohol use........................... 10 1 10 37 7 1 7 27

Student drug use ............................... 6 1 5 20 9 (+) 10 36

Sale of drugs on school grounds....... 1 (+) 1 2 2 0 1 10

Student tobacco use .......................... 13 1 21 40 14 2 19 48

Student possession of weapons......... 3 2 6 3 2 1 5 2

Trespassing....................................... 7 5 14 7 4 3 5 8

Verbal abuse of teachers................... 11 8 20 13 12 6 23 20

Physical abuse of teachers................ 1 1 2 1 2 2 2 1

Teacher absenteeism......................... 14 11 21 17 10 7 15 17

Teacher alcohol or drug use.............. 1 1 2 1 (+) 0 (+) (+)

Racial tensions.................................. 5 4 7 5 3 2 4 7

Gangs................................................ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ 5 2 10 9

‡ Data not available because this item was not asked in the 1991 survey.

(+) Less than 0.5 percent.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey On School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997; “Public School Principal Survey on Safe, Disciplined and Drug-Free

Schools,” FRSS 41, 1991.
72

Table 13a.—Standard errors of the percent of public school principals reporting that certain

discipline issues were serious or moderate problems in their schools, by type of issue

and instructional level: 1990-91 and 1996-97

Instructional level

1990-91 1996-97

Problem

Total

Elementary

school

Middle

school

High

school

Total

Elementary

school

Middle

school

High

school

Student tardiness............................... 2.5 3.0 4.7 3.5 1.6 2.6 2.4 2.6

Student absenteeism/class cutting..... 1.8 2.3 4.2 3.2 1.5 2.3 2.2 2.8

Physical conflicts among students.... 1.4 2.1 5.1 2.3 1.2 1.6 2.6 1.6

Robbery or theft of items over $10 ... 0.9 1.0 2.0 2.2 0.6 0.6 1.2 1.8

Vandalism of school property........... 1.2 1.7 3.1 2.2 0.8 1.2 1.6 1.6

Student alcohol use........................... 1.0 0.7 2.9 3.8 0.7 0.5 1.6 2.3

Student drug use ............................... 0.7 0.6 1.6 2.5 0.6 -- 1.6 2.5

Sale of drugs on school grounds....... 0.2 -- 0.7 0.9 0.3 -- 0.6 1.7

Student tobacco use .......................... 1.1 0.5 3.1 3.8 0.9 1.0 1.9 3.0

Student possession of weapons......... 0.4 0.5 1.4 1.0 0.4 0.5 1.2 0.6

Trespassing....................................... 1.0 1.3 2.7 1.3 0.6 0.8 1.1 1.3

Verbal abuse of teachers................... 1.1 1.2 2.9 2.4 1.0 1.3 2.0 1.9

Physical abuse of teachers................ 0.3 0.5 1.4 0.4 0.6 0.8 0.7 0.4

Teacher absenteeism......................... 1.2 1.4 3.6 2.5 0.8 1.2 1.8 1.7

Teacher alcohol or drug use.............. 0.4 0.4 1.9 0.7 -- -- -- --

Racial tensions.................................. 0.7 1.1 1.7 1.2 0.5 0.6 1.1 1.2

Gangs................................................ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ 0.5 0.7 1.6 1.3

‡ Data not available because this item was not asked in the 1991 survey.

-- Estimate of standard error is not derived because it is based on a statistic estimated at less than 0.5 percent or at 100 percent.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997; “Public School Principal Survey on Safe, Disciplined and Drug-Free

Schools,” FRSS 41, 1991.
73

Table 14.—Percent of public school principals reporting that certain discipline issues were serious

or moderate problems in their schools, by type of issue and size of school: 1990-91 and

1996-97

School size

1990-91 1996-97

Discipline issue

Total <300 300-999

1,000 or

more

Total <300 300-999

1,000 or

more

Student tardiness.......................................... 34 26 34 62 40 29 42 64

Student absenteeism/class cutting................ 25 18 25 44 25 19 24 53

Physical conflicts among students............... 23 16 25 30 21 13 22 31

Robbery or theft of items over $10 .............. 7 5 7 16 5 2 6 12

Vandalism of school property...................... 12 12 10 24 8 7 7 20

Student alcohol use...................................... 10 13 7 25 7 7 6 18

Student drug use .......................................... 6 6 3 19 9 8 7 29

Sale of drugs on school grounds.................. 1 0 1 4 2 1 1 11

Student tobacco use ..................................... 13 11 10 33 14 13 11 40

Student possession of weapons.................... 3 1 3 9 2 1 2 3

Trespassing.................................................. 7 3 8 12 4 2 4 12

Verbal abuse of teachers.............................. 11 4 14 17 12 7 12 26

Physical abuse of teachers........................... 1 1 1 2 2 3 1 1

Teacher absenteeism.................................... 14 9 15 26 10 5 11 25

Teacher alcohol or drug use......................... 1 1 1 2 (+) 0 (+) 1

Racial tensions............................................. 5 3 5 11 3 (+) 4 7

Gangs........................................................... ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ 5 2 5 16

‡ Data not available because this item was not asked in the 1991 survey.

(+) Less than 0.5 percent.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997; “Public School Principal Survey on Safe, Disciplined and Drug-Free

Schools,” FRSS 41, 1991.
74

Table 14a.—Standard errors of the percent of public school principals reporting that certain

discipline issues were serious or moderate problems in their schools, by type of issue

and size of school: 1990-91 and 1996-97

School size

1990-91 1996-97

Discipline issue

Total <300 300-999

1,000 or

more

Total <300 300-999

1,000 or

more

Student tardiness.......................................... 2.5 3.5 2.9 6.0 1.6 3.6 2.2 3.3

Student absenteeism/class cutting................ 1.8 3.3 2.4 5.3 1.5 3.4 1.9 3.1

Physical conflicts among students............... 1.4 3.3 1.8 3.5 1.2 3.0 1.4 3.3

Robbery or theft of items over $10 .............. 0.9 1.8 1.1 3.8 0.6 0.7 0.9 1.7

Vandalism of school property...................... 1.2 3.0 1.4 4.4 0.8 1.8 1.0 2.4

Student alcohol use...................................... 1.0 2.5 1.0 4.2 0.7 2.0 0.6 2.3

Student drug use .......................................... 0.7 2.1 0.8 3.3 0.6 1.6 0.6 2.5

Sale of drugs on school grounds.................. 0.2 -- 0.3 1.6 0.3 0.6 0.3 2.0

Student tobacco use ..................................... 1.1 1.6 1.3 4.2 0.9 2.6 0.8 3.0

Student possession of weapons.................... 0.4 0.7 0.6 2.8 0.4 0.6 0.5 0.9

Trespassing.................................................. 1.0 1.5 1.3 3.0 0.6 1.1 0.8 2.2

Verbal abuse of teachers.............................. 1.1 1.6 1.4 3.6 1.0 2.3 1.2 2.8

Physical abuse of teachers........................... 0.3 0.7 0.5` 1.1 0.6 1.9 0.5 0.4

Teacher absenteeism.................................... 1.2 2.3 1.8 4.8 0.8 1.9 1.2 2.8

Teacher alcohol or drug use......................... 0.4 1.0 0.4 1.2 -- -- -- 0.6

Racial tensions............................................. 0.7 1.2 0.9 2.6 0.5 -- 0.7 1.5

Gangs........................................................... ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ 0.5 0.7 0.7 1.9

‡ Data not available because this item was not asked in the 1991 survey.

-- Estimate of standard error is not derived because it is based on a statistic estimated at less than 0.5 percent or at 100 percent.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997; “Public School Principal Survey on Safe, Disciplined and Drug-Free

Schools,” FRSS 41, 1991.
75

Table 15.—Percent of public school principals reporting that certain discipline issues were serious

or moderate problems in their schools, by type of issue and location of school: 1990-91

and 1996-97

Locale

1990-91 1996-97

Discipline issue

Total City

Urban

fringe

Town Rural Total City

Urban

fringe

Town Rural

Student tardiness........................... 34 47 33 30 27 40 49 44 38 31

Student absenteeism/class cutting. 25 35 24 22 20 25 28 24 24 25

Physical conflicts among students

23 30 26 21 15 21 25 25 19 14

Robbery or theft of items over

$10................................................ 7 9 6 4 9 5 5 5 7 4

Vandalism of school property....... 12 19 10 8 11 8 11 9 7 5

Student alcohol use....................... 10 9 7 7 17 7 4 6 9 9

Student drug use ........................... 6 7 4 5 6 9 7 8 12 10

Sale of drugs on school grounds... 1 1 2 0 1 2 2 2 3 2

Student tobacco use ...................... 13 11 9 13 17 14 10 11 17 18

Student possession of weapons..... 3 7 1 2 1 2 4 2 0 1

Trespassing................................... 7 14 7 2 5 4 7 5 3 3

Verbal abuse of teachers............... 11 18 10 9 7 12 17 12 10 9

Physical abuse of teachers............ 1 3 (+) 1 0 2 5 (+) 1 1

Teacher absenteeism..................... 14 20 14 11 12 10 12 10 11 10

Teacher alcohol or drug use.......... 1 2 2 (+) (+) (+) (+) (+) (+) 0

Racial tensions.............................. 5 8 5 5 2 3 6 3 3 1

Gangs............................................ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ 5 10 6 3 2

‡ Data not available because this item was not asked in the 1991 survey.

(+) Less than 0.5 percent.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997; “Public School Principal Survey on Safe, Disciplined and Drug-Free

Schools,” FRSS 41, 1991.
76

Table 15a.—Standard errors of the percent of public school principals reporting that certain

discipline issues were serious or moderate problems in their schools, by type of issue

and location of school: 1990-91 and 1996-97

Locale

1990-91 1996-97

Discipline issue

Total City

Urban

fringe

Town Rural Total City

Urban

fringe

Town Rural

Student tardiness........................... 2.5 4.4 4.4 3.2 3.1 1.6 3.4 3.8 3.0 3.1

Student absenteeism/class cutting. 1.8 3.7 3.7 2.6 2.7 1.5 2.6 3.1 2.8 3.5

Physical conflicts among students

1.4 3.0 3.3 2.5 3.5 1.2 2.6 3.4 2.6 2.6

Robbery or theft of items over

$10 ............................................ 0.9 1.6 1.5 1.3 2.0 0.6 1.2 1.3 1.1 1.1

Vandalism of school property....... 1.2 3.2 2.1 1.9 3.3 0.8 1.9 2.0 1.8 1.2

Student alcohol use....................... 1.0 2.1 1.3 1.2 2.6 0.7 0.6 1.0 1.1 2.1

Student drug use ........................... 0.7 1.6 1.1 1.4 1.9 0.6 0.8 1.2 1.3 1.7

Sale of drugs on school grounds... 0.2 0.4 0.7 -- 0.5 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.8 0.7

Student tobacco use ...................... 1.1 2.2 1.5 2.0 2.1 0.9 1.1 1.4 1.4 2.6

Student possession of weapons..... 0.4 1.6 0.6 1.1 0.6 0.4 1.0 0.9 -- 0.6

Trespassing................................... 1.0 2.3 1.8 0.7 2.0 0.6 1.9 1.3 0.7 1.0

Verbal abuse of teachers............... 1.1 2.7 1.8 1.8 2.0 1.0 2.5 2.0 1.7 1.8

Physical abuse of teachers............ 0.3 1.2 -- 0.9 -- 0.6 1.8 -- 0.6 1.0

Teacher absenteeism..................... 1.2 3.0 1.9 2.1 2.3 0.8 1.8 1.7 1.9 2.2

Teacher alcohol or drug use.......... 0.4 1.0 1.6 -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Racial tensions.............................. 0.7 2.2 1.2 1.4 0.9 0.5 1.4 0.8 1.1 0.5

Gangs............................................ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ 0.5 1.9 1.4 0.7 0.7

‡ Data not available because this item was not asked in the 1991 survey.

-- Estimate of standard error is not derived because it is based on a statistic estimated at less than 0.5 percent or at 100 percent.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997; “Public School Principal Survey on Safe, Disciplined and Drug-Free

Schools,” FRSS 41, 1991.
77

Table 16.—Percent of public school principals reporting that certain discipline issues were serious

or moderate problems in their schools, by type of issue and minority enrollment

of school: 1990-91 and 1996-97

Minority enrollment

1990-91 1996-97

Discipline issue

Total <5% 5-19% 20-49%

50% or

more

Total <5% 5-19% 20-49%

50% or

more

Student tardiness....................................... 34 22 32 48 53 41 25 42 45 56

Student absenteeism/class cutting............. 25 18 17 36 39 26 19 24 26 35

Physical conflicts among students............ 23 16 16 32 40 21 12 19 23 31

Robbery or theft of items over $10 ........... 7 5 10 7 9 5 4 6 5 7

Vandalism of school property................... 12 7 11 18 21 8 6 6 6 16

Student alcohol use................................... 10 11 12 6 11 7 10 10 5 3

Student drug use ....................................... 6 6 4 5 7 9 9 14 7 7

Sale of drugs on school grounds............... 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 4 1 3

Student tobacco use .................................. 13 16 11 10 9 14 16 19 15 7

Student possession of weapons................. 3 2 (+) 5 7 2 1 2 2 3

Trespassing............................................... 7 4 7 8 12 4 2 6 3 7

Verbal abuse of teachers........................... 11 9 5 19 15 12 9 11 13 17

Physical abuse of teachers........................ 1 1 0 1 3 2 1 2 3 1

Teacher absenteeism................................. 14 11 9 15 28 10 9 5 9 18

Teacher alcohol or drug use...................... 1 1 (+) 1 1 (+) (+) 0 0 (+)

Racial tensions.......................................... 5 2 2 13 6 3 1 5 3 4

Gangs........................................................ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ 5 (+) 5 4 12

‡ Data not available because this item was not asked in the 1991 survey.

