From fund-raisers to new research to new programs to staff changes, we will keep you informed. Please check back often for updated press releases. While the horror of a school shooting makes national headlines, teens' daily experiences with intimidation and physical abuse are largely ignored, with schools and parents offering little support, according to a new poll commissioned by The Empower Program, sponsored by Liz Claiborne Inc., and conducted by Knowledge Networks. According to the poll's findings, intimidation and physical abuse are just typical parts of a school day for many American teenagers. While many victims respond by isolating themselves, almost a third of respondents said victims usually plan ways to get back at the intimidators.
Teens often feel that their schools provide little in the way of support .
Only a third of students believe the school penalizes students who engage in intimidation. And less than a third of victims report the behavior to someone at school. This finding is significant because it reflects what teens perceive the climate in their school to be. Nearly a quarter of the teens surveyed knew at least one student at their school who had been physically struck by a person they were dating. Interestingly, only eight percent of the parents surveyed knew of a student that had experienced such abuse.