According to the U.S. National Center for Education Statistics, school violence is a serious problem.
[1][2] In 2007, the latest year for which comprehensive data were available, a nationwide survey,[3] conducted biennially by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and involving representative samples of U.S. high school students, found that 5.9% of students carried a weapon (e.g. gun, knife, etc.)
In the twelve months preceding the survey, 12.4% of students had been in a physical fight on school property at least once.
[5] During 2007–2008, teachers’ reports of being threatened or physically attacked by students varied according to the instructional level of their school.
[7] In the Maryland case, the child's mother called the police, not the school, although a school administrator did notify the girl's mother (the students were not charged with sexual assault because the police mishandled the paperwork).
In 2008, the Baltimore School District failed to intervene in an act of violence committed against a teacher.