(+) Less than 0.5 percent.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997; “Public School Principal Survey on Safe, Disciplined and Drug-Free

Schools,” FRSS 41, 1991.
78

Table 16a.—Standard errors of the percent of public school principals reporting that certain

discipline issues were serious or moderate problems in their schools, by type of issue

and minority enrollment of school: 1990-91 and 1996-97

Minority enrollment

1990-91 1996-97

Discipline issue

Total <5% 5-19% 20-49%

50% or

more

Total <5% 5-19% 20-49%

50% or

more

Student tardiness....................................... 2.5 2.2 3.0 6.0 6.3 1.5 2.7 3.9 3.7 3.4

Student absenteeism/class cutting............. 1.8 2.4 2.7 4.7 5.3 1.5 2.4 2.9 3.3 2.9

Physical conflicts among students............ 1.4 2.6 3.2 4.8 4.4 1.2 2.1 3.5 3.0 3.2

Robbery or theft of items over $10 ........... 0.9 1.1 2.3 1.8 2.1 0.7 1.1 1.2 0.9 1.5

Vandalism of school property................... 1.2 1.6 2.4 4.0 3.1 0.8 1.6 1.4 1.3 2.4

Student alcohol use................................... 1.0 1.2 2.3 2.0 2.6 0.7 1.5 1.3 1.5 0.7

Student drug use ....................................... 0.7 1.1 1.3 1.1 2.5 0.6 1.4 1.7 1.3 1.2

Sale of drugs on school grounds............... 0.2 0.4 0.7 0.4 0.7 0.3 0.5 1.0 0.4 0.8

Student tobacco use .................................. 1.1 1.9 2.6 2.4 2.6 0.9 2.2 2.0 2.0 1.1

Student possession of weapons................. 0.4 0.6 0.3 1.4 2.1 0.4 0.4 1.0 1.1 0.6

Trespassing............................................... 1.0 1.3 2.6 2.5 2.7 0.6 0.7 1.7 0.7 1.9

Verbal abuse of teachers........................... 1.1 1.4 1.7 2.8 3.7 1.0 1.6 1.8 2.4 2.4

Physical abuse of teachers........................ 0.3 0.6 -- 0.6 1.5 0.6 1.2 1.4 1.3 0.2

Teacher absenteeism................................. 1.2 1.8 2.6 2.7 3.9 0.8 1.7 0.9 1.2 2.5

Teacher alcohol or drug use...................... 0.4 0.8 0.3 1.0 1.0 -- -- -- -- --

Racial tensions.......................................... 0.7 0.6 0.9 3.1 2.3 0.5 0.4 1.1 1.2 1.5

Gangs........................................................ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ 0.5 -- 1.4 1.1 1.8

‡ Data not available because this item was not asked in the 1991 survey.

-- Estimate of standard error is not derived because it is based on a statistic estimated at less than 0.5 percent or at 100 percent.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997; “Public School Principal Survey on Safe, Disciplined and Drug-Free

Schools,” FRSS 41, 1991.
79

Table 17.—Percent of public school principals reporting that certain discipline issues were serious

or moderate problems in their schools, by type of issue and poverty level* of school:

1990-91 and 1996-97

Percent of students eligible for the federally funded

free or reduced-price lunch program

Discipline issue 1990-91 1996-97

Total <20%

20-

34%

35-

49%

50-

74%

75% or

more

Total <20%

20-

34%

35-

49%

50-

74%

75% or

more

Student tardiness....................................... 34 27 26 30 49 51 40 36 36 45 42 47

Student absenteeism/class cutting............. 25 17 18 23 35 46 25 21 24 25 28 32

Physical conflicts among students............ 23 15 19 21 32 40 21 13 19 22 24 29

Robbery or theft of items over $10 ........... 7 7 6 4 11 8 5 6 6 5 4 6

Vandalism of school property................... 12 7 9 11 16 25 8 5 6 6 8 17

Student alcohol use................................... 10 13 9 7 9 12 7 11 8 8 4 3

Student drug use ....................................... 6 7 3 2 4 13 9 12 10 9 7 5

Sale of drugs on school grounds............... 1 1 1 (+) (+) 0 2 3 3 1 2 1

Student tobacco use .................................. 13 16 11 10 13 9 14 18 17 20 10 6

Student possession of weapons................. 3 1 2 2 4 11 2 1 1 3 3 2

Trespassing............................................... 7 7 5 3 9 13 4 3 3 4 5 7

Verbal abuse of teachers........................... 11 7 7 9 17 24 12 8 13 13 13 13

Physical abuse of teachers........................ 1 0 1 0 2 6 2 0 2 4 2 1

Teacher absenteeism................................. 14 9 11 12 16 33 10 7 8 13 11 15

Teacher alcohol or drug use...................... 1 1 (+) 2 1 1 (+) (+) (+) 0 (+) 0

Racial tensions.......................................... 5 3 2 6 7 7 3 3 3 3 4 4

Gangs........................................................ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ 5 1 4 4 6 11

*The percent of students eligible for the federally funded free or reduced-price lunch program was used as a measure of poverty for the

school population.

‡ Data not available because this item was not asked in the 1991 survey.

(+) Less than 0.5 percent.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997; “Public School Principal Survey on Safe, Disciplined and Drug-Free

Schools,” FRSS 41, 1991.
80

Table 17a.—Standard errors of the percent of public school principals reporting that certain

discipline issues were serious or moderate problems in their schools, by type of issue

and poverty level of school: 1990-91 and 1996-97

Percent of students eligible for the federally funded

free or reduced-price lunch program

Discipline issue 1990-91 1996-97

Total <20%

20-

34%

35-

49%

50-

74%

75% or

more

Total <20%

20-

34%

35-

49%

50-

74%

75% or

more

Student tardiness....................................... 2.5 2.2 3.5 5.4 5.4 7.0 1.6 3.4 4.1 3.7 4.2 4.2

Student absenteeism/class cutting............. 1.8 2.0 2.8 5.0 5.3 6.2 1.5 2.7 3.0 3.3 3.6 3.6

Physical conflicts among students............ 1.4 2.2 2.8 3.8 4.4 5.5 1.2 2.0 2.7 3.3 3.6 3.9

Robbery or theft of items over $10 ........... 0.9 1.4 1.6 2.0 2.8 2.8 0.6 1.3 1.1 1.4 1.1 2.0

Vandalism of school property................... 1.2 1.1 2.6 3.7 2.9 5.3 0.8 1.3 2.1 2.2 1.8 2.8

Student alcohol use................................... 1.0 1.4 2.2 1.9 2.7 5.9 0.7 1.9 1.4 2.1 1.1 1.0

Student drug use ....................................... 0.7 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.5 5.2 0.6 1.6 1.4 1.9 1.8 1.4

Sale of drugs on school grounds............... 0.2 0.5 0.7 -- -- -- 0.3 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.8 0.7

Student tobacco use .................................. 1.1 1.7 1.7 3.3 2.7 4.3 0.9 2.0 2.0 3.6 1.7 1.5

Student possession of weapons................. 0.4 0.4 0.8 1.3 1.3 3.5 0.4 0.6 0.2 1.5 1.0 0.6

Trespassing............................................... 1.0 1.6 1.8 1.2 2.6 3.3 0.6 0.8 1.1 1.8 1.6 2.7

Verbal abuse of teachers........................... 1.1 1.3 2.1 3.0 3.1 5.8 1.0 1.3 2.2 2.5 2.5 2.4

Physical abuse of teachers........................ 0.3 -- 0.7 -- 0.9 2.8 0.6 -- 1.4 1.9 1.3 0.4

Teacher absenteeism................................. 1.2 1.5 2.1 3.3 3.6 5.3 0.8 1.4 1.7 2.7 2.1 2.9

Teacher alcohol or drug use...................... 0.4 1.0 -- 1.2 0.8 1.0 -- -- -- -- -- --

Racial tensions.......................................... 0.7 0.9 1.0 2.6 2.0 2.9 0.5 0.6 0.7 1.4 1.2 1.8

Gangs........................................................ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ 0.5 0.4 0.9 1.5 1.3 2.1

‡ Data not available because this item was not asked in the 1991 survey.

-- Estimate of standard error is not derived because it is based on a statistic estimated at less than 0.5 percent or at 100 percent.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997; “Public School Principal Survey on Safe, Disciplined and Drug-Free

Schools,” FRSS 41, 1991.
81

Table 18.—Number and percent of schools in which specified disciplinary actions were taken

against students, total number of actions taken, and percent of specific disciplinary

actions taken against students, by type of infraction: 1996-97

Percent distribution of actions taken

Infraction

Total

number of

schools

taking one

or more of

these

specified

actions

Percent of

schools

taking one

or more of

these

specified

actions

Total

number of

these

specified

actions

taken

Expulsions

Transfers to

alternative

schools or

programs

Out-ofschool

suspensions

lasting

5 or more

days

Possession or use of a firearm................. 4,170 5 16,587 31 20 49

Possession or use of a weapon other

than a firearm...................................... 16,740 22 58,554 23 22 55

Possession, distribution, or use of

alcohol or drugs, including tobacco .... 20,960 27 170,464 18 20 62

Physical attacks or fights........................ 30,160 39 330,696 15 19 66

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997
82

Table 18a.—Standard errors of the number and percent of schools in which specified disciplinary

actions were taken against students, total number of actions taken, and percent of

specific disciplinary actions taken against students, by type of infraction: 1996-97

Percent distribution of actions taken

Infraction

Total

number of

schools

taking one

or more of

these

specified

actions

Percent of

schools

taking one

or more of

these

specified

actions

Total

number of

these

specified

actions

taken Expulsions

Transfers to

alternative

schools or

programs

Out-ofschool

suspensions

lasting 5 or

more days

Possession or use of a firearm................. 480.6 0.6 3,778.2 5.4 6.3 6.5

Possession or use of a weapon other

than a firearm...................................... 969.1 1.3 3,781.8 1.7 1.7 2.4

Possession, distribution, or use of

alcohol or drugs, including tobacco .... 782.7 1.0 8,734.6 1.5 2.0 2.0

Physical attacks or fights........................ 1,081.4 1.4 15,964.2 1.5 2.1 2.6

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
83

Table 19.—Percent of public schools reporting that they have a zero tolerance policy for various

specified student offenses, by school characteristics: 1996-97

Types of offenses

School characteristic

Violence Firearms

Weapons,

other than

firearms

Alcohol Drugs Tobacco

All public schools........................... 79 94 91 87 88 79

Instructional level

Elementary school............................... 79 93 91 87 88 82

Middle school...................................... 75 95 90 86 90 77

High school ......................................... 80 96 92 86 89 72

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ...................................... 76 93 89 84 84 76

300-999............................................... 79 94 91 88 89 82

1,000 or more ...................................... 86 98 93 85 92 72

Locale

City...................................................... 87 97 95 89 91 83

Urban fringe ........................................ 82 95 90 88 90 80

Town ................................................... 71 90 86 82 83 77

Rural ................................................... 76 94 92 88 89 78

Region

Northeast............................................. 78 89 90 83 84 79

Southeast............................................. 83 95 89 90 92 80

Central................................................. 72 93 88 82 83 75

West .................................................... 83 97 95 91 93 83

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent.............................. 71 92 88 82 83 75

5 to 19 percent..................................... 79 94 92 89 90 80

20 to 49 percent................................... 83 95 90 87 89 79

50 percent or more .............................. 85 97 94 90 92 83

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent............................ 76 92 88 86 87 77

20 to 34 percent................................... 77 94 90 87 88 82

35 to 49 percent................................... 79 97 95 89 92 81

70 to 74 percent................................... 80 95 90 85 88 79

75 percent or more .............................. 84 95 93 87 89 81

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes...................................................... 100 100 99 97 97 93

No ....................................................... 0 73 59 49 54 30
84

Table 19.—Percent of public schools reporting that they have a zero tolerance policy for various

specified student offenses, by school characteristics: 1996-97--continued

Types of offenses

School characteristic

Violence Firearms

Weapons,

other than

firearms

Alcohol Drugs Tobacco

Principals’ report on problems in

school1

No problems/minor problems.............. 75 91 88 85 86 79

Moderate problems.............................. 82 97 95 88 90 81

Serious problem .................................. 81 96 89 85 89 77

Types of crimes reported2

No crime.............................................. 74 92 88 85 85 78

Any crime............................................ 82 96 92 88 90 80

 Less serious or nonviolent crimes

 only ............................................... 82 96 92 88 90 81

 Serious violent crimes...................... 85 96 94 89 91 76

1Discipline problems included student tardiness, student absenteeism, physical conflicts among students, robbery or theft of items over

$10, vandalism of school property, student alcohol use, student drug use, sale of drugs on school grounds, student tobacco use, student

possession of weapons, trespassing, verbal abuse of teachers, physical abuse of teachers, teacher absenteeism, teacher alcohol or drug

use, racial tensions, and gangs. Serious problems means the respondent indicated at least 1 of 17 different discipline issues was a serious

problem. Moderate problems means the respondent indicated at least one discipline issue was a moderate problem and there were no

serious problems. No problems/minor problems means the respondent indicated all discipline issues were either no problem or a minor

problem.

