A report published jointly by the Department of Education and the Department of Justice revealed that 1,183,700 violent crimes were committed at U.S. public schools during the 2009-2010 school year.

CNSNews.com is reporting that the report, entitled “Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2011” found that violent crimes were committed at 73.8 percent of the nation’s public schools, which translates to a rate of approximately 40 crimes per 1,000 students enrolled in 2009-2010.

The report defines “violent crimes” as rape, sexual battery other than rape, physical attack or fight with or without a weapon, threat of physical attack with or without a weapon, and robbery with or without a weapon.

From July 1, 2009, through June 30, 2010, there were 33 school-associated violent deaths in elementary and secondary schools in the United States. Of the 33 student, staff, and nonstudent school-associated violent deaths occurring between July 1, 2009, and June 30, 2010, 25 were homicides, five were suicides, and three were legal interventions.

More than 725,000 other crimes were classified as physical attacks or fights without a weapon, with another 406,000 threats of a physical attack without a weapon occurring during the same period

Of the 52,500 “serious violent incidents” the study estimated occurred at public schools in 2009-2010, only 23,500 were reported to police.

“According to the report, an estimated 600 rapes occurred at public schools, but only about 500 rapes were reported to the police,” CNS reports. “About 3,600 sexual batteries other than rape occurred at public schools, but only but only about 2,200 were reported to the police. ”

Bullying continues to be a problem in schools with 28 percent of students ages 12-18 reporting that they were bullied at school during the 2009-2010 school year. A higher percentage of females (20%) reported being the subject of rumors, while a higher percentage of males reported being pushed, shoved, tripped or spit on (10% vs. 8%). Girls also tended to be excluded from activities on purpose than boys (6% vs. 4%).

The National Crime Prevention Council offers parents many common sense tips on how to keep their children safe in school, such as talking to them daily about their day to check for any indication of bullying, teaching them how to resolve problems without fighting, and what to do if they encounter any suspicious people or activities in or around their school.

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