Middle schoolers are the students most likely to be victims of bullying in Carroll County schools, according to a new state-mandated reporting system.
The state Department of Education compiled reports from 23 school districts; Baltimore City did not submit a report.
In Carroll, 96 incidents of bullying occurred between October 2005 and mid-January, said School Security Coordinator Larry Faries.
The majority of victims were between 11 and 14 years old ? a demographic that seems particularly prone to “needling” each other, Faries said.
“If you?d asked before I even looked at the numbers, that?s what I would have said. ? It?s part of that age group,” he said.
According to the state Education Department, Carroll schools had 3.3 incidents per 1,000 students ? the highest reported ratio in the Baltimore region.
Most of the incidents involved verbal harassment, pushing and fighting, and dirty looks.
In Howard, where 72 incidents were reported between September 2005 and Jan. 13, the schools have “bully proofing” programs that involve teacher training and seminars for parents and community members, said Pam Blackwell, director of Howard?s Office of Student Services.
Howard also has an Anti-Bullying Task Force, which reviews the “scope of bullying” in the schools and is expected to give a report of its findings in June.
The Safe Schools Reporting Act of 2005 requirements
» A description of the act constituting the harassment or intimidation
» Age of the victim and alleged perpetrator
» Description of the investigation of the complaint and action taken
» Number of days student is absent from school, if any, as a result of action taken
» Number of false allegations reported