2

Serious violent crime means that at least one of the following crimes occurred at the school and police were contacted: murder, rape or

other type of sexual battery, suicide, physical attack or fight with a weapon, or robbery. Less serious or nonviolent crime means that no

serious violent crimes occurred and at least one of the following occurred at the school for which police were contacted: physical attack

or fight without a weapon, theft/larceny, or vandalism. No incidents reported means that the school reported that police were not

contacted for any of the specified crimes. Specified crimes may have occurred but police were not contacted, or other, nonspecified

crimes may have occurred at the school.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
85

Table 19a.—Standard errors of the percent of public schools reporting that they have a zero

tolerance policy for various specified student offenses, by school characteristics:

1996-97

Types of offenses

School characteristic Violence Firearms

Weapons,

other than

firearms

Alcohol Drugs Tobacco

All public schools........................... 1.6 1.0 1.2 1.2 1.1 1.5

Instructional level

Elementary school............................... 2.4 1.6 1.8 1.8 1.8 2.1

Middle school...................................... 2.3 1.4 1.7 2.0 1.8 2.3

High school ......................................... 2.0 1.1 1.5 2.2 1.9 2.4

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ...................................... 3.8 2.7 3.1 3.6 3.6 3.8

300-999............................................... 1.8 1.0 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.5

1,000 or more ...................................... 2.4 0.7 1.8 2.3 1.7 2.8

Locale

City...................................................... 2.5 1.4 1.6 2.2 2.1 2.3

Urban fringe ........................................ 2.7 1.5 2.2 2.4 2.2 2.6

Town ................................................... 3.2 2.4 2.5 2.7 2.7 3.1

Rural ................................................... 3.5 2.0 2.3 2.4 2.3 2.9

Region

Northeast............................................. 3.6 2.5 2.4 2.9 2.9 3.6

Southeast............................................. 2.6 1.3 2.1 1.5 1.4 2.7

Central................................................. 3.4 2.1 2.8 3.0 3.0 3.3

West .................................................... 2.3 1.3 1.5 1.9 1.8 2.0

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent.............................. 3.4 2.7 2.9 2.9 2.9 3.2

5 to 19 percent..................................... 3.9 1.8 2.2 2.6 2.6 2.9

20 to 49 percent................................... 2.4 1.8 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.5

50 percent or more .............................. 2.2 1.2 1.4 1.9 1.9 2.1

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent............................ 3.4 2.2 2.6 2.6 2.7 3.0

20 to 34 percent................................... 3.7 2.7 2.9 3.1 3.0 3.2

35 to 49 percent................................... 4.2 1.8 1.9 2.8 2.8 3.2

50 to 74 percent................................... 3.2 1.8 2.3 3.1 2.8 3.2

75 percent or more .............................. 3.6 2.2 2.4 3.2 3.2 3.4

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes...................................................... -- -- 0.3 0.8 0.7 0.9

No ....................................................... -- 4.1 4.4 4.1 4.1 4.1

Principals’ report on discipline

problems in school

No problems/minor problems.............. 2.9 2.3 2.5 2.3 2.4 2.7

Moderate problems.............................. 2.2 0.8 1.0 1.6 1.5 1.9

Serious problems................................. 2.7 1.1 2.4 2.6 2.2 3.0

Types of crimes reported

No crime.............................................. 3.1 2.1 2.6 2.6 2.5 2.9

Any crime............................................ 1.4 0.8 0.9 1.2 1.1 1.6

 Less serious or nonviolent crimes

 only ............................................. 1.7 1.0 1.1 1.4 1.3 1.8

 Serious violent crimes..................... 2.6 1.7 1.8 2.1 2.1 2.9

-- Estimate of standard error is not derived because it is based on a statistic estimated at less than 0.5 percent or at 100 percent.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
86

Table 20.—Percent of public schools with policy to report crimes to the public, by school

characteristics: 1996-97

School characteristic Policy to report serious crimes to the public

All public schools......................................................... 39

Instructional level

Elementary school............................................................. 42

Middle school.................................................................... 35

High school ....................................................................... 33

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 .................................................................... 49

300-999............................................................................. 35

1,000 or more .................................................................... 40

Locale

City.................................................................................... 43

Urban fringe ...................................................................... 40

Town ................................................................................. 34

Rural ................................................................................. 40

Region

Northeast........................................................................... 36

Southeast........................................................................... 42

Central............................................................................... 38

West .................................................................................. 41

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent............................................................ 35

5 to 19 percent................................................................... 41

20 to 49 percent................................................................. 40

50 percent or more ............................................................ 43

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent.......................................................... 40

20 to 34 percent................................................................. 34

35 to 49 percent................................................................. 33

50 to 74 percent................................................................. 44

75 percent or more ............................................................ 44

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes.................................................................................... 42

No ..................................................................................... 30
87

Table 20.—Percent of public schools with policy to report crimes to the public, by school

characteristics: 1996-97--continued

School characteristic

Policy to report serious crimes to the public

Principals’ report on discipline problems in school1

No problems/minor problems............................................ 43

Moderate problems............................................................ 37

Serious problems............................................................... 35

Types of crimes reported2

No crime............................................................................ 46

Any crime.......................................................................... 34

 Less serious or nonviolent crimes only.......................... 34

 Serious violent crimes................................................... 34

1Discipline problems included student tardiness, student absenteeism, physical conflicts among students, robbery or theft of items over

$10, vandalism of school property, student alcohol use, student drug use, sale of drugs on school grounds, student tobacco use, student

possession of weapons, trespassing, verbal abuse of teachers, physical abuse of teachers, teacher absenteeism, teacher alcohol or drug

use, racial tensions, and gangs. Serious problems means the respondent indicated at least 1 of 17 different discipline issues was a serious

problem. Moderate problems means the respondent indicated at least one discipline issue was a moderate problem and there were no

serious problems. No problems/minor problems means the respondent indicated all discipline issues were either no problem or a minor

problem.

2

Serious violent crime means that at least one of the following crimes occurred at the school and police were contacted: murder, rape or

other type of sexual battery, suicide, physical attack or fight with a weapon, or robbery. Less serious or nonviolent crime means that no

serious violent crimes occurred and at least one of the following occurred at the school for which police were contacted: physical attack

or fight without a weapon, theft/larceny, or vandalism. No incidents reported means that the school reported that police were not

contacted for any of the specified crimes. Specified crimes may have occurred but police were not contacted, or other, nonspecified

crimes may have occurred at the school.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
88

Table 20a.—Standard errors of the percent of public schools with policy to report crimes to the

public, by school characteristics: 1996-97

Seriousness and type of problem Policy to report serious crimes to the public

All public schools................................................................. 1.9

Instructional level

Elementary school..................................................................... 2.9

Middle school............................................................................ 2.5

High school ............................................................................... 2.5

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ............................................................................ 5.0

300-999..................................................................................... 2.1

1,000 or more ............................................................................ 3.4

Locale

City............................................................................................ 4.0

Urban fringe.............................................................................. 3.4

Town ......................................................................................... 3.6

Rural ......................................................................................... 3.2

Region

Northeast................................................................................... 4.2

Southeast................................................................................... 4.1

Central....................................................................................... 3.5

West .......................................................................................... 3.8

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent.................................................................... 3.3

5 to 19 percent........................................................................... 3.2

20 to 49 percent......................................................................... 4.1

50 percent or more .................................................................... 3.2

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent.................................................................. 3.2

20 to 34 percent......................................................................... 3.7

35 to 49 percent......................................................................... 4.2

50 to 74 percent......................................................................... 4.3

75 percent or more .................................................................... 5.0

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes............................................................................................ 2.0

No ............................................................................................. 3.8

Principals’ report on discipline problems in school

No problems/minor problems.................................................... 3.2

Moderate problems.................................................................... 2.5

Serious problems....................................................................... 4.3

Types of crimes reported

No crime.................................................................................... 3.2

Any crime.................................................................................. 1.8

 Less serious or nonviolent crimes only.................................. 2.2

 Serious violent crimes........................................................... 3.1

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
89

Table 21.—Percent of public schools reporting that students were required to wear school

uniforms, by school characteristics: 1996-97

School characteristic Uniforms required

All public schools.................................................. 3

Instructional level

Elementary school...................................................... 4

Middle school............................................................. 4

High school ................................................................ (+)

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ............................................................. 0

300-999...................................................................... 4

1,000 or more ............................................................. 8

Locale

City............................................................................. 9

Urban fringe ............................................................... 6

Town .......................................................................... (+)

Rural .......................................................................... (+)

Region

Northeast.................................................................... 1

Southeast.................................................................... 4

Central........................................................................ 2

West ........................................................................... 6

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent..................................................... (+)

5 to 19 percent............................................................ 0

20 to 49 percent.......................................................... 2

50 percent or more ..................................................... 13

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent................................................... (+)

20 to 34 percent.......................................................... 1

35 to 49 percent.......................................................... 2

50 to 74 percent.......................................................... 5

75 percent or more ..................................................... 11

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes............................................................................. 4

No .............................................................................. 1
90

Table 21.—Percent of public schools reporting that students were required to wear school

uniforms, by school characteristics: 1996-97--continued

School characteristic Uniforms required

Principals’ report on discipline problems in school1

No problems/minor problems..................................... 2

Moderate problems..................................................... 4

Serious problems........................................................ 3

Types of crimes reported2

No crime..................................................................... 4

Any crime................................................................... 3

Less serious or nonviolent crimes only .................. 3

Serious violent crimes............................................ 5

(+) Less than 0.5 percent.

1Discipline problems included student tardiness, student absenteeism, physical conflicts among students, robbery or theft of items over

$10, vandalism of school property, student alcohol use, student drug use, sale of drugs on school grounds, student tobacco use, student

possession of weapons, trespassing, verbal abuse of teachers, physical abuse of teachers, teacher absenteeism, teacher alcohol or drug

use, racial tensions, and gangs. Serious problems means the respondent indicated at least 1 of 17 different discipline issues was a serious

problem. Moderate problems means the respondent indicated at least one discipline issue was a moderate problem and there were no

serious problems. No problems/minor problems means the respondent indicated all discipline issues were either no problem or a minor

problem.

2

Serious violent crime means that at least one of the following crimes occurred at the school and police were contacted: murder, rape or

other type of sexual battery, suicide, physical attack or fight with a weapon, or robbery. Less serious or nonviolent crime means that no

serious violent crimes occurred and at least one of the following occurred at the school for which police were contacted: physical attack

or fight without a weapon, theft/larceny, or vandalism. No incidents reported means that the school reported that police were not

contacted for any of the specified crimes. Specified crimes may have occurred but police were not contacted, or other, nonspecified

crimes may have occurred at the school.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
91

Table 21a.—Standard errors of the percent of public schools reporting that students were required

to wear school uniforms, by school characteristics: 1996-97

School characteristic Uniforms required

All public schools.................................................. 0.6

Instructional level

Elementary school...................................................... 0.9

Middle school............................................................. 0.8

High school ................................................................ --

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ............................................................. --

300-999...................................................................... 0.9

1,000 or more ............................................................. 2.2

Locale

City............................................................................. 1.9

Urban fringe ............................................................... 1.8

Town .......................................................................... --

Rural .......................................................................... --

Region

Northeast.................................................................... 0.9

Southeast.................................................................... 1.4

Central........................................................................ 1.0

West ........................................................................... 1.4

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent..................................................... --

5 to 19 percent............................................................ --

20 to 49 percent.......................................................... 1.0

50 percent or more ..................................................... 2.3

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent................................................... --

20 to 34 percent.......................................................... 0.7

35 to 49 percent.......................................................... 1.2

50 to 74 percent.......................................................... 1.6

75 percent or more ..................................................... 2.6

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes............................................................................. 0.7

No .............................................................................. 0.9

Principals’ report on discipline problems in school

No problems/minor problems..................................... 0.8

Moderate problems..................................................... 1.2

Serious problems........................................................ 1.3

Types of crimes reported

No crime..................................................................... 1.0

Any crime................................................................... 0.6

 Less serious or nonviolent crimes only................... 0.8

 Serious violent crimes............................................ 1.2

-- Estimate of standard error is not derived because it is based on a statistic estimated at less than 0.5 percent or at 100 percent.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
92

Table 22.—Percent of public schools reporting various types of security measures at the schools, by school

characteristics: 1996-97

School characteristic

Visitors

must sign

in

Closed

campus for

most

students

during

lunch

Controlled

access to

school

buildings

Controlled

access to

school

grounds

One or

more drug

sweeps

Random

metal

detector

check on

students

Students

must pass

through

metal

detectors

each day

All public schools.............................. 96 80 53 24 19 4 1

Instructional level

Elementary school.................................. 96 76 57 25 5 1 (+)

Middle school......................................... 96 93 51 22 36 7 1

High school............................................ 97 78 40 25 45 9 2

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ......................................... 91 67 40 16 22 (+) 1

300-999.................................................. 98 84 57 24 15 4 1

1,000 or more......................................... 99 82 55 49 34 15 3

Locale

City ........................................................ 100 81 62 35 12 8 2

Urban fringe........................................... 98 85 68 31 13 3 (+)

Town ...................................................... 96 77 49 20 23 2 1

Rural ...................................................... 92 75 33 13 27 2 (+)

Region

Northeast................................................ 98 83 70 30 6 1 (+)

Southeast................................................ 99 86 52 28 24 9 1

Central.................................................... 95 76 48 12 17 1 1

West ....................................................... 94 76 46 31 25 4 1

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent................................. 94 77 42 14 17 (+) 0

5 to 19 percent........................................ 97 81 55 22 23 1 (+)

20 to 49 percent...................................... 98 77 55 27 18 6 (+)

50 percent or more ................................. 97 84 63 38 18 9 4

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent............................... 94 74 50 18 17 1 0

20 to 34 percent...................................... 99 77 51 19 20 3 (+)

35 to 49 percent...................................... 96 80 49 25 22 5 (+)

50 to 74 percent...................................... 95 85 57 27 22 4 1

75 percent or more ................................. 97 83 58 37 13 8 5

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes......................................................... 96 80 54 25 20 4 1

No .......................................................... 95 78 46 21 15 4 1
93

Table 22.—Percent of public schools reporting various types of security measures at the schools, by school

characteristics: 1996-97--continued

School characteristic

Visitors

must sign

in

Closed

campus for

most

students

during

lunch

Controlled

access to

school

buildings

Controlled

access to

school

grounds

One or

more drug

sweeps

Random

metal

detector

check on

students

Students

must pass

through

metal

detectors

each day

Principals’ report on discipline problems

in school1

No problems/minor problems................. 94 75 48 18 9 2 (+)

Moderate problems ................................ 97 86 58 29 22 5 1

Serious problems.................................... 98 75 50 28 38 7 3

Types of crimes reported2

No crime ................................................ 95 74 53 24 10 1 (+)

Any crime............................................... 97 84 52 25 25 6 2

Less serious or nonviolent crimes

 only ................................................. 96 85 50 24 24 4 1

Serious violent crimes........................ 100 80 59 31 33 15 4

(+) Less than 0.5 percent.

