NEWS
Sexual Attacks in New York City's Schools Are Up Sharply
June 3, 2001
By EDWARD WYATT (New York Times)

Sexual attacks in the New York City public schools are occurring at a rate of 10 per week, up sharply in the last two years and uncommonly high even after accounting for the sprawling size of the school system, the nation's largest.
A review of local and national statistics shows the rate of sexual attacks on New York City students by other students or by staff members is nearly four times the national average and more than twice that for schools in urban areas. New York City's rate of 37 sexual incidents per 100,000 students is more than double that of the Los Angeles Unified School District, the country's second largest.
Sexual incidents reported in the city's school system — a category that covers a variety of acts, from sexual grabbing and groping to sexual abuse, rape and sodomy — have jumped 13 percent this year, to 354 incidents, and the rise last year was even sharper.
Experts offer various explanations for New York City's high rate. The size of the school system itself — 1.1 million students in 1,189 schools — presents opportunities for sexual offenses. More rigorous reporting methods in New York and older national statistics may also affect comparisons.
Nationally, the rate of sexual incidents reported in exceptionally large schools is more than three times the rate in schools with only a few hundred students. And some New York schools range from prekindergarten through eighth grade, putting sexually aware teenagers in close proximity to far younger students.
New York City's annual rate of 37 offenses per 100,000 students covers general education classes and excludes special education and alternative programs. The most recent comparable national rate is fewer than 10 per 100,000 students in all public schools and 14 per 100,000 students in urban schools. The Los Angeles school system's own police department reported 109 sexual incidents last year, a rate of 15 per 100,000 students.
Schools Chancellor Harold O. Levy, who took over in January 2000 said it was unfair to compare recent city data with national trends, because of differences in reporting methods and definitions of sexual misconduct from state to state.
Mr. Levy said that left the national studies open to error because principals had incentives to not report incidents and students often failed to do so. New York City's numbers, which are based on actual reports to the police, are more reliable, he said.
A review of New York City's experience with sexual offenses in the schools in recent years makes clear, however, that a rash of sexual incidents this spring was far from an anomaly. In one of those cases, a teacher charged last month with six counts of assault had been investigated in previous years because of a report of sexual misconduct.
On Friday, two boys, ages 10 and 11, were arrested and charged with first-degree sodomy and first-degree sexual abuse of a 5-year-old girl at Public School 221 in Brooklyn. Police officials said the incidents occurred in the school, a 1,100-student elementary school in Crown Heights, over two days earlier last week.
Although the rate of sexual attacks reported in New York schools has risen in the last two years to about two per day, nearly every other type of crime in the city's public schools has declined.
Edward F. Stancik, the city's special commissioner of investigations in the schools, who is charged with handling reports of sexual misconduct, said he believed that even the current city statistics underestimated the true level of sexual misconduct. Digitally record and play audio from any source, anytime, anywhere...in an instant Bathing suit season will be here before you know it. Are you ready? Private DVD theater puts a floating 6-foot screen right before your eyes It’s time to put all of your photos onto your computer New hand-held vac creates ultra-powerful suction Satellite technology pinpoints your location with this advanced dashboard computer Time zone to time zone never set your watch again Digital Camera memory dilemma solved! Post a Job on NYTimes.com Search NYTimes.com Classifieds All Automobiles Job Market Real Estate Office Space Browse the NYT Store Front Page Books Cards Crosswords Photos Posters Publications Reprints Videos Play the NYT crossword puzzle online Click Here to Receive 50% Off Home Delivery of The New York Times Newspaper. Copyright 2001 The New York Times Company | Privacy Information

© Speak Out Terms of use