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Study finds bullying most prevalent in middle schools

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A year-long study of bullying incidents in state schools has found that they are most prevalent in middle school, particularly seventh grade.

According to a report presented Sunday to the Joint Committee on Education, 47 percent of all school discipline referrals for bullying, harassment or intimidation occurred in middle school, while 29 percent of those incidents occurred in high school and 24 percent in elementary school.

By grade level, 17 percent of those referrals were from seventh grade, followed by sixth and eighth grades at 14 percent and 16 percent.

The report was presented by Andy Whisman from the State Department of Education’s Office of Research.

Whisman said the 2013-14 school year was the first year school districts were required to report discipline behaviors under a “newly developed discipline management system,” which as a policy defines bullying, harassment and intimidation in the same way that legislation does.

“Unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated over time,” is the federal definition of bullying, the report said.

Whisman said a total of 2,957 students were referred for disciplinary action for bullying or harassment behaviors, 86 percent of whom were referred for a single offense.

Males made up the majority — 75 percent — of those students…

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