1Discipline problems included student tardiness, student absenteeism, physical conflicts among students, robbery or theft of items over $10,

vandalism of school property, student alcohol use, student drug use, sale of drugs on school grounds, student tobacco use, student possession

of weapons, trespassing, verbal abuse of teachers, physical abuse of teachers, teacher absenteeism, teacher alcohol or drug use, racial

tensions, and gangs. Serious problems means the respondent indicated at least 1 of 17 different discipline issues was a serious problem.

Moderate problems means the respondent indicated at least one discipline issue was a moderate problem and there were no serious problems.

No problems/minor problems means the respondent indicated all discipline issues were either no problem or a minor problem.

2

Serious violent crime means that at least one of the following crimes occurred at the school and police were contacted: murder, rape or other

type of sexual battery, suicide, physical attack or fight with a weapon, or robbery. Less serious or nonviolent crime means that no serious

violent crimes occurred and at least one of the following occurred at the school for which police were contacted: physical attack or fight

without a weapon, theft/larceny, or vandalism. No incidents reported means that the school reported that the police were not contacted for any

of the specified crimes. Specified crimes may have occurred but police were not contacted, or other, nonspecified crimes may have occurred

at the school.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey

on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
94

Table 22a.—Standard errors of the percent of public schools reporting various types of security measures at

the schools, by school characteristics: 1996-97

School characteristic

Visitors

must sign

in

Closed

campus for

most

students

during

lunch

Controlled

access to

school

buildings

Controlled

access to

school

grounds

One or

more drug

sweeps

Random

metal

detector

check on

students

Students

must pass

through

metal

detectors

each day

All public schools.............................. 0.9 1.7 1.9 1.5 1.1 0.4 0.3

Instructional level

Elementary school.................................. 1.4 2.5 2.8 2.3 1.3 0.5 --

Middle school......................................... 1.2 1.7 2.7 1.9 2.4 1.0 0.4

High school............................................ 1.0 2.2 2.3 2.0 3.2 1.1 0.7

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ......................................... 3.0 3.9 3.7 3.2 3.2 -- 0.4

300-999.................................................. 0.6 1.8 2.4 2.1 1.1 0.6 0.4

1,000 or more......................................... 0.5 2.5 3.3 3.3 2.8 1.9 0.9

Locale

City ........................................................ -- 2.9 3.2 3.7 1.0 1.0 0.5

Urban fringe........................................... 1.2 2.8 3.6 3.6 1.5 0.8 --

Town ...................................................... 1.5 3.6 3.7 2.7 2.8 0.8 0.8

Rural ...................................................... 2.4 3.4 3.8 2.8 3.0 1.0 --

Region

Northeast................................................ 1.2 4.0 3.9 3.9 1.2 0.5 --

Southeast................................................ 0.9 2.8 3.9 2.8 2.4 1.4 0.7

Central.................................................... 1.5 3.3 3.2 2.6 2.4 0.3 0.3

West ....................................................... 1.8 3.9 3.8 2.9 2.4 0.9 0.7

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent................................. 2.3 3.3 3.6 2.6 2.4 -- --

5 to 19 percent........................................ 1.1 3.2 3.9 3.0 2.6 0.7 --

20 to 49 percent...................................... 0.9 3.9 4.0 3.2 2.5 1.2 --

50 percent or more ................................. 1.6 3.2 4.1 3.8 2.1 1.3 1.2

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent............................... 2.4 3.5 3.6 2.7 2.2 0.5 --

20 to 34 percent...................................... 0.5 3.6 4.6 3.5 3.0 0.8 --

35 to 49 percent...................................... 2.1 3.2 5.0 3.0 3.0 1.3 --

50 to 74 percent...................................... 1.9 4.0 4.4 3.9 2.9 0.8 0.4

75 percent or more ................................. 1.7 4.5 5.1 5.0 2.2 1.6 1.5

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes......................................................... 0.8 2.0 2.0 1.8 1.3 0.4 0.3

No .......................................................... 1.9 3.6 4.5 3.3 1.8 1.0 0.8

Principals’ report on discipline problems

in school

No problems/minor problems................. 2.0 2.8 3.0 2.4 1.5 0.6 --

Moderate problems ................................ 0.8 2.2 3.0 2.3 1.7 0.7 0.6

Serious problems.................................... 0.8 3.6 3.4 3.3 3.1 1.1 0.9

Types of crimes reported

No crime ................................................ 1.9 3.1 3.0 2.7 1.6 0.5 --

Any crime............................................... 0.8 2.1 2.7 1.8 1.8 0.7 0.4

 Less serious or nonviolent crimes

 only ............................................... 1.0 2.3 2.9 2.1 1.9 0.7 0.5

 Serious violent crimes........................ -- 3.9 4.2 3.7 4.2 2.2 1.3

-- Estimate of standard error is not derived because it is based on a statistic estimated at less than 0.5 percent or at 100 percent.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey

on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
95

Table 23.—Percent of public schools reporting various levels of police or other law enforcement

presence during a typical week, by school characteristics: 1996-97

Police or other law enforcement representatives:

Stationed at the school

School characteristic 30 hours or

more

10 to 29 hours 1 to 9 hours

Not stationed

during a typical

week, but

available as

needed

None stationed

at school during

1996-97

All public schools...................................... 6 1 3 12 78

Instructional level

Elementary school.......................................... 1 1 1 8 89

Middle school ................................................ 10 3 5 17 65

High school.................................................... 19 2 6 18 54

Size of enrollment

Less than 300................................................. 1 (+) 1 9 89

300-999.......................................................... 4 1 3 12 80

1,000 or more................................................. 39 5 7 15 34

Locale

City ................................................................ 13 4 3 11 69

Urban fringe................................................... 7 1 2 11 80

Town.............................................................. 5 1 4 11 78

Rural .............................................................. 1 (+) 2 14 83

Region

Northeast........................................................ 6 (+) 2 11 81

Southeast........................................................ 9 2 2 11 77

Central ........................................................... 4 2 3 11 81

West............................................................... 7 1 4 14 74

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent ........................................ 1 1 3 10 85

5 to 19 percent ............................................... 6 1 3 10 80

20 to 49 percent ............................................. 7 1 2 13 77

50 percent or more ......................................... 13 3 3 14 67

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent ...................................... 5 1 4 10 79

20 to 34 percent ............................................. 7 1 2 10 80

35 to 49 percent ............................................. 5 (+) 3 12 80

50 to 74 percent ............................................. 6 2 1 13 78

75 percent or more ......................................... 8 2 4 14 72

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes................................................................. 7 1 3 13 76

No .................................................................. 4 1 3 7 85
96

Table 23.—Percent of public schools reporting various levels of police or other law enforcement

presence during a typical week, by school characteristics: 1996-97--continued

Police or other law enforcement representatives:

Stationed at the school

School characteristic 30 hours or

more

10 to 29 hours 1 to 9 hours

Not stationed

during a typical

week, but

available as

needed

None stationed

at school during

1996-97

Principals’ report on discipline problems in

school1

No problems/minor problems ........................ 2 (+) 1 7 89

Moderate problems........................................ 7 2 4 14 73

Serious problem............................................. 15 3 5 18 59

Types of crimes reported2

No crime ........................................................ 2 1 1 6 90

Any crime ...................................................... 10 2 4 16 68

 Less serious or nonviolent crimes only ...... 7 2 4 16 72

 Serious violent crimes................................ 23 3 8 16 50

(+) Less than 0.5 percent.

1Discipline problems included student tardiness, student absenteeism, physical conflicts among students, robbery or theft of items over

$10, vandalism of school property, student alcohol use, student drug use, sale of drugs on school grounds, student tobacco use, student

possession of weapons, trespassing, verbal abuse of teachers, physical abuse of teachers, teacher absenteeism, teacher alcohol or drug

use, racial tensions, and gangs. Serious problems means the respondent indicated at least 1 of 17 different discipline issues was a serious

problem. Moderate problems means the respondent indicated at least one discipline issue was a moderate problem and there were no

serious problems. No problems/minor problems means the respondent indicated all discipline issues were either no problem or a minor

problem.

2

Serious violent crime means that at least one of the following crimes occurred at the school and police were contacted: murder, rape or

other type of sexual battery, suicide, physical attack or fight with a weapon, or robbery. Less serious or nonviolent crime means that no

serious violent crimes occurred and at least one of the following occurred at the school for which police were contacted: physical attack

or fight without a weapon, theft/larceny, or vandalism. No incidents reported means that the school reported that police were not

contacted for any of the specified crimes. Specified crimes may have occurred but police were not contacted, or other, nonspecified

crimes may have occurred at the school.

NOTE: Percents may not add to 100 because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
97

Table 23a.—Standard errors of the percent of public schools reporting various levels of police or

other law enforcement presence during a typical week, by school characteristics:

1996-97

Police or other law enforcement representatives:

Stationed at the school

School characteristic 30 hours or

more

10 to 29 hours 1 to 9 hours

Not stationed

during a typical

week, but

available as

needed

None stationed

at school

during 1996-97

All public schools...................................... 0.4 0.3 0.4 1.0 1.1

Instructional level

Elementary school.......................................... 0.5 0.4 0.6 1.4 1.5

Middle school ................................................ 1.3 0.8 1.1 1.9 2.4

High school.................................................... 1.6 0.7 1.0 2.1 2.9

Size of enrollment

Less than 300................................................. 0.4 -- 0.5 2.4 2.8

300-999.......................................................... 0.6 0.4 0.6 1.2 1.3

1,000 or more................................................. 2.6 1.4 1.2 2.0 3.2

Locale

City ................................................................ 1.4 1.2 0.8 2.9 3.1

Urban fringe................................................... 1.0 0.2 0.6 1.9 2.2

Town.............................................................. 0.9 0.5 1.1 1.6 1.9

Rural .............................................................. 0.5 -- 0.8 2.3 2.5

Region

Northeast........................................................ 1.6 -- 0.9 2.0 2.5

Southeast........................................................ 1.1 0.8 0.8 2.1 2.5

Central ........................................................... 0.8 0.8 0.8 1.9 2.1

West............................................................... 0.9 0.5 0.8 2.1 2.6

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent ........................................ 0.3 0.3 0.8 1.7 1.8

5 to 19 percent ............................................... 0.9 0.3 0.8 1.8 2.3

20 to 49 percent ............................................. 0.9 0.4 0.8 2.7 3.2

50 percent or more ......................................... 1.7 1.3 0.9 2.6 3.1

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent ...................................... 0.8 0.5 1.0 1.8 2.2

20 to 34 percent ............................................. 1.0 0.5 0.7 1.9 2.3

35 to 49 percent ............................................. 1.2 -- 1.1 2.9 3.3

50 to 74 percent ............................................. 1.2 0.9 0.4 2.6 3.2

75 percent or more ......................................... 2.0 1.3 1.4 3.7 4.4

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes................................................................. 0.6 0.4 0.5 1.3 1.5

No .................................................................. 0.6 0.6 0.9 1.6 2.3

Principals’ report on discipline problems in

school

No problems/minor problems ........................ 0.6 -- 0.5 1.1 1.5

Moderate problems........................................ 1.0 0.6 0.7 2.2 2.2

Serious problems ........................................... 2.0 1.1 1.4 2.4 3.2

Types of crimes reported

No crime ........................................................ 0.7 0.4 0.4 1.2 1.4

Any crime ...................................................... 0.7 0.5 0.5 1.5 1.5

 Less serious or nonviolent crimes only ...... 0.7 0.5 0.6 1.8 1.8

 Serious violent crimes................................ 2.3 1.1 1.8 2.8 3.8

-- Estimate of standard error is not derived because it is based on a statistic estimated at less than 0.5 percent or at 100 percent.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
98

Table 24.—Percent of public schools with various degrees of security measures, by school

characteristics: 1996-97

Degree of security measures1

School characteristic No security Low security Moderate security Stringent security

All public schools...................................... 3 84 11 2

Instructional level

Elementary school.......................................... 4 92 4 0

Middle school ................................................ 2 75 20 3

High school.................................................... 1 68 26 5

Size of enrollment

Less than 300................................................. 8 90 2 0

300-999.......................................................... 2 87 10 1

1,000 or more................................................. 0 46 43 11

Locale

City ................................................................ (+) 77 19 4

Urban fringe................................................... 1 89 9 1

Town.............................................................. 3 84 12 (+)

Rural .............................................................. 8 86 6 0

Region

Northeast........................................................ (+) 91 8 1

Southeast........................................................ 2 80 16 3

Central ........................................................... 4 87 8 1

West............................................................... 5 80 14 2

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent ........................................ 6 89 4 0

5 to 19 percent ............................................... 2 88 10 (+)

20 to 49 percent ............................................. 1 84 14 1

50 percent or more ......................................... 3 74 19 5

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent ...................................... 5 84 10 1

20 to 34 percent ............................................. 1 88 10 1

35 to 49 percent ............................................. 3 85 11 1

50 to 74 percent ............................................. 4 85 10 1

75 percent or more ......................................... 3 78 16 3

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes................................................................. 3 84 12 2

No .................................................................. 3 85 11 1
99

Table 24.—Percent of public schools with various degrees of security measures, by school

characteristics: 1996-97--continued

Degree of security measures1

School characteristic No security Low security Moderate security Stringent security

Principals’ report on discipline problems in

school2

No problems/minor problems ........................ 6 89 5 (+)

Moderate problems........................................ 1 83 14 2

Serious problems ........................................... 1 73 21 5

Types of crimes reported3

No crime ........................................................ 4 91 5 0

Any crime ...................................................... 3 78 16 3

Less serious or nonviolent crimes only...... 3 82 13 1

Serious violent crimes................................ 0 61 31 8

(+) Less than 0.5 percent.

