Parents, Students Report Different Rates of Bullying

September 14, 2011 RSS Feed Print

About 70 percent of parents across the U.S. say that their child has been bullied on school grounds, according to a new survey sponsored by ADT Security Services and the Cherokee County, Ga., school district—a percentage much higher than students report.

The survey, conducted by parental protection website safetymom.com, included parents of 520 students of all grade levels. In comparison, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reported last month that approximately a quarter of high school students were bullied during the 2008-2009 school year, according to a student survey.

Not only are parents reporting higher rates of bullying, but their concerns are almost diametrically opposed to that of students. Parents surveyed by Safety Mom believe their children are safest in the classroom and most in danger of bullying while riding the school bus; conversely, students surveyed by NCES said they were most likely to be bullied in the hallways, stairwells, or classrooms, and were less commonly bullied on the bus or in the cafeteria.

Most concerning to parents was the likelihood of their child getting bullied by another student. Parents were less concerned about more extreme—but unlikely—situations, such as a school shooting or hostage situation in schools.

Parents were also concerned about their children being bullied online. For those who are seeking help, a national "Stand Up, Not Stand By" campaign to help parents, educators, and students curb cyber bullying was launched Monday by Common Sense Media, a nonprofit dedicated to keeping young people safe online.

[Learn how cyber bullying is getting more malicious.]

The campaign includes a cyber-bullying toolkit with lesson plans for teachers to start a dialogue with their students about virtual threats, as well as an online resource center for parents who are looking for ways to help their children.

See how your school stacks up in our rankings of Best High Schools. Have something of interest to share? Send your news to us at highschoolnotes@usnews.com.

Tags:: students,; bullying,; parenting,; safety,; high school,; K-12 education

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i reckon schools should have more projects and presentations on bullying so that maybe just maybe everybody would work together and realise how awful it can make a child/teenager feel when they are the victim of bullying.every school in every county! all at the same time! i know maybe they probably do but they need more reminding.

kirsty 7:13AM March 26, 2012

As parents we must remember that our children's social struggles can begin long before the teen years in the form of bullying, often thought of as just "part of growing up”. But behaviors associated with bullying or the trauma that comes with being a bully's victim can cause serious, long-lasting problems for children especially to kids who are special. I can relate this kind of news because I have also a son who is special. As a mother I always look forward for the safety and protection of my kids in school especially from bullying related incidents. Thanks to my sister who introduced to me a mobile application from safekidzone that works for my kids, by just pressing the button notifies your friends and family whenever they are in danger. Protect your kids now visit http://safekidzone.com/

Michelle2010 of NJ 1:27AM February 16, 2012

How do you stop your child from being bullied when the school knows about it and wont do anything to stop it. I'm at the point that I want to call the police.

Keisha Turner of MD 6:30AM February 07, 2012