Resources
Facts & Statistics
Over 160,000 students refuse to go to school everyday because they are afraid they will be bullied.
According to a SAFE survey, teens in grades 6-10, are the most likely to be involved in bullying activities.
About 80% of students in high school have encountered bullying in some way online.
About 56% of students have witnessed a bullying crime take place while at school.
There are about 71% of students that report bullying as an ongoing problem.
There is a relationship between bullying or being bullied and other types of violence, including suicide, fighting, and carrying weapons.
About 42 percent of kids have been bullied while online with one in four being verbally attacked more than once.
Over 80 percent of teens use a cell phone regularly, making it the most popular form of technology and a common medium for cyber bullying.
About half of young people have experienced some form of cyber bullying, and 10 to 20 percent experience it regularly.
Mean, hurtful comments and spreading rumors are the most common type of cyber bullying.
There are about 282,000 students that are reportedly attacked in high schools throughout the nation each month.
More Facts & Stats
Girls are at least as likely as boys to be cyber bullies or their victims.
Boys are more likely to be threatened by cyber bullies than girls.
Cyber bullying affects all races.
Over half, about 56 percent, of all students have witnesses a bullying crime take place while at school.
A reported 15 percent of all students who don't show up for school report it to being out of fear of being bullied while at school.
There are about 71 percent of students that report bullying as an on-going problem.
Along that same vein, about one out of every 10 students drops out or changes schools because of repeated bullying.
One out of every 20 students has seen a student with a gun at school.
Some of the top years for bullying include 4th through 8th graders in which 90 percent were reported as victims of some kind of bullying.
Other recent bullying statistics reveal that 54 percent of students reported that witnessing physical abuse at home can lead to violence in school.
Among students of all ages, homicide perpetrators were found to be twice as likely as homicide victims to have been bullied previously by their peers.
Source: Olweus Research
Laws & Policies
State and local lawmakers have taken action to prevent bullying and protect children. Through laws (in their state education codes and elsewhere) and model policies (that provide guidance to districts and schools), each state addresses bullying differently. Find out how your state refers to bullying in its laws and what they require on part of schools and districts.
Bullying, cyber bullying, and related behaviors may be addressed in a single law or may be addressed in multiple laws. In some cases, bullying appears in the criminal code of a state that may apply to juveniles.
In December 2010, the U.S. Department of Education reviewed state laws and identified 11 key components common among many of those laws.
There is no federal law that specifically applies to bullying. In some cases, when bullying is based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or religion*, bullying overlaps with harassment and schools are legally obligated to address it. Read more about when bullying overlaps with harassment and how to report it to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and then U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.
Which states have bullying laws?
The bullying laws in the United States are undergoing change. As of October, 2010, 45 states had bullying laws, while there were no such laws in the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota, with New York being one of the most recent to pass legislation. As new states continue to put bullying laws on the books, states with existing laws review and revise them. New Jersey, for example, which passed anti-bullying legislation in 2002, had an anti-bullying bill of rights law introduced to its legislature in October, 2010. The new law provides for the training of public school staff in addressing bullying, intimidation, and harassment, as well as in suicide prevention.
Why Are Bullying Laws Controversial?
Some people question whether legislation specifically aimed at bullying adds anything new to existing laws. While many people are eager to see bullying addressed, others question whether existing laws about harassment, safety, violence, and destruction of property are actually sufficient. In addition, many individual schools have felt compelled to come up with bullying plans that they feel are appropriate to their situation. The particular wording of the bullying law at the state level could redirect attention from where individual schools have feltmoved to place it based on their experience.
(Source: Bullying Statistics)
Are there federal laws that apply to bullying?
At present, no federal law directly addresses bullying. In some cases, bullying overlaps with discriminatory harassment when it is based on race, national origin, color,sex, age, disability, or religion. When bullying and harassment overlap, federally-funded schools (including colleges and universities) have an obligation to resolve the harassment. When the situation is not adequately resolved, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division may be able to help. No matter what label is used (e.g., bullying, hazing, teasing), schools are obligated by these laws to address conduct that is:
- severe, pervasive or persistent
- creates a hostile environment at school: that is, it is sufficiently serious that it interferes with or limits a student's ability to participate and/or benefit from the services, activities, or opportunities offered by a school
- based on a student’s race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or religion.
Although the US Department of Education, under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not directly cover religion, often religious based harassment is based on shared ancestry of ethnic characteristics which is covered. The US Department of Justice has jurisdiction over religion under Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. (Source:stopbullying)
Why Are Bullying Laws Controversial?
Some people question whether legislation specifically aimed at bullying adds anything new to existing laws. While many people are eager to see bullying addressed, others question whether existing laws about harassment, safety, violence, and destruction of property are actually sufficient. In addition, many individual schools have felt compelled to come up with bullying plans that they feel are appropriate to their situation. The particular wording of the bullying law at the state level could redirect attention from where individual schools have feltmoved to place it based on their experience.
(Source: Bullying Statistics)
Are there federal laws that apply to bullying?
At present, no federal law directly addresses bullying. In some cases, bullying overlaps with discriminatory harassment when it is based on race, national origin, color,sex, age, disability, or religion. When bullying and harassment overlap, federally-funded schools (including colleges and universities) have an obligation to resolve the harassment. When the situation is not adequately resolved, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division may be able to help. No matter what label is used (e.g., bullying, hazing, teasing), schools are obligated by these laws to address conduct that is:
- severe, pervasive or persistent
- creates a hostile environment at school: that is, it is sufficiently serious that it interferes with or limits a student's ability to participate and/or benefit from the services, activities, or opportunities offered by a school
- based on a student’s race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or religion.
Although the US Department of Education, under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not directly cover religion, often religious based harassment is based on shared ancestry of ethnic characteristics which is covered. The US Department of Justice has jurisdiction over religion under Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. (Source:stopbullying)
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Student Harassment Prevention Act