1

Security measures were considered stringent if a full-time (i.e., 30 hours or more) guard was present and students must pass through a

metal detector daily or were subject to random checks with metal detectors. Moderate security measures were defined as either a fulltime guard with no metal detectors and no restricted access to school, or a part-time guard with or without metal detectors and restricted

access to the school. Schools with no regular guard, but metal detectors were also considered to have moderate security measures.

Schools with low security measures were those with no guards, no metal detectors, but restricted access. No security measures were

schools with no guards, no metal detectors, and no restricted access to the school.

2Discipline problems included student tardiness, student absenteeism, physical conflicts among students, robbery or theft of items over

$10, vandalism of school property, student alcohol use, student drug use, sale of drugs on school grounds, student tobacco use, student

possession of weapons, trespassing, verbal abuse of teachers, physical abuse of teachers, teacher absenteeism, teacher alcohol or drug

use, racial tensions, and gangs. Serious problems means the respondent indicated at least 1 of 17 different discipline issues was a serious

problem. Moderate problems means the respondent indicated at least one discipline issue was a moderate problem and there were no

serious problems. No problems/minor problems means the respondent indicated all discipline issues were either no problem or a minor

problem.

3

Serious violent crime means that at least one of the following crimes occurred at the school and police were contacted: murder, rape or

other type of sexual battery, suicide, physical attack or fight with a weapon, or robbery. Less serious or nonviolent crime means that no

serious violent crimes occurred and at least one of the following occurred at the school for which police were contacted: physical attack

or fight without a weapon, theft/larceny, or vandalism. No incidents reported means that the school reported that police were not

contacted for any of the specified crimes. Specified crimes may have occurred but police were not contacted, or other, nonspecified

crimes may have occurred at the school.

NOTE: Percents may not add to 100 because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
100

Table 24a.—Standard errors of the percent of public schools with various degrees of security

measures, by school characteristics: 1996-97

Degree of security measures School characteristic No security Low security Moderate security Stringent security

All public schools...................................... 0.9 1.2 0.8 0.2

Instructional level

Elementary school.......................................... 1.4 1.7 1.2 --

Middle school ................................................ 0.9 2.1 1.9 0.6

High school.................................................... 0.8 2.4 2.2 0.7

Size of enrollment

Less than 300................................................. 3.0 3.1 0.7 --

300-999.......................................................... 0.6 1.3 1.2 0.2

1,000 or more................................................. -- 3.3 3.3 1.6

Locale

City ................................................................ -- 2.2 2.3 0.5

Urban fringe................................................... 0.7 1.5 1.1 0.4

Town.............................................................. 1.5 2.1 1.6 --

Rural .............................................................. 2.5 2.9 1.3 --

Region

Northeast........................................................ 0.2 1.9 1.8 0.4

Southeast........................................................ 1.2 2.4 2.2 0.6

Central ........................................................... 1.5 2.2 1.6 0.2

West............................................................... 1.8 2.2 1.5 0.3

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent ........................................ 2.4 2.5 0.8 0.2

5 to 19 percent ............................................... 1.0 1.8 1.4 --

20 to 49 percent ............................................. 0.8 1.7 1.8 0.3

50 percent or more ......................................... 1.5 3.2 3.1 0.6

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent ...................................... 2.4 2.6 1.5 0.3

20 to 34 percent ............................................. 0.4 1.5 1.4 0.4

35 to 49 percent ............................................. 1.8 2.7 1.9 0.4

50 to 74 percent ............................................. 1.9 2.5 1.6 0.4

75 percent or more ......................................... 1.7 4.3 3.9 0.7

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes................................................................. 0.9 1.3 1.0 0.2

No .................................................................. 1.8 2.3 1.6 0.3

Principals’ report on discipline problems in

school

No problems/minor problems ........................ 2.0 2.2 1.1 --

Moderate problems........................................ 0.6 1.6 1.7 0.2

Serious problems ........................................... 0.7 2.3 2.2 0.8

Types of crimes reported

No crime ........................................................ 1.9 2.1 1.0 --

Any crime ...................................................... 0.8 1.4 1.3 0.3

 Less serious or nonviolent crimes only ...... 1.0 1.7 1.5 0.3

 Serious violent crimes................................ -- 3.4 3.5 1.4

-- Estimate of standard error is not derived because it is based on a statistic estimated at less than 0.5 percent or at 100 percent.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
101

Table 25.—Percent of public schools with formal school violence prevention or reduction programs

or efforts, by school characteristics: 1996-97

School characteristic Percent of schools

with any programs

Percent of schools

with only 1-day

programs

Percent of schools

with only ongoing

programs

Percent of schools

with both 1-day and

ongoing programs

All public schools........................... 78 11 24 43

Instructional level

Elementary school............................... 78 9 28 42

Middle school...................................... 82 7 19 56

High school ......................................... 74 20 15 38

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ...................................... 68 14 20 34

300-999............................................... 81 10 26 45

1,000 or more ...................................... 84 8 17 59

Locale

City...................................................... 87 5 25 57

Urban fringe ........................................ 82 5 30 47

Town ................................................... 72 11 22 38

Rural ................................................... 73 21 18 35

Region

Northeast............................................. 75 8 27 40

Southeast............................................. 84 13 28 44

Central................................................. 76 9 21 46

West .................................................... 77 14 20 43

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent.............................. 67 11 20 36

5 to 19 percent..................................... 78 10 24 44

20 to 49 percent................................... 86 12 30 44

50 percent or more .............................. 84 10 22 52

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent............................ 73 8 22 43

20 to 34 percent................................... 75 6 24 44

35 to 49 percent................................... 81 15 27 40

50 to 74 percent................................... 80 16 20 44

75 percent or more .............................. 85 12 26 47

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes...................................................... 81 11 24 45

No ....................................................... 69 11 21 37
102

Table 25.—Percent of public schools with formal school violence prevention or reduction programs

or efforts, by school characteristics: 1996-97--continued

School characteristic Percent of schools

with any programs

Percent of schools

with only 1-day

programs

Percent of schools

with only ongoing

programs

Percent of schools

with both 1-day and

ongoing programs

Principals’ report on discipline

problems in school1

No problems/minor problems.............. 73 11 25 38

Moderate problems.............................. 81 11 24 46

Serious problems................................. 83 13 16 53

Types of crimes reported2

No crime.............................................. 74 10 24 39

Any crime............................................ 82 11 23 47

Less serious or nonviolent crimes... 79 12 24 43

Serious violent crimes..................... 93 8 19 66

1Discipline problems included student tardiness, student absenteeism, physical conflicts among students, robbery or theft of items over

$10, vandalism of school property, student alcohol use, student drug use, sale of drugs on school grounds, student tobacco use, student

possession of weapons, trespassing, verbal abuse of teachers, physical abuse of teachers, teacher absenteeism, teacher alcohol or drug

use, racial tensions, and gangs. Serious problems means the respondent indicated at least 1 of 17 different discipline issues was a serious

problem. Moderate problems means the respondent indicated at least one discipline issue was a moderate problem and there were no

serious problems. No problems/minor problems means the respondent indicated all discipline issues were either no problem or a minor

problem.

2

Serious violent crime means that at least one of the following crimes occurred at the school and police were contacted: murder, rape or

other type of sexual battery, suicide, physical attack or fight with a weapon, or robbery. Less serious or nonviolent crime means that no

serious violent crimes occurred and at least one of the following occurred at the school for which police were contacted: physical attack

or fight without a weapon, theft/larceny, or vandalism. No incidents reported means that the school reported that police were not

contacted for any of the specified crimes. Specified crimes may have occurred but police were not contacted, or other, nonspecified

crimes may have occurred at the school.

NOTE: Details may not add to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
103

Table 25a.—Standard errors of the percent of public schools with formal school violence

prevention or reduction programs or efforts, by school characteristics: 1996-97

School characteristic Percent of schools

with any programs

Percent of schools

with only 1-day

programs

Percent of schools

with only ongoing

programs

Percent of schools

with both 1-day and

ongoing programs

All public schools........................... 1.5 1.2 1.6 1.4

Instructional level

Elementary school............................... 2.3 1.6 2.5 2.5

Middle school...................................... 2.0 1.5 1.9 2.8

High school ......................................... 2.2 2.4 1.8 2.1

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ...................................... 4.2 3.0 4.0 4.0

300-999............................................... 1.6 1.2 1.9 1.8

1,000 or more ...................................... 2.8 1.5 2.5 3.7

Locale

City...................................................... 2.6 1.4 3.3 3.6

Urban fringe ........................................ 3.0 1.3 3.1 3.3

Town ................................................... 3.5 2.3 3.1 3.1

Rural ................................................... 3.2 3.2 2.9 3.3

Region

Northeast............................................. 4.4 2.3 4.0 4.1

Southeast............................................. 2.5 2.8 3.4 3.7

Central................................................. 3.3 1.7 2.7 3.6

West .................................................... 2.8 2.3 2.5 2.8

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent.............................. 3.7 2.0 2.8 3.6

5 to 19 percent..................................... 3.5 1.9 2.5 3.1

20 to 49 percent................................... 2.7 2.6 3.7 3.7

50 percent or more .............................. 2.7 2.5 3.0 3.4

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent............................ 3.0 1.5 2.9 3.4

20 to 34 percent................................... 3.0 2.0 3.7 3.9

35 to 49 percent................................... 4.2 3.5 4.6 3.8

50 to 74 percent................................... 3.6 3.2 3.8 3.9

75 percent or more .............................. 3.4 3.8 4.3 4.6

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes...................................................... 1.5 1.4 1.7 1.7

No ....................................................... 4.5 2.1 2.8 3.8

Principals’ report on discipline

problems in school

No problems/minor problems.............. 2.7 1.8 2.5 2.9

Moderate problems.............................. 2.1 1.6 2.5 2.3

Serious problems................................. 2.1 2.5 2.2 3.1

Types of crimes reported

No crime.............................................. 2.7 1.9 3.0 2.9

Any crime............................................ 1.9 1.6 1.9 2.1

 Less serious or nonviolent crimes

 only .............................................. 2.3 1.9 2.3 2.3

 Serious violent crimes..................... 1.5 2.0 3.3 3.9

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
104

Table 26.—Number of schools with violence prevention or reduction programs or efforts, and

mean number of programs in schools with violence prevention or reduction programs

or efforts, by school characteristics: 1996-97

School characteristic Number of schools Mean number of programs

All public schools........................... 60,720 3.7

Instructional level

Elementary school............................... 37,700 3.7

Middle school...................................... 11,460 4.3

High school ......................................... 11,550 3.2

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ...................................... 13,750 2.3

300-999............................................... 40,770 4.0

1,000 or more ...................................... 6,200 5.3

Locale

City...................................................... 15,710 5.2

Urban fringe ........................................ 15,520 4.0

Town ................................................... 14,110 3.0

Rural ................................................... 15,380 2.8

Region

Northeast............................................. 11,350 3.8

Southeast............................................. 14,300 4.3

Central................................................. 17,160 3.0

West .................................................... 17,910 3.8

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent.............................. 16,200 2.4

5 to 19 percent..................................... 13,750 3.4

20 to 49 percent................................... 15,340 4.0

50 percent or more .............................. 14,710 5.3

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent............................ 13,370 3.0

20 to 34 percent................................... 12,990 3.0

35 to 49 percent................................... 10,530 4.3

50 to 74 percent................................... 12,880 3.8

75 percent or more .............................. 10,600 4.8

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes...................................................... 49,290 3.8

No ....................................................... 11,400 3.3
105

Table 26.—Number of schools with violence prevention or reduction programs or efforts, and

mean number of programs in schools with violence prevention or reduction programs

or efforts, by school characteristics: 1996-97--continued

School characteristic Number of schools Mean number of programs

Principals’ report on discipline

problems in school1

No problems/minor problems.............. 24,450 3.0

Moderate problems.............................. 25,910 4.1

Serious problems................................. 10,250 4.5

Types of crimes reported2

No crime.............................................. 24,860 3.4

Any crime............................................ 35,850 3.9

Less serious or nonviolent crimes

 only .............................................. 28,540 3.4

Serious violent crimes..................... 7,320 6.0

1Discipline problems included student tardiness, student absenteeism, physical conflicts among students, robbery or theft of items over

$10, vandalism of school property, student alcohol use, student drug use, sale of drugs on school grounds, student tobacco use, student

possession of weapons, trespassing, verbal abuse of teachers, physical abuse of teachers, teacher absenteeism, teacher alcohol or drug

use, racial tensions, and gangs. Serious problems means the respondent indicated at least 1 of 17 different discipline issues was a serious

problem. Moderate problems means the respondent indicated at least one discipline issue was a moderate problem and there were no

serious problems. No problems/minor problems means the respondent indicated all discipline issues were either no problem or a minor

problem.

2

Serious violent crime means that at least one of the following crimes occurred at the school and police were contacted: murder, rape or

other type of sexual battery, suicide, physical attack or fight with a weapon, or robbery. Less serious or nonviolent crime means that no

serious violent crimes occurred and at least one of the following occurred at the school for which police were contacted: physical attack

or fight without a weapon, theft/larceny, or vandalism. No incidents reported means that the school reported that police were not

contacted for any of the specified crimes. Specified crimes may have occurred but police were not contacted, or other, nonspecified

crimes may have occurred at the school.

