Baseline Data from the 2008-09 School Discipline Code Data Audit Identified 4.7% of Behavioral Incidents as Bias-Related
Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein today released findings from the Department of Education’s first annual audit of bias-related bullying and harassment incidents in the City’s public schools. In September 2008, the Department introduced Chancellor’s Regulation A-832, which added mandated reporting and investigation guidelines to its anti-bias Respect for All initiative. The regulation, among the most rigorous in the country, made New York City a national leader in efforts to combat bullying and harassment based on ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, and other characteristics. The Department’s audit found that 6,207—or 4.7 percent—out of a total of 130,837 disciplinary incidents reported in the City’s public schools during the 2008-09 school year were bias-related. Of the biases associated with these incidents, 55 percent were gender-related, 21 percent were race/color-related, and 13 percent were related to students’ gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation. The 2008-09 report provides baseline data against which the Department can measure future progress in preventing bias-related incidents in City schools.
“Respect for All was a big step forward in our efforts to make every school a safe learning environment where students can focus on learning and growing,” Chancellor Klein said. “This new data provides unprecedented information to help us track and respond to bias-related incidents, and to prevent similar incidents from recurring. I thank Speaker Quinn and our community partners in this work—Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), Operation Respect, Anti-Defamation League, YES Program, and Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility—for their instrumental support in cultivating in our schools safer, more respectful environments in which all students can thrive.”
“The City Council is working hand-in-hand with the Department of Education and community leaders to combat bias-based harassment in our schools,” City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said. “Bias of any kind in our schools will not be tolerated. Armed with this new data, we'll be able to track our progress going forward and help make every school a better and safer learning environment for all of our city's students.”
The Department’s audit of 2008-09 Student Discipline Code data examined reported bias-related incidents across the full spectrum of infractions, ranging from Level 1 (behaviors such as being rude or disrupting class) to Level 5 (the most serious safety violations). The audit found that the majority of reported bias-related incidents—57.9 percent—were Level 4 incidents. Of these Level 4 incidents, 55 percent involved sexually suggestive comments or sexually suggestive behavior such as patting, pinching or indecent public conduct, while 12.7 percent involved intimidation and bullying behavior. Only 1.9 percent of all bias-related incidents were classified as Level 5, which pose the most serious risk to student safety.
A diverse group of external partners including the Anti-Defamation League, GLSEN, Operation Respect, Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility, and the YES Program worked with Department of Education staff members to develop the City's Respect for All program, which prepares school faculty members to address and prevent bullying, harassment, and intimidation of students. The regulation requires schools to develop annual plans to convey appropriate standards of behavior to students and staff, to track and monitor all bias incidents, to investigate complaints properly, and to take follow-up steps to ensure that schools maintain safe and respectful learning environments. Building on this commitment, this year the Department expanded the initiative by requiring more school-based staff members to attend Respect for All trainings so they are better prepared to confront and prevent negative behaviors. Since 2007, more than 2,500 teachers, guidance counselors, and parent coordinators have been trained in Respect for All.
“Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network applauds the Department of Education for recognizing the importance of data to the on-going project of providing safe and effective learning environments for all students,” Eliza Byard, Executive Director of GLSEN said. “Understanding the facts on the ground is crucial for all program design and evaluation, and this first step reaffirms the Department’s commitment to making smart programmatic investments to create school environments that foster respect for all students. As a lead partner in the Respect for All program, GLSEN looks forward to continued assessment and strengthening of the Department’s efforts to address bias of all kinds in the New York City schools.”
“We’re so proud to be working with such a prestigious group of organizations to offer the Respect for All Workshops,” Mark Weiss, Education Director of Operation Respect, said. We are seeing deeper work being done in schools as a result of the trainings, which should positively affect the data and make our kids safer in schools.”
“We salute the Department of Education, under the leadership of Chancellor Klein, for its unwavering commitment to making schools safer and more inclusive for all New York City students,” Ron Meier, ADL New York Regional Director, said. “ADL stands proudly as a key partner in the Respect for All Initiative, and as we look to the future, such programs will remain vital to ensuring that diversity and mutual respect continue to be hallmarks of the New York City public school system.”
This year, the Department provided principals with additional guidance in creating rigorous anti-bullying plans, and new measures will hold them accountable for enforcing those plans. For example, for the first time, efforts to combat bullying and harassment will factor into a school’s Quality Review.
A summary of the audit’s findings is available on the Department of Education Web site at
http://nyc.gov/schools/RulesPolicies/RespectforAll/OORS0809.