As local, state and federal officials deliberate what's needed to make schools safer following last month's massacre in Newtown, statistics from the Connecticut Department of Education show a decline in "serious" incidents taking place on school grounds over a five-year period.
The number of what the department termed "serious" incidents — involving weapons, violence, threatening behavior and other categories — decreased from 50,347 in school year 2005-06 to 43,236 in school year 2010-11, the most recent year for which data is available, the CT Mirror reports.
The decrease represents a 14 percent drop.
Citing the state's figures, the Mirror reported that during the 2010-11 school year there were:
- 14,049 fighting/battery incidents at Connecticut district schools
- 13,886 physical/verbal confrontation/conduct unbecoming incidents
- 1,203 incidents involving a weapon
In Ridgefield schools during that same year, according to the state, there were:
- 3 incidents involving a weapon
- 6 violent crimes against persons
- 2 incidents involving sexually-related behavior
- 33 incident of physical/verbal confrontation/conduct unbecoming
- 17 incidents of personally threatening behavior
- 23 incidents involving fighting/battery
A PDF of the state's statistics is included in the photo gallery that accompanies this article.
