Report: 18 Percent Of NYC High School Students Bullied

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Eighteen percent of New York City high school students reported being bullied at school or over the Internet in 2011.

That's according to a new health department report.

It found that 29 percent of gay students said they were bullied compared to 17 percent of heterosexual students.

It also found that bullying victims are 2.5 times more likely to attempt suicide. That's 15 percent compared to six percent of other students.

Bullied students are also more likely to get involved in substance abuse, Dr. Roger Platt, Director of School Health, said.

"They're more likely to smoke, they're more likely to drink alcohol, they're more likely to use prescription pain medication and to use marijuana," Platt said.

Platt said that bullying among city high school students is 9 percentage points lower than the rest of the country.

"There are a lot of things that the schools are doing about this. You can always say, 'Is it enough?' It's a lot more than is going on in most parts of the country," Platt told 1010 WINS.

The report said the city's schools offer a number of anti-bullying initiatives.

Platt cited special training for teachers and the launch of a web site with resources for students, parents and teachers.

"All teachers in the school get an annual training session about bullying and about the need to take steps to try to prevent it or to deal with it when it does occur," Platt said.

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