KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON - Today, Public Health - Seattle & King County issued "Public Health Data Watch: Bullying and Biased-Based Harassment in King County Schools," a report that draws attention to widespread bullying and harassment among students in King County.

"Harassment and bullying are not just national problems; they occur right here in our communities and our schools," said King County Executive Ron Sims. "We have found that one way or another everybody, regardless of gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation, is affected by bullying and harassment, many times on a daily basis. We must work collectively to address this problem."

"Adolescence is a critical time in terms of healthy development. As we better meet the needs of youth, they will be more likely to succeed socially and academically, as well as avoid risky behaviors," said Dr. Alonzo Plough, Director of Public Health - Seattle & King County. "In King County we are developing successful interventions and policies to assure caring and supportive environments that lead to healthy youth development."

To view the complete report, "Bullying and Biased-Based Harassment in King County Schools," please visit: www.metrokc.gov/health/datawatch

In King County public schools:

• 21% to 30% of students in grades 6 to 12 reported being bullied "a lot" or "every day." Another 48% to 50% reported being bullied "sometimes."
• Though there were frequent reports of bullying-associated experiences in middle school and high school, the highest rates were among 8th graders. Eight out of 10 students in 8th grade reported being bullied "sometimes," "a lot," or "every day."

Other important findings for Seattle and/or King County:

• 50% of the Seattle students in 9th through 12th grade reported being harassed (based on race/ethnicity, gender or perceived sexual orientation) in the 1999 Seattle Teen Health Survey.
• Students who have been harassed are almost three times as likely to carry weapons.
• Harassed students are much more likely to also report engaging in self-endangering or harmful behaviors, such as smoking and alcohol use.
• Many students would tell another student to stop bullying if they saw a bullying incident occur. However, nearly equal numbers would either "walk away" or "stay and watch."
• Nearly half of gay, lesbian and bisexual students reported having been harassed based on their perceived sexual orientation. However, seven out of 10 students who reported harassment based on perceived sexual orientation identified as heterosexual.
• Students who report harassment also report feeling less safe at school.
• Students reporting harassment may be at greater risk for suicide or have other mental health concerns.

Policies and interventions

This Data Watch report will assist school districts and others as they develop policies and interventions to deal effectively with bullying and harassment. Despite the alarming bullying and harassment rates, there are signs of improvements. In 1995, 59% of Seattle high school students reported being harassed, but this number fell to 50% by 1999.

Washington State's "Anti-Bullying" law was signed by Governor Locke in March 2002. The law requires all school districts in the state to ban bullying, harassment and intimidation by August 2003.

"Students must feel safe at school if they are to reach the high academic standards we have set for them," said Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Joseph Olchefske. "We are committed to ensuring a healthy learning environment and to creating a culture in every school and every classroom where bulling and harassment are not tolerated and where students and staff demonstrate respect and tolerance toward one another."

The Seattle Public Schools has a clear policy against bias-based harassment and a more comprehensive anti-aggression policy is now being finalized. The result of Seattle Schools interventions, thus far, have been promising. Safety and security incidents have declined 44% since the 1996-97 school year.

Report background

The information in this Data Watch report comes from the Washington State Survey on Adolescent Health Behaviors and the Seattle Teen Health Survey. "Bullying-associated behaviors" include rumors or lies, name calling and insults, shoving or pushing, and threatening with physical harm. "Biased-based harassment" includes unwanted behavior that involves physical acts, verbal or written slurs or other expressions of prejudice against a group or class of people, leading to a school which is less safe for individuals or groups.