Media Alert: Aug. 27, 1998
IU RELEASES SURVEY ON SCHOOL SAFETY AND FEARS OF INDIANA YOUTH
NOTE: Following is information from Indiana University about an upcoming media opportunity. If you
need further assistance, contact Ellen Mathia, director of strategic communications,
Office of Communications and Marketing, at 812-855-3911, or e-mail him at emathia@indiana.edu
The complete report, highlighted below, is on the Web at
http://www.drugs.indiana.edu/drug_stats/safety98
If you do not have access to the Web, call the Office of Communications and Marketing at 812-855-3911 and
a copy will be faxed to you.
For comments and additional background on the survey, contact William J. Bailey, executive director of the
Indiana Prevention Resource Center, at 812-855-1237 or 800-346-3077, which is toll-free in Indiana only.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Indiana Prevention Resource Center at Indiana University today released
data on weapons use, violent behavior, and student perceptions of safety in school.
The data were collected from a representative sample of youth in 137 schools throughout Indiana, yielding
more than 44,000 usable returns. The survey was conducted this year in grades 6 through 12. Major
findings include:
- Approximately 9 percent of Indiana middle school students report feeling somewhat unsafe or very
unsafe, at least occasionally, while traveling to school, while at school, or while staying after
school.
- Approximately 40 percent of Indiana middle school students and 29 percent of Indiana high school
students report being in a physical fight at least once in the past year.
- Approximately 1.5 percent of Indiana middle school students, and 2.3 percent of Indiana high school students report carrying a gun to school at least once in the past year. Approximately 7 percent of Indiana middle school students, and 9 percent of Indiana high school students report carrying a knife or other weapon to school at least
once in the past year.
- Approximately 6 percent of Indiana middle school students, and 6 percent of Indiana high school students were absent from at least one day of school because they felt unsafe going to or being at school.
- Youths who reported using illegal drugs at least once in the past month were three to seven times more likely to have engaged in violent behavior or weapon use than were non drug-using youth. Safety and violence concerns did not vary significantly among communities
of different sizes, nor among urban, suburban, or rural communities.
Return to the OCM Home Page
