N.J. Report Shows Drop In School Bullying Incidents
TRENTON, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A new report indicates the number of bullying incidents in New Jersey public schools has declined over the past year.
As WCBS 880's Ginny Kosola reported Friday, the report released by New Jersey's Department of Education found the number of school bullying investigations declined by nearly 40 percent in the 2012-13 school year.
Overall, reported incidents of bullying dropped nearly 20 percent in 2012-13 compared with 2011-12.
NJ Report Show Drop In School Bullying Incidents
Last year was the second full year of the state's Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights.
State Education Commissioner Chris Cerf said the drop was due to schools being more aware of the problem.
"Safe and secure learning environments are a crucial part of preparing kids for college and career, and we have invested significant time to provide support and coaching to districts to reduce incidents of bullying and other forms of violence," Cerf said in a release accompanying the report.
LINK: Read The Full Report (pdf)
However, Joseph Ricca, who was on the state's anti-bullying advisory committee, said some people may be reluctant to report incidents since they can be high-profile, Kosola reported.
The report found roughly a third of bullying cases take place right in the classroom and 1 in 6 incidents involve online harassment.
There are about 40 incidents per school district, according to the figures. More than half of reported cases take place in grades 5 through 8, the report said.
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