9. Nonfatal teacher victimization at school*

Students are not the only ones who are victims of crime at school. Teachers in school can also be the targets of violence and theft. In addition to the personal toll such violence takes on teachers, those who worry about their safety may have difficulty teaching and may leave the profession altogether. Information on the number of crimes against teachers at school can help show how severe and widespread the problem is.

• Over the 5-year period from 1995 through 1999, teachers were the victims of approximately 1,708,000 nonfatal crimes at school, including 1,073,000 thefts and 635,000 violent crimes (rape or sexual assault, robbery, aggra-vated assault, and simple assault) (table 9.1). On average, this translates into 342,000 nonfatal crimes per year, or 79 crimes per 1,000 teachers per year. Among the violent crimes against teachers during this 5-year period, there were about 69,000 serious violent crimes (11 percent of the violent crimes), including rape or sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault. On average, this translates into 14,000 serious violent crimes per year.
• During the 1995-99 period, the average annual rate of serious violent crime was similar for teachers (on average, 3 per 1,000 teachers), regardless of their instructional level, gender, race/ethnicity, and the urbanicity of the schools where they taught (figure 9.1 and table 9.1)⁶.
• During the 1995-99 period, senior high school and middle/junior high school teachers were more likely to be victims of violent crimes (most of which were simple assaults) than elementary school teachers (38 and 54, respectively, versus 16 crimes per 1,000 teachers) (figure 9.1 and table 9.1).
• During the 1995-99 period, senior high school and middle/junior high school teachers were more likely to experience theft at school than elementary school teachers (61 and 66, respectively, versus 38 thefts per 1,000 teachers) (figure 9.1 and table 9.1).
• The average annual violent crime rate for teachers at school varied by gender (figure 9.1 and table 9.1). Over the 5-year period from 1995 through 1999, male teachers were more likely to be victims of violent crimes than female teachers (51 versus 22 crimes per 1,000 teachers).
• Teachers were differentially victimized by violent crimes at school according to where they taught (figure 9.1 and table 9.1). For example, over the 5-year period from 1995 through 1999, urban teachers were more likely to be victims of violent crimes than suburban and rural teachers (39 versus 22 and 20, respectively, per 1,000 teachers). Teachers in urban areas were more likely to experience theft at school than those in rural areas (58 and 34 respectively, per 1,000 teachers) but no more likely than suburban teachers.