And illegal drugs are available in at least 70 percent of our schools. Students who are victims of school crimes or who perceive the school environment to be unsafe may not attend regularly and may not adequately concentrate on classwork when they do attend. The National Education Goals Report found that in 1992 seven percent of 8th-graders reported staying home from school at least once during the previous month because of concerns for their physical safety. Black and Hispanic students are more likely than white students to be victims of violent acts at school involving weapons. The statistics are the same whether the single parent is a mother or father.
Students believe more violence takes place in the classroom and athletic areas than teachers report.
The Justice Department reports that 6 percent of students avoid some place in or around their school because of the potential that someone might attack them. School restrooms are listed most often as a place to avoid and hallways are second. More than two-thirds of students don't feel completely safe going to and from school. These changes include a lack of parental caring and supervision, lack of discipline on the part of parents, lack of parental concern regarding student behavior, and student whereabouts, poor family discipline, and a lack of connectedness with an extended family. While some schools are on the offensive, trying to stem classroom violence, a recent Department of Justice study found that some of these anti-crime efforts don't make a significant difference.