NOTE: Details may not add to totals because of rounding and because some classification variables were missing for some schools.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
106

Table 26a.—Standard errors of the number of schools with violence prevention or reduction

programs or efforts, and of the mean number of programs in schools with violence

prevention or reduction programs or efforts, by school characteristics: 1996-97

School characteristic Number of schools Mean number of programs

All public schools........................... 1,240.4 0.2

Instructional level

Elementary school............................... 1,141.2 0.3

Middle school...................................... 292.8 0.3

High school ......................................... 411.9 0.2

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ...................................... 1,124.0 0.3

300-999............................................... 941.2 0.2

1,000 or more ...................................... 273.1 0.3

Locale

City...................................................... 678.2 0.4

Urban fringe ........................................ 715.3 0.4

Town ................................................... 642.5 0.3

Rural ................................................... 798.7 0.4

Region

Northeast............................................. 1,073.8 0.6

Southeast............................................. 914.2 0.6

Central................................................. 1,058.5 0.2

West .................................................... 980.7 0.3

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent.............................. 1,258.0 0.3

5 to 19 percent..................................... 1,200.3 0.3

20 to 49 percent................................... 1,106.7 0.4

50 percent or more .............................. 800.2 0.5

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent............................ 861.7 0.3

20 to 34 percent................................... 989.2 0.2

35 to 49 percent................................... 830.3 0.7

50 to 74 percent................................... 1,066.5 0.4

75 percent or more .............................. 907.2 0.6

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes...................................................... 1,332.8 0.2

No ....................................................... 1,011.3 0.5

Principals’ report on discipline

problems in school

No problems/minor problems.............. 1,308.3 0.4

Moderate problems.............................. 1,251.8 0.3

Serious problems................................. 795.3 0.3

Types of crimes reported

No crime.............................................. 1,455.8 0.4

Any crime............................................ 1,434.7 0.2

 Less serious or nonviolent crimes

 only ............................................ 1,439.1 0.2

 Serious violent crimes..................... 579.3 0.4

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
107

Table 27.—Percent of public schools with formal school violence prevention or reduction programs

and the mean number of programs, by type of crime reported at the school: 1996-97

Type of crime Percent of schools with program Mean number of programs

All public schools..................... 78 3.7

No crime ........................................... 74 3.4

Any crime ......................................... 82 3.9

Lesser crime only .......................... 79 3.4

Some serious crimes...................... 93 6.0

NOTE: Serious violent crime means that at least one of the following crimes occurred at the school and police were contacted: murder,

rape or other type of sexual battery, suicide, physical attack or fight with a weapon, or robbery. Less serious or nonviolent crime means

that no serious violent crimes occurred and at least one of the following occurred at the school for which police were contacted: physical

attack or fight without a weapon, theft/larceny, or vandalism. No incidents reported means that the school reported that police were not

contacted for any of the specified crimes. Specified crimes may have occurred but police were not contacted, or other, nonspecified

crimes may have occurred at the school.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
108

Table 27a.—Standard errors of the percent of public schools with formal school violence

prevention or reduction programs and of the mean number of programs, by type of

crime reported at the school: 1996-97

Type of crime Percent of schools with program Mean number of programs

All public schools......................................................... 1.5 0.2

No crime ............................................................................... 2.7 0.4

Any crime ............................................................................. 1.9 0.2

 Less serious or nonviolent crime only.............................. 2.3 0.2

 Some serious crimes......................................................... 1.5 0.4

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
109

Table 28.—Percent of public schools with violence prevention programs and reporting one or more

crimes to the police in 1996-97 indicating that crimes were used to modify or to

introduce new violence prevention programs, by school characteristics: 1996-97

School characteristic

Number of schools with violence prevention

programs that reported one or more crimes

to the police in 1996-97

Percent of those schools indicating

1996-97 criminal incidents used to

modify or introduce new violence

prevention programs

All public schools........................... 35,330 31

Instructional level

Elementary school............................... 17,410 22

Middle school...................................... 8,930 34

High school ......................................... 8,990 44

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ...................................... 5,130 26

300-999............................................... 24,650 29

1,000 or more ...................................... 5,550 44

Locale

City...................................................... 9,610 36

Urban fringe ........................................ 9,250 28

Town ................................................... 9,290 28

Rural ................................................... 7,190 30

Region

Northeast............................................. 5,890 29

Southeast............................................. 8,060 25

Central................................................. 9,230 37

West .................................................... 12,150 30

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent.............................. 8,120 31

5 to 19 percent..................................... 8,090 24

20 to 49 percent................................... 8,650 30

50 percent or more .............................. 10,070 37

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent............................ 7,580 30

20 to 34 percent................................... 7,670 29

35 to 49 percent................................... 6,250 25

50 to 74 percent................................... 7,290 35

75 percent or more .............................. 6,290 36

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes...................................................... 29,690 32

No ....................................................... 5,620 24
110

Table 28.—Percent of public schools with violence prevention programs and reporting one or more

crimes to the police in 1996-97 indicating that crimes were used to modify or to

introduce new violence prevention programs, by school characteristics: 1996-97--

continued

School characteristic

Number of schools with violence prevention

programs that reported one or more crimes

to the police in 1996-97

Percent of those schools indicating

1996-97 criminal incidents used to

modify or introduce new violence

prevention programs

Principals’ report on discipline

problems in school1

No problems/minor problems.............. 10,270 23

Moderate problems.............................. 16,310 30

Serious problems................................. 8,640 42

Types of crimes reported2

No crime.............................................. (--) (--)

Any crime............................................ 35,240 31

 Less serious or nonviolent crimes ... 28,030 27

 Serious violent crimes..................... 7,210 47

(--) Not applicable.

1Discipline problems included student tardiness, student absenteeism, physical conflicts among students, robbery or theft of items over

$10, vandalism of school property, student alcohol use, student drug use, sale of drugs on school grounds, student tobacco use, student

possession of weapons, trespassing, verbal abuse of teachers, physical abuse of teachers, teacher absenteeism, teacher alcohol or drug

use, racial tensions, and gangs. Serious problems means the respondent indicated at least 1 of 17 different discipline issues was a serious

problem. Moderate problems means the respondent indicated at least one discipline issue was a moderate problem and there were no

serious problems. No problems/minor problems means the respondent indicated all discipline issues were either no problem or a minor

problem.

2

Serious violent crime means that at least one of the following crimes occurred at the school and police were contacted: murder, rape or

other type of sexual battery, suicide, physical attack or fight with a weapon, or robbery. Less serious or nonviolent crime means that no

serious violent crimes occurred and at least one of the following occurred at the school for which police were contacted: physical attack

or fight without a weapon, theft/larceny, or vandalism. No incidents reported means that the school reported that police were not

contacted for any of the specified crimes. Specified crimes may have occurred but police were not contacted, or other, nonspecified

crimes may have occurred at the school.

NOTE: Details may not add to totals because of rounding and because data for some schools were not available.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
111

Table 28a.—Standard errors of the percent of public schools with violence prevention programs

and reporting one or more crimes to the police in 1996-97 indicating that crimes were

used to modify or to introduce new violence prevention programs, by school

characteristics: 1996-97

School characteristic

Number of schools with violence prevention

programs that reported one or more crimes

to the police in 1996-97

Percent of schools indicating 1996-97

criminal incidents used to modify or

introduce new violence prevention programs

All public schools........................... 1,467.5 1.9

Instructional level

Elementary school............................... 1,323.9 3.3

Middle school...................................... 359.0 3.2

High school ......................................... 440.3 2.9

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ...................................... 879.3 6.9

300-999............................................... 1,165.6 2.5

1,000 or more ...................................... 271.7 3.1

Locale

City...................................................... 431.2 3.9

Urban fringe ........................................ 297.6 3.3

Town ................................................... 459.8 4.5

Rural ................................................... 495.3 6.2

Region

Northeast............................................. 756.8 4.6

Southeast............................................. 706.3 4.1

Central................................................. 975.0 4.1

West .................................................... 868.1 3.5

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent.............................. 829.2 4.6

5 to 19 percent..................................... 795.9 5.0

20 to 49 percent................................... 773.8 4.3

50 percent or more .............................. 695.3 3.8

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent............................ 570.4 4.3

20 to 34 percent................................... 753.7 5.0

35 to 49 percent................................... 692.2 5.2

50 to 74 percent................................... 810.4 5.5

75 percent or more .............................. 710.2 5.4

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes...................................................... 1,396.6 2.2

No ....................................................... 630.4 4.2

Principals’ report on discipline

problems in school

No problems/minor problems.............. 179.6 4.1

Moderate problems.............................. 1,028.4 2.8

Serious problems................................. 649.9 3.5

Types of crimes reported

No crime.............................................. -- --

Any crime............................................ 1,463.0 1.9

 Less serious or nonviolent crimes

 only ............................................. 1,463.3 2.2

 Serious violent crimes..................... 583.5 4.4

-- Estimate of standard error is not derived because it is based on a statistic estimated at less than 0.5 percent or at 100 percent.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
112

Table 29.—Percent of public schools with formal violence prevention or reduction programs

indicating that at least one of these programs included selected components: 1996-97

Component

Percent of schools indicating

component included in violence

prevention or reduction program

Prevention curriculum, instruction, or training for students (e.g., social skills training).................. 89

Behavioral programming or behavior modification for students...................................................... 79

Counseling, social work, psychological, or therapeutic activity for students................................... 87

Other activities involving individual attention for students (e.g., tutoring, mentoring).................... 81

Recreational, enrichment, or leisure activities for students.............................................................. 63

Student involvement in resolving student conduct problems (e.g., dispute or conflict resolution or

mediation, student court).............................................................................................................. 64

Training, supervision, or technical assistance in classroom management for teachers .................... 67

Review, revision, or monitoring of schoolwide discipline practices and procedures....................... 85

Community or parent involvement in school violence prevention programs or efforts.................... 48

Reorganization of school, grades, or schedules (e.g., school within a school, “houses” or “teams”

of students)................................................................................................................................... 28

NOTE: Percents in this table are based upon the number of schools with one or more violence prevention programs--78 percent of

regular public schools.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
113

Table 29a.—Standard errors of the percent of public schools with formal violence prevention or

reduction programs indicating that at least one of these programs included selected

components: 1996-97

Component

Percent of schools indicating

component included in violence

prevention or reduction program

Prevention curriculum, instruction, or training for students (e.g., social skills training).................. 1.1

Behavioral programming or behavior modification for students...................................................... 1.7

Counseling, social work, psychological, or therapeutic activity for students................................... 1.6

Other activities involving individual attention for students (e.g., tutoring, mentoring).................... 1.8

Recreational, enrichment, or leisure activities for students.............................................................. 1.7

Student involvement in resolving student conduct problems (e.g., dispute or conflict resolution or

mediation, student court).............................................................................................................. 1.9

Training, supervision, or technical assistance in classroom management for teachers .................... 2.0

Review, revision, or monitoring of schoolwide discipline practices and procedures....................... 1.4

Community or parent involvement in school violence prevention programs or efforts.................... 1.9

Reorganization of school, grades, or schedules (e.g., school within a school, “houses” or “teams”

of students)................................................................................................................................... 1.7

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
114

Table 30.—Percent of public schools with violence prevention programs indicating the proportion

of their students participating in school violence prevention or reduction programs that

directly serve students, by school characteristics: 1996-97

Students participate in violence prevention or reduction programs

School characteristic All or

almost all Most About half Some Few None

All public schools........................... 50 10 8 14 13 4

Instructional level

Elementary school............................... 56 10 7 10 12 4

Middle school...................................... 53 11 9 17 10 1

High school ......................................... 25 10 10 26 22 7

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ...................................... 46 10 10 12 17 5

300-999............................................... 53 10 7 14 12 4

1,000 or more ...................................... 36 15 11 23 13 2

Locale

City...................................................... 53 15 9 15 6 2

Urban fringe ........................................ 53 8 10 13 10 5

Town ................................................... 50 8 6 16 15 5

Rural ................................................... 43 10 7 12 23 5

Region

Northeast............................................. 44 8 8 18 17 5

Southeast............................................. 52 9 3 15 14 7

Central................................................. 48 10 9 14 14 5

West .................................................... 53 13 11 12 10 1

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent.............................. 47 7 8 15 18 5

5 to 19 percent..................................... 43 13 4 16 15 8

20 to 49 percent................................... 56 10 10 12 10 2

50 percent or more .............................. 51 12 11 14 10 2

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent............................ 42 8 8 17 17 7

20 to 34 percent................................... 47 12 7 15 17 2

35 to 49 percent................................... 61 6 4 12 11 5

50 to 74 percent................................... 48 13 9 14 13 3

75 percent or more .............................. 53 11 15 12 6 3

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes...................................................... 49 11 8 13 14 5

No ....................................................... 51 7 9 18 12 2
115

Table 30.—Percent of public schools with violence prevention programs indicating the proportion

of their students participating in school violence prevention or reduction programs that

directly serve students, by school characteristics: 1996-97--continued

Students participate in violence prevention or reduction programs

School characteristic All or

almost all Most About half Some Few None

Principals’ report on discipline

problems in school1

No problems/minor problems.............. 54 9 7 11 13 6

Moderate problems.............................. 49 12 9 18 11 2

Serious problems................................. 41 9 10 15 21 4

Types of crimes reported2

No crime.............................................. 54 10 10 11 11 5

Any crime............................................ 47 11 7 17 15 4

 Less serious or nonviolent crimes ... 46 11 7 16 16 4

 Serious violent crimes..................... 49 10 7 21 11 2

1Discipline problems included student tardiness, student absenteeism, physical conflicts among students, robbery or theft of items over

$10, vandalism of school property, student alcohol use, student drug use, sale of drugs on school grounds, student tobacco use, student

possession of weapons, trespassing, verbal abuse of teachers, physical abuse of teachers, teacher absenteeism, teacher alcohol or drug

use, racial tensions, and gangs. Serious problems means the respondent indicated at least 1 of 17 different discipline issues was a serious

problem. Moderate problems means the respondent indicated at least one discipline issue was a moderate problem and there were no

serious problems. No problems/minor problems means the respondent indicated all discipline issues were either no problem or a minor

problem.

2

Serious violent crime means that at least one of the following crimes occurred at the school and police were contacted: murder, rape or

other type of sexual battery, suicide, physical attack or fight with a weapon, or robbery. Less serious or nonviolent crime means that no

serious violent crimes occurred and at least one of the following occurred at the school for which police were contacted: physical attack

or fight without a weapon, theft/larceny, or vandalism. No incidents reported means that the school reported that police were not

contacted for any of the specified crimes. Specified crimes may have occurred but police were not contacted, or other, nonspecified

crimes may have occurred at the school.

