Schools

Is Bullying Down?

A new Long Island survey shows it's less prevalent, but it's still a major issue.

Written by David Reich-Hale

While bullying remains a major problem across Long Island, it's happening less frequently than in previous years, according to a survey released by Child Abuse Prevention Services.

CAPS reported that 80 percent of respondents have never been cyber-bullied, while 3 percent said they've been bullied online regularly. Students also said bullying generally happens when adults aren't around. Only 4 percent said they've been bullied in a classroom, while it happens more often on a bus, playground or hallway.

The CAPS 2012-2013 Middle School Bullying Survey questioned 1,177 6th and 7th grade students in public and private schools throughout Long Island. "We are encouraged that we continue to observe a reduction in bullying, but are still concerned that bullying is a part of the fabric of students' everyday life," said Alane Fagin, executive director of CAPS.
 "We're pleased to see that students are less likely to ignore bullying when they see it and more likely to speak to an adult at school when they see a classmate being bullied. Students and adults are stepping up to intervene and prevent bullying in their schools." Is your school district doing enough to stop bullying? Let us know in comments.


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