New York state’s public schools fail to report many violent and disruptive incidents, such as assaults on campus and weapons brought onto their property, and misclassify others as less serious events, state auditors reported last week.
State and federal law requires schools to report incidents of violence. For schools listed as “persistently dangerous,” parents are supposed to be notified and can transfer their children to a safer school if one is available.
Auditors reviewed seven schools outside New York City in the 2011-12 school year. They identified 935 unreported incidents, including assaults, bullying, drug use, weapons, and burglary. That showed an underreporting of 29 percent of the 3,175 total reportable incidents they identified.