12. Students' perceptions of personal Safety at school or on the way to and from school and away from school

This indicator repeats information from the 2002 Indicators of School Crime and Safety report.

In both 1999 and 2001, students were more likely to be afraid of being attacked at school or on the way to and from school than away from school.

School violence can make students fearful and affect their readiness and ability to learn. Concerns about vulnerability to attacks also have a detrimental effect on the school environment (Elliott, Hamburg, and Williams 1998). In the School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey, students ages 12?18 were asked how often they were afraid of attack ⁵ ?at school or on the way to and from school? and ?away from school? during the previous 6 months. Between 1999 and 2001, there was no change detected in the percentage of students who felt unsafe at school or on the way to and from school (table 12.1). However, between 1995 and 1999, there was a decrease in the percentage of students who felt unsafe. In 2001, 6 percent of students ages 12?18 reported that they sometimes or most of the time were fearful about their Safety at school compared with 12 percent in 1995. Away from school in 2001, 5 percent of students feared being attacked.

In both 1999 and 2001, Black and Hispanic students were more likely than White students to fear for their Safety at school or on the way to and from school and away from school (figures 12.1 and 12.2 and table 12.1). In all survey years, students in lower grades were generally more likely than students in higher grades to fear such attacks at school or on the way to and from school. For example, in 2001, 11 percent of 6th-graders, 6 percent of 9th-graders, and 3 percent of 12th-graders feared for their Safety at school or on the way to and from school.

The location of the school was also related to the extent to which students feared attack: students in urban schools were more likely than students in suburban and rural schools to fear being attacked at school or on the way to and from school in all three survey years. In the most recent survey year, 10 percent of students in urban schools feared being attacked at school, compared with 5 percent of their counterparts in suburban and 6 percent in rural schools.

5 In 1995 and 1999, students reported fear of ?attack or harm? at school or on the way to and from school during the previous 6 months. In 2001, students reported fear of ?attack or threat of attack? at school or on the way to and from school during the previous 6 months. Includes students who reported that they sometimes or most of the time feared being victimized in this way.

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