NOTE: Percents in this table are based upon the number of schools with one or more violence prevention programs--78 percent of

regular public schools. Percents may not add to 100 because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
116

Table 30a.—Standard errors of the percent of public schools with violence prevention programs

indicating the proportion of their students participating in school violence prevention

or reduction programs that directly serve students, by school characteristics: 1996-97

Students participate in violence prevention or reduction programs

School characteristic All or

almost all Most About half Some Few None

All public schools........................... 1.8 1.2 1.1 1.2 1.3 0.8

Instructional level

Elementary school............................... 2.9 1.7 1.5 1.7 1.9 1.1

Middle school...................................... 2.6 1.4 1.7 2.0 2.0 0.8

High school ......................................... 2.7 1.8 2.1 3.1 2.6 1.9

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ...................................... 5.5 4.0 3.4 3.2 4.0 1.8

300-999............................................... 2.2 1.4 1.0 1.3 1.5 1.0

1,000 or more ...................................... 3.4 2.4 2.6 2.9 2.1 1.0

Locale

City...................................................... 3.5 2.8 2.2 3.0 1.5 1.2

Urban fringe ........................................ 3.5 2.2 2.5 2.6 2.1 1.7

Town ................................................... 3.5 2.4 1.4 2.6 3.0 1.9

Rural ................................................... 4.2 2.9 2.2 2.8 3.5 1.7

Region

Northeast............................................. 4.7 2.5 3.0 3.2 4.0 2.4

Southeast............................................. 3.9 2.4 1.1 2.8 2.9 2.0

Central................................................. 3.9 2.8 2.6 2.5 2.6 1.8

West .................................................... 3.4 2.3 2.2 1.8 2.4 0.7

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent.............................. 4.4 2.4 2.3 2.4 3.3 2.1

5 to 19 percent..................................... 4.2 2.7 1.4 3.3 2.8 2.4

20 to 49 percent................................... 4.0 2.5 2.5 2.3 2.2 1.2

50 percent or more .............................. 4.2 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.3 1.1

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent............................ 3.9 2.1 2.2 2.8 2.9 2.0

20 to 34 percent................................... 4.5 3.6 1.8 2.9 3.3 1.2

35 to 49 percent................................... 4.6 2.0 1.8 2.7 2.9 2.3

50 to 74 percent................................... 4.5 2.8 2.4 3.0 3.2 1.8

75 percent or more .............................. 5.1 3.2 3.9 3.0 2.2 1.7

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes...................................................... 2.0 1.4 1.2 1.4 1.5 1.0

No ....................................................... 4.4 1.8 3.1 3.3 3.0 0.9

Principals’ report on discipline

problems in school

No problems/minor problems.............. 3.7 2.1 1.8 2.0 2.4 1.7

Moderate problems.............................. 2.6 1.9 1.8 2.1 1.8 0.9

Serious problems................................. 3.6 2.1 2.3 3.0 3.0 1.7

Types of crimes reported

No crime.............................................. 3.6 2.3 2.4 1.7 2.4 1.5

Any crime............................................ 2.1 1.3 1.0 1.9 1.3 1.0

 Less serious or nonviolent crimes

 only .............................................. 2.4 1.6 1.2 2.0 1.6 1.2

 Serious violent crimes..................... 3.9 1.9 1.4 3.2 2.1 1.1

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
117

Table 31.—Percent of public schools with violence prevention programs indicating the proportion of

teachers and staff in the school who were substantially involved in school violence efforts

or programs, by school characteristics: 1996-97

Teachers and staff substantially involved in school violence efforts or programs

School characteristic All or

almost all Most About half Some Few None

All public schools........................... 44 12 8 15 18 3

Instructional level

Elementary school............................... 51 13 8 10 16 3

Middle school...................................... 40 12 8 21 18 2

High school ......................................... 26 9 7 25 27 7

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ...................................... 43 17 6 15 16 3

300-999............................................... 46 10 9 14 18 4

1,000 or more ...................................... 32 12 7 23 25 1

Locale

City...................................................... 48 17 8 13 13 1

Urban fringe ........................................ 48 10 8 15 17 3

Town ................................................... 39 10 5 18 23 4

Rural ................................................... 40 10 10 13 22 5

Region

Northeast............................................. 37 9 11 18 23 2

Southeast............................................. 50 6 5 13 19 8

Central................................................. 41 18 6 13 19 3

West .................................................... 46 12 10 16 15 1

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent.............................. 40 11 8 13 23 4

5 to 19 percent..................................... 44 9 6 15 23 3

20 to 49 percent................................... 45 12 6 17 15 4

50 percent or more .............................. 48 13 9 14 13 2

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent............................ 39 14 6 13 25 3

20 to 34 percent................................... 40 11 11 15 21 3

35 to 49 percent................................... 47 6 8 13 20 6

50 to 74 percent................................... 43 14 6 18 17 1

75 percent or more .............................. 53 13 9 14 7 4

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes...................................................... 46 11 8 14 17 3

No ....................................................... 37 15 5 17 24 3
118

Table 31.—Percent of public schools with violence prevention programs indicating the proportion of

teachers and staff in the school who were substantially involved in school violence efforts

or programs, by school characteristics: 1996-97--continued

Teachers and staff substantially involved in school violence efforts or programs

School characteristic All or

almost all Most About half Some Few None

Principals’ report on discipline

problems in school1

No problems/minor problems.............. 49 11 5 13 18 4

Moderate problems.............................. 42 13 9 16 18 2

Serious problems................................. 35 10 10 18 22 5

Types of crimes reported2

No crime.............................................. 46 13 9 13 17 3

Any crime............................................ 43 11 7 16 20 3

 Less serious or nonviolent crimes ..... 43 12 7 15 20 3

 Serious violent crimes....................... 41 9 8 22 17 4

1Discipline problems included: student tardiness, student absenteeism, physical conflicts among students, robbery or theft of items over

$10, vandalism of school property, student alcohol use, student drug use, sale of drugs on school grounds, student tobacco use, student

possession of weapons, trespassing, verbal abuse of teachers, physical abuse of teachers, teacher absenteeism, teacher alcohol or drug

use, racial tensions, and gangs. Serious problems means the respondent indicated at least 1 of 17 different discipline issues was a serious

problem. Moderate problems means the respondent indicated at least one discipline issue was a moderate problem and there were no

serious problems. No problems/minor problems means the respondent indicated all discipline issues were either no problem or a minor

problem.

2

Serious violent crime means that at least one of the following crimes occurred at the school and police were contacted: murder, rape or

other type of sexual battery, suicide, physical attack or fight with a weapon, or robbery. Less serious or nonviolent crime means that no

serious violent crimes occurred and at least one of the following occurred at the school for which police were contacted: physical attack

or fight without a weapon, theft/larceny, or vandalism. No incidents reported means that the school reported that police were not

contacted for any of the specified crimes. Specified crimes may have occurred but police were not contacted, or other, nonspecified

crimes may have occurred at the school.

NOTE: Percents in this table are based upon the number of schools with one or more violence prevention programs--78 percent of

regular public schools. Percents may not add to 100 because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
119

Table 31a.—Standard errors of the percent of public schools with violence prevention programs

indicating the proportion of teachers and staff in the school who were substantially

involved in school violence efforts or programs, by school characteristics: 1996-97

Teachers and staff substantially involved in school violence efforts or programs

School characteristic All or

almost all Most About half Some Few None

All public schools........................... 1.7 1.3 1.1 1.3 1.2 0.7

Instructional level

Elementary school............................... 2.7 2.0 1.6 1.8 1.7 1.0

Middle school...................................... 2.7 1.6 1.6 2.3 2.5 0.9

High school ......................................... 2.9 1.9 1.3 2.7 2.5 1.6

`

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ...................................... 5.3 4.3 2.6 3.4 3.6 1.3

300-999............................................... 2.2 1.6 1.3 1.3 1.6 1.0

1,000 or more ...................................... 3.4 2.2 1.7 2.6 2.9 0.7

Locale

City...................................................... 4.2 3.5 2.1 2.8 2.6 1.0

Urban fringe ........................................ 3.8 3.0 2.1 2.6 2.5 1.1

Town ................................................... 3.8 2.6 1.5 2.8 3.4 1.7

Rural ................................................... 4.6 3.2 2.7 2.8 3.5 1.7

Region

Northeast............................................. 4.8 2.4 3.2 3.5 4.1 1.4

Southeast............................................. 3.2 1.7 1.8 2.7 2.8 2.3

Central................................................. 4.2 3.2 1.9 2.7 3.1 1.1

West .................................................... 3.5 2.2 2.5 2.3 2.2 0.6

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 percent.............................. 4.4 2.9 2.6 2.9 3.2 1.4

5 to 19 percent..................................... 4.6 2.2 1.8 3.2 3.8 1.3

20 to 49 percent................................... 3.7 2.8 2.1 2.8 2.3 1.6

50 percent or more .............................. 4.0 2.7 2.0 2.4 2.7 1.1

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price school lunch

Less than 20 percent............................ 4.2 3.3 1.8 2.5 3.1 1.5

20 to 34 percent................................... 4.1 3.0 2.9 2.7 3.8 1.4

35 to 49 percent................................... 5.1 2.5 2.7 2.5 3.3 2.0

50 to 74 percent................................... 4.5 3.7 2.2 2.9 3.5 1.0

75 percent or more .............................. 4.4 3.3 2.8 3.2 2.0 1.9

Zero tolerance policy for violence

Yes...................................................... 2.0 1.4 1.2 1.6 1.2 0.8

No ....................................................... 4.4 3.9 1.8 3.1 3.8 1.1

Principals’ report on discipline

problems in school

No problems/minor problems.............. 3.8 2.4 1.5 2.3 2.7 1.2

Moderate problems.............................. 3.1 2.2 1.9 2.0 2.0 0.7

Serious problems................................. 3.9 2.0 3.3 2.9 2.8 1.9

Types of crimes reported

No crime.............................................. 3.7 2.2 2.1 2.7 2.6 1.0

Any crime............................................ 2.5 1.4 1.3 1.5 1.8 0.9

 Less serious or nonviolent crimes

 only .............................................. 2.6 1.8 1.3 1.6 2.1 1.0

 Serious violent crimes..................... 4.6 1.5 2.4 3.4 2.7 1.8

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
120

Table 32a.—Table of standard errors for the figures

Estimate Standard error

Figure 1. Number of various crimes occurring in public schools:

1996-97

Rape/sexual battery ............................................................................... 4,170 676.1

Robbery................................................................................................. 7,150 1,538.1

Physical attack or fight with weapon..................................................... 10,950 1,882.2

Vandalism ............................................................................................. 98,490 5,557.6

Theft/larceny ......................................................................................... 115,500 8,404.0

Physical attack or fight without weapon................................................ 187,890 17,030.4

Figure 2. Percent of public schools indicating the seriousness of

reported crimes occurring at the school: 1996-97

At least 1 serious violent crime ............................................................. 10 0.8

No serious violent crime but at least 1 other crime................................ 47 2.1

No crime................................................................................................ 43 2.1

Figure 3. Percent of public schools with number of reported

crime incidents at the school: 1996-97

No reported incidents ............................................................................ 43 2.1

1 to 5 reported incidents........................................................................ 37 1.9

6 to 10 reported incidents...................................................................... 7 0.8

More than 10 reported incidents............................................................ 12 0.7

Figure 4. Percent of public schools reporting the extent to which

discipline issues were a problem at the school: 1996-97

No problems/minor problems................................................................ 43 1.7

Moderate problems................................................................................ 41 1.6

Serious problems................................................................................... 16 1.2

Figure 5. Percent of public schools reporting that specific

discipline issues were a serious or moderate problem at the

school, by instructional level: 1996-97

Student tardiness

All public schools.............................................................................. 40 1.6

Elementary school............................................................................. 32 2.6

Middle school.................................................................................... 40 2.4

High school ....................................................................................... 67 2.6

Student absenteeism/class cutting

All public schools.............................................................................. 25 1.5

Elementary school............................................................................. 17 2.3

Middle school.................................................................................... 24 2.2

High school ....................................................................................... 52 2.8

Physical conflicts among students

All public schools.............................................................................. 21 1.2

Elementary school............................................................................. 18 1.6

Middle school.................................................................................... 35 2.6

High school ....................................................................................... 17 1.6

Student tobacco use

All public schools.............................................................................. 14 0.9

Elementary school............................................................................. 2 1.0

Middle school.................................................................................... 19 1.9

High school ....................................................................................... 48 3.0
121

Table 32a.—Table of standard errors for the figures--continued

Estimate Standard error

Figure 6. Percent of public schools reporting the extent to which

discipline issues were a problem at the school, by reported crime

in the school: 1996-97

No problems/minor problems

No crime............................................................................................ 59 3.0

Any crime.......................................................................................... 31 2.0

Moderate problems

No crime............................................................................................ 36 2.8

Any crime.......................................................................................... 45 2.2

Serious problems

No crime............................................................................................ 5 1.6

Any crime.......................................................................................... 24 1.6

Figure 7. Percent of specified disciplinary actions taken by public

schools for specific offenses, by type of action taken: 1996-97

Possession or use of a firearm

Expulsions......................................................................................... 31 5.4

Transfers to alternative schools or programs..................................... 20 7.6

Out-of-school suspensions lasting 5 or more days ............................ 49 6.5

Possession or use of weapon other than a firearm

Expulsions......................................................................................... 23 1.7

Transfers to alternative schools or programs..................................... 22 1.7

Out-of-school suspensions lasting 5 or more days ............................ 55 2.4

Possession, distribution, or use of alcohol or drugs, including tobacco

Expulsions......................................................................................... 18 1.5

Transfers to alternative schools or programs..................................... 20 2.0

Out-of-school suspensions lasting 5 or more days ............................ 62 2.0

Physical attacks or fights

Expulsions......................................................................................... 15 1.5

Transfers to alternative schools or programs..................................... 19 2.1

Out-of-school suspensions lasting 5 or more days ............................ 66 2.6

Figure 8. Percent of public schools that have adopted zero

tolerance policies for various student offenses: 1996-97

Violence ................................................................................................ 79 1.6

