Skip Navigation

Table 9.  Percentage distribution of selected disciplinary problems reported by public primary schools, by frequency and type of disciplinary problem: School year 2005–06

Type of disciplinary problem Daily  At least once a week  At least once a month  On occasion  Never
Student racial/ethnic tensions    1   2   44   53
Student bullying  4   16   16   61   2
Student sexual harassment of other students1  #   2   5   49   45
Student verbal abuse of teachers  1 ! 5   5   51   37
                   
Widespread disorder in classrooms    1 ! 1 ! 20   78
Student acts of disrespect for teachers  3   9   9   66   13
Undesirable gang activities2  #       7   92
Undesirable cult or extremist group activities3  #   #     1 ! 99
# Rounds to zero.
! Interpret data with caution. The standard error for this estimate is from 30 percent to 50 percent of the estimate’s value.
‡ Reporting standards not met. The standard error for this estimate is equal to 50 percent or more of the estimate's value.
1 Sexual harassment was defined for respondents as "unsolicited, offensive behavior that inappropriately asserts sexuality over another person. This behavior may be verbal or nonverbal."
2 Gang was defined for respondents as "an ongoing loosely organized association of three or more persons, whether formal or informal, that has a common name, signs, symbols, or colors, whose members engage, either individually or collectively, in violent or other forms of illegal behavior."
3 Cult or extremist group was defined for respondents as "a group that espouses radical beliefs and practices, which may include a religious component, that are widely seen as threatening the basic values and cultural norms of society at large."
NOTE: "At school" was defined for respondents to include activities that happen in school buildings, on school grounds, on school buses, and at places that hold school-sponsored events or activities. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Reponses were provided by the principal or the person most knowledgeable about crime and safety issues at the school. Primary schools are defined as schools in which the lowest grade is not higher than grade 3 and the highest grade is not higher than grade 8.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 2005–06 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS), 2006.