Study: Bullying persists in school, reports of sex crime up

A new study shows that 1 out of every 5 of middle and high school students has complained of being bullied at school. And the number of reports of sexual assault on college campuses has more than tripled over the past decade.

The study by the National Center for Education Statistics and the Justice Department released Tuesday says that overall instances of bullying have been declining in American schools over the past decade. But 21 percent of students aged 12-18 still reported being bullied in 2015. That’s slightly below the international average.

The picture was bleaker for gay, lesbian and bisexual students. The study said 34 percent of students who identified as LGBT complained of bullying, compared to 19 percent who identified as heterosexual.

According to the study, the number of crime victims at schools in 2015 decreased by 82 percent since 1992. Online records show that Columbia police were called to Columbia high schools for reports of crimes 77 times during the 2014 school year, 45 times in 2015 and 31 times in 2016.