The Delaware Dept. of Education released figures on School Conduct for the 2015-2016 school year. In nearly every category there was an increase over the 2014-2015 school year. One notable exception is a decrease in bullying reporting. I contribute that not to a real decrease in bullying but schools not reporting incidents as bullying. That has been an ongoing trend in Delaware. Offensive touching and fighting/disorderly conduct went up dramatically over the year before. Pornography and Production more than doubled. These are very disturbing trends. What is going on in our schools and districts? What is happening to students that these numbers keep going up and up? It will be interesting to see these numbers in a year now that legislation passed where schools don’t have to call the police for many incidents such as fighting/disorderly conduct.
I will attempt to break this down by district and charter schools, and then each school. That is a lot of hours to do, so please be patient. None of these reports break down sub-groups or demographics in these offenses and incidents. So we are unable to see the race or ethnic breakdowns for these or if the students were special education or English Language learners. The first numbers are for the 2015-2016 year followed by numbers from the 2014-2015 year.
SCHOOL CRIMES
Violent Felonies: 137 (138)
Gun-Free School Offenses- Handgun, Rifle, Shotgun, Starter Gun, Explosives/Incendiary Device: 16 (8)
Weapons Offense: Destructive Weapon, Dangerous Weapon, Dangerous Instrument, Pellet Gun, BB Gun, Knife, Razor Blade/Box Cutter, Brass Knuckles, Bat, Club, Martial Arts Throwing Star: 238 (196)
Drug Offenses: 582 (556)
Assault III: 373 (264)
Unlawful Sexual Contact: 56 (26)
Terroristic Threatening Employee Victim: 0 (0)
School Offenses: 0 (0)
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION OFFENSES
Pornography- Possession and Production: 50 (22)
Criminal Mischief (Vandalism): 434 (316)
Alcohol, Possession and Use: 88 (80)
Drug Use/Influence: 320 (294)
Felony Theft ($1,500 or more): 2 (4)
Bullying: 1,260 (1,320)
Offensive Touching of a Student: 8,156 (6,134)
Terroristic Threatening of a Student: 752 (560)
Sexual Harassment: 272 (246)
Fighting/Disorderly Conduct: 10,450 (8,680)
Inhalants: 10 (2)
Drug Paraphernalia: 176 (148)
Tobacco Possession and/or use: 686 (782)
Medications- Inappropriate Possession and/or use: 58 (56)
Under 12- Assault III Student Victim: 66 (22)
Under 12- Assault III Employee Victim: 22 (22)
Under 12- Unlawful Sexual Contact III Student Victim: 18 (6)
Under 12- Unlawful Sexual Contact III Employee Victim: 2 (0)
Offensive Touching Employee Victim: 1,217 (808)
Terroristic Threatening Employee Victim: 324 (188)
Teen Dating Violence: 6 (8)
Tampering With Public Records: 0 (0)
SUSPENSIONS/EXPULSIONS:
Suspensions (Out of School and In School): 49,629 (47,473)
Expulsions: 123 (95)
Days Suspended/Expelled: 114,666 (98,020)
Unduplicated Students Suspended/Expelled: 17,258 (16,852)
Student Enrollment (9/30/15): 136,027 (134,932)
Percent of Students Suspended/Expelled (Out of School and In School): 13% (12%)
Suspensions (Out of School): 27,372 (25,151)
Days Out of School for Suspension and Expulsion (one day or more): 89,983 (72,848)
Unduplicated Students Suspended (one day or more) or Expelled: 12,063 (11,557)
Percent of Students Suspended (out of school) or Expelled: 9% (9%)
SUSPENSIONS/EXPULSIONS BY CATEGORY:
Department of Education Offenses: 10,359 (8,623)
School Violations: 38,651 (38,292)
School Crimes: 739 (653)
EXPULSIONS BY SERVICES PROVIDED:
Expulsion with CDAP placement: 54 (44)
Expulsion with services: 45 (31)
Expulsion without services: 24 (20)
The Season Of Myths 