Tobacco................................................................................................. 79 1.5

Alcohol.................................................................................................. 87 1.2

Drugs..................................................................................................... 88 1.1

Weapons, other than firearms................................................................ 91 1.2

Firearms................................................................................................. 94 1.0

Figure 9. Percent of public schools requiring school uniforms, by

year requirement initiated

Prior to 1994-95 school year ................................................................. 26 9.4

1994-95 or 1995-96 school year............................................................ 40 9.1

1996-97 school year .............................................................................. 34 9.6
122

Table 32a.—Table of standard errors for the figures--continued

Estimate Standard error

Figure 10. Percent of public schools reporting various types of

security measures at the schools: 1996-97

Visitors sign in ...................................................................................... 96 0.9

Closed campus for most students during lunch...................................... 80 1.7

Controlled access to school building ..................................................... 53 1.9

Controlled access to school grounds...................................................... 24 1.5

One or more drug sweeps...................................................................... 19 1.1

Random metal detector checks.............................................................. 4 0.4

Students pass through metal detectors daily .......................................... 1 0.3

Figure 11. Percent of public schools, by degree of security:

1996-97

No security ............................................................................................ 3 0.9

Low security.......................................................................................... 84 1.2

Moderate security .................................................................................. 11 0.8

Stringent security................................................................................... 2 0.2

Figure 12. Percent of public schools with violence prevention

programs, by the proportion of their students that participated in

these programs: 1996-97

All or almost all..................................................................................... 50 1.8

Most ...................................................................................................... 10 1.2

About half.............................................................................................. 8 1.1

Some...................................................................................................... 14 1.2

Few........................................................................................................ 13 1.3

None ...................................................................................................... 4 0.8

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Principal/School

Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence,” FRSS 63, 1997.
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Appendix A

Survey Questionnaire
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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FORM APPROVED

NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS O.M.B. NO.: 1850-0733

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20208-5651 EXPIRATION DATE: 4/30/98

PRINCIPAL/SCHOOL DISCIPLINARIAN SURVEY ON SCHOOL VIOLENCE

FAST RESPONSE SURVEY SYSTEM

This survey is authorized by law (20 U.S.C. 1221e-1). While you are not required to respond, your cooperation is needed to make the results of

this survey comprehensive, accurate, and timely.

LABEL

IF ABOVE INFORMATION IS INCORRECT, PLEASE MAKE CORRECTIONS DIRECTLY ON LABEL.

Name of person completing form: ____________________________________ Telephone:________________________

Title/position: _____________________________________________ Number of years at this school:________________

Best days and times to reach you (in case of questions): ______________________________________________________

E-mail: _________________________________________________________

PLEASE RETURN COMPLETED FORM TO: IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, CONTACT:

WESTAT Sheila Heaviside

1650 Research Boulevard 800-937-8281, ext. 8391

Rockville, Maryland 20850 Fax: 800-254-0984

Attention: 900262-Heaviside E:mail: HEAVISS1@westat.com

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid

OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 1850-0733. The time required to complete this

information collection is estimated to average 30 minutes per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data

resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collected. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of

the time estimate(s) or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C. 20202-4651. If

you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual submission of this form, write directly to: National Center for Education

Statistics, 555 New Jersey Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20208.

FRSS Form No. 63, 4/97
A-4

Definitions

Firearm - any weapon that is designed to (or may readily be converted to) expel a projectile by the action of an explosive.

This includes guns, bombs, grenades, mines, rockets, missiles, pipebombs, or similar devices designed to explode and

capable of causing bodily harm or property damage.

Incident - a specific criminal act or offense involving one or more victims and one or more offenders.

Physical attack or fight with a weapon - an actual and intentional touching or striking of another person against his or

her will, or the intentional causing of bodily harm to an individual with a weapon. This category should be used only when

the attack is serious enough to warrant calling the police or other law enforcement representative.

Physical attack or fight without a weapon - an actual and intentional touching or striking of another person against his

or her will, or the intentional causing of bodily harm to an individual without using a weapon. This category should be used

only when the attack is serious enough to warrant calling the police or other law enforcement representative.

Police or other law enforcement representatives - any regular state or local law enforcement officers, school resource

officers, campus police, security personnel employed by school or district, or other security personnel with power to arrest

or hold for arrest.

Robbery - the taking or attempting to take anything of value that is owned by another person or organization, under

confrontational circumstances by force or threat of force or violence and/or by putting the victim in fear. A key difference

between robbery and theft/larceny is that a threat or battery is involved in robbery.

Sexual battery - an incident that includes rape, fondling, indecent liberties, child molestation, or sodomy. These incidents

should take into consideration the age and developmentally appropriate behavior of the offenders and are severe enough

to warrant calling the police or other law enforcement representative.

Theft/larceny - the unlawful taking of another person’s property without personal confrontation, threat, violence, or bodily

harm. Included are pocket picking, stealing purse or backpack (if left unattended or no force was used to take it from

owner), theft from a building, theft from a motor vehicle or motor vehicle parts or accessories, theft of bicycles, theft from

vending machines, and all other types of thefts.

Typical week - a typical full week of school. Avoid weeks with holidays, vacation periods, or weeks when unusual events

took place at the school.

Vandalism - the damage or destruction of school property including bombing, arson, graffiti, and other acts that cause

property damage.

Weapon - any instrument or object used with the intent to threaten, injure, or kill. Examples include guns, knives, razor

blades or other sharp-edged objects, ice picks, other pointed objects (including pens, pencils), baseball bats, frying pans,

sticks, rocks, and bottles.

Zero tolerance policy - a school or district policy that mandates predetermined consequences or punishment for specific

offenses.
A-5

1. Circle the number indicating to what extent, if any, each of the following has been a problem in your school during

the 1996-97 school year.

Not a

Serious Moderate Minor problem

a. Student tardiness........................................................... 1 2 3 4

b. Student absenteeism/class cutting................................ 1 2 3 4

c. Physical conflicts among students................................. 1 2 3 4

d. Robbery or theft of items over $10 ................................ 1 2 3 4

e. Vandalism of school property ........................................ 1 2 3 4

f. Student alcohol use ....................................................... 1 2 3 4

g. Student drug use ........................................................... 1 2 3 4

h. Sale of drugs on school grounds................................... 1 2 3 4

i. Student tobacco use...................................................... 1 2 3 4

j. Student possession of weapons.................................... 1 2 3 4

k. Trespassing................................................................... 1 2 3 4

l. Verbal abuse of teachers............................................... 1 2 3 4

m. Physical abuse of teachers............................................ 1 2 3 4

n. Teacher absenteeism.................................................... 1 2 3 4

o. Teacher alcohol or drug use.......................................... 1 2 3 4

p. Racial tensions .............................................................. 1 2 3 4

q. Gangs ............................................................................ 1 2 3 4

2. During the 1996-97 school year, how many incidents involving each type of the following crimes or offenses have

occurred at your school? Only include incidents in which police or other law enforcement representatives (see

definition) were contacted.

In column I, record the number of incidents for each type of crime in which one or more incidents occurred at your

school.

• If one incident included multiple crimes, include the incident only once in the first appropriate crime listed. For

example, if an incident included murder and rape, include the incident only under murder.

• Include all incidents that occurred “at your school” including in school buildings, on school buses, on school

grounds, and at places that are holding school-sponsored events or activities, but are not officially on school

grounds. Include events or activities that took place both during and after normal school hours, including days

when school was not in session.

• If a particular incident has not occurred at your school during the 1996-97 school year, enter “0” in column I and

leave columns II and III blank.

In column II, indicate how many of the incidents reported in column I involved one or more of your students as

either a victim or perpetrator.

In column III, indicate how many of the incidents reported in column I occurred either during school hours or at

school-sponsored events or activities after school hours.

I. Number of

incidents in

which police

or other law

enforcement

were

contacted?

II. How many

incidents involved

students as either

victims or

perpetrators?

III. How many

incidents occurred

during school

hours or at schoolsponsored events

or activities?

a. Murder .................................................................... _______ ________ _________

b. Rape or other type of sexual battery .................. _______ ________ _________

c. Suicide.................................................................... _______ ________ _________

d. Physical attack or fight with a weapon ............... _______ ________ _________

e. Physical attack or fight without a weapon.......... _______ ________ _________

f. Robbery - the taking of things directly from a

person by force....................................................... _______ ________ _________

g. Theft/larceny - the taking of things without

personal confrontation ......................................... _______ ________ _________

h. Vandalism - damage or destruction of school

property or personal items on school property . _______ ________ _________
A-6

3. Does your school have a policy to report information about the types of incidents listed in question 2 to the public

(e.g., to parents in a school newsletter)?

Yes..... 1 No...... 2

4. During the 1996-97 school year, how many of the following disciplinary actions have been taken for each of the

listed offenses? Include all incidents listed below (a-d) for which the following disciplinary actions have been taken.

Police or other law enforcement representatives need not have been called. Report the number of times a given

disciplinary action was taken—one student suspended 5 times would be 5 suspensions.

Numbers of:

Expulsions

Transfers

to alternative

schools or

programs

Out-of-school

suspensions

lasting 5 or

more days

a. Possession or use of a firearm............................................. _________ _________ _________

b. Possession or use of a weapon other than a firearm........... _________ _________ _________

c. Possession, distribution, or use of alcohol or drugs,

including tobacco.................................................................. _________ _________ _________

d. Physical attacks or fights ...................................................... _________ _________ _________

5. During the 1996-97 school year, did your school have:

Yes No

a. A requirement that visitors sign or check in?......................................................... 1 2

b. Controlled access to school grounds (e.g., locked or monitored gates)? ............. 1 2

c. Controlled access to school buildings (e.g., locked or monitored doors)? ............ 1 2

d. Metal detectors through which all students must pass each day? ........................ 1 2

e. Random metal detector checks on students? ....................................................... 1 2

f. Closed campus for most students during lunch (i.e., most students

are not allowed to leave school grounds for lunch)? ............................................. 1 2

g. One or more drug sweeps (e.g., locker searches, dog searches)? ...................... 1 2

6. In a typical week during the 1996-97 school year, how many school hours have one or more police or other law

enforcement representatives (see definition) been stationed at your school (other than for instructional purposes)?

(Circle one)

30 hours or more per week ........................................................ 1

10-29 hours per week................................................................. 2

1-9 hours per week..................................................................... 3

None during the typical week, but stationed as needed ............. 4

None stationed at school during 1996-97................................... 5

7. During the 1996-97 school year, does your school have a zero tolerance policy (see definition) for:

Yes No

a. Violence?.................................................................................... 1 2

b. Firearms? ................................................................................... 1 2

c. Weapons, other than firearms?.................................................. 1 2

d. Alcohol?...................................................................................... 1 2

e. Drugs? ........................................................................................ 1 2

f. Tobacco?.................................................................................... 1 2

8. During the 1996-97 school year, are students at your school required to wear school uniforms?

Yes ..... 1 In what school year were uniforms first required? 19_____ — 19_____ school year

No....... 2

9. During the 1996-97 school year, what percentage of your students are eligible for the federally funded free or

reduced-price lunch program? ______%
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10. During the 1996-97 school year, how many formal (planned and organized) programs or efforts did your school

have that were intended to prevent or reduce school violence? (These programs or efforts can include

instruction, other services to students, or changes to classroom and school management, and can take place either

during school hours or after school hours.)

Number of one-day, one-time programs .................... __________

Number of ongoing programs (more than one day) ... __________

(If your school has no programs, enter “0’s” and go to question 15.)

11. Were the incidents of crimes and offenses reported in question 2 used to modify these programs or to introduce

new programs? Yes..... 1 No...... 2 No incidents reported in question 2..... 3

12. During the 1996-97 school year, did any of your formal programs or efforts intended to prevent or reduce school

violence include the following?

Yes No

a. Prevention curriculum, instruction, or training for students (e.g., social skills training) ............ 1 2

b. Behavioral programming or behavior modification for students ............................................... 1 2

c. Counseling, social work, psychological, or therapeutic activity for students ............................ 1 2

d. Other activities involving individual attention for students (e.g., tutoring, mentoring)............... 1 2

e. Recreational, enrichment, or leisure activities for students ...................................................... 1 2

f. Student involvement in resolving student conduct problems (e.g., dispute or conflict

resolution or mediation, student court) ..................................................................................... 1 2

g. Training, supervision, or technical assistance in classroom management for teachers .......... 1 2

h. Review, revision, or monitoring of school wide discipline practices and procedures ............... 1 2

i. Community or parent involvement in school violence prevention programs or efforts............. 1 2

j. Reorganization of school, grades, or schedules (e.g., school within a school,

“houses” or “teams” of students) .............................................................................................. 1 2

13. During the 1996-97 school year, about how many students in your school participated in (or will participate in)

programs or efforts that directly serve students and were intended to prevent or reduce school violence?

(Circle one)

All or almost all (91-100%) ......................................................... 1

Most (61-90%)............................................................................ 2

About half (41-60%).................................................................... 3

Some (11-40%) .......................................................................... 4

Few (1-10%)............................................................................... 5

None ........................................................................................... 6

14. During the 1996-97 school year, about how many teachers and staff in your school were substantially involved in

any of the programs or efforts that were intended to prevent or reduce school violence? (Circle one)

All or almost all (91-100%) ......................................................... 1

Most (61-90%)............................................................................ 2

About half (41-60%).................................................................... 3

Some (11-40%) .......................................................................... 4

Few (1-10%)............................................................................... 5

None ........................................................................................... 6

15. During the 1996-97 school year (including or in addition to those programs reported in question 10), did your school

provide or sponsor any afterschool programs? Yes..... 1 No...... 2

16. The U.S. Department of Education may want to ask some of the schools responding to this survey to participate in

a followup study on school safety at a later time. Like this survey, the followup study will be voluntary, and no data

will be released with identifying information. Does the U.S. Department of Education have your permission to

consider your school for a followup study? (Approximately 1 in 6 schools will be selected.)

Yes..... 1 No..... 2
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