School Fights & Statistics

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) defines school violence as youth violence that occurs on school property, on the way to or from school or school-sponsored events, or during a school sponsored event.
Here are the real facts about fighting in schools;

Fighting In Schools
1 in 5 teenagers reported being bullied at school
11% of students report have been in a physical fight
749,200 nonfatal violent victimizations at school among students 12 to 18 years of age in 2012

“Of students who reported criminal victimization at school, 62% were targets of traditional bullying and 12% were targets of online bullying.” (youth.gov, 2012)

Feeling Unsafe At School
7% of students skipped school on 1+ days within the past 30-days because they felt unsafe at school or on their way to or from school
8% of students are threatened with weapons at school
5% of students reported carrying a weapon on school property 1+ days within the past 30-days

“50% of children who have been bullied online do not report the behavior to their parents, leaving their parents with no idea regarding this behavior.”

Youth Homicides
Less than 1% of youth homicides occur at school
Homicide is the 2nd most reported cause of death for youth, after accidents & followed by suicide
50% of youth homicide perpetrators gave some type of warning signal prior to the homicide
Violent deaths among adolescents are more likely to occur at the beginning of the semester

“Emotional self-awareness and control, positive social skills, problem-solving, conflict resolution, and teamwork skills.. can help prevent school violence.”

These statistics show that bullying and harassment can lead students to stop attending school, cause themselves self-harm, and feel the need to carry weapons. Bullying, harassment, and fights that come to head at school are often rooted in problems at home.

Parent-child engagement, the presence of positive mentors, outreach programs, and activities like team sports and/or martial arts can help to curb school violence.

Teach Students How to Resolve Conflict
A preventative way to address physical fights and violence is to explicitly teach and model to students how to respond to conflict. Teach students age-appropriate, nonviolent solutions to responding to problems. Provide students with scenarios to act out, and give them the opportunity to model how to positively respond to conflict situations. Free Spirit Publishing offers tons of great resources for teaching students to respond effectively to conflicts


Source: 1)https://www.tagmuaythai.com/post/school-violence
2)https://freespiritpublishingblog.com/2015/04/08/counselors-corner-how-to-handle-physical-fights-at-school/