By Michael Stratford , Juan Perez Jr. 10/15/2020 02:09 PM EDT
The nation’s public elementary and secondary schools reported a more than 50 percent increase in reports of sexual violence during the 2017-18 school year, according to new federal civil rights data the Education Department released Thursday.
Schools reported nearly 15,000 total incidents of sexual violence, which reflects an overall 55-percent increase from the 2015-16 school year.
The vast majority of incidents, more than 14,100, were classified as sexual assault, which rose by 53 percent. Schools reported approximately 780 incidents of rape or attempted rape, which was nearly double the number of incidents from the 2015-16 school year.
The context: The data was released as part of a massive survey of information from schools, known as the Civil Rights Data Collection, which the Education Department conducts every other year.
This is the second year the civil rights data survey has asked schools to report information about sexual violence. The Education Department said it took new steps to bolster the quality of the data after errors in the last survey raised questions about the accuracy of how schools reported sexual violence.
The numbers reflect documented allegations, not necessarily confirmed incidents, the department said.
An analysis of the data by the department’s Office for Civil Rights said it was unclear what was driving the increase between the data released this year and the data released in the previous report in 2018.
“The increase in reported allegations may reflect under-reporting” in the previous survey, “an increased sensitivity to this issue” in the latest survey, “or an actual increase in incidents of sexual violence,” the department wrote in its analysis of the data.
Still, the government’s latest sexual misconduct data reflect what Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has described as a “tragic rise of sexual misconduct complaints” in elementary and high schools.
Changes ahead: Earlier this year, the department’s Office for Civil Rights said it would start “nationwide compliance reviews” to examine how schools address misconduct complaints under Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in education programs. The civil rights office has also proposed collecting more detailed data on a school-by-school basis, including incidents and allegations involving school staff.
Seclusion and restraint data: The department also highlighted its analysis of new civil rights data that examines the extent to which schools physically restrained students or placed them in seclusion.
The data shows that students with disabilities were disproportionately subject to seclusion and restraint. Students with disabilities comprise 13 percent of total enrollment but accounted for 80 percent of students who were subjected to physical restraints, 41 percent of students subjected to mechanical restraint and 77 percent of students secluded.
The department’s analysis also showed racial disparities. Black students comprise 18 percent of students with disabilities but made up 26 percent of students with disabilities placed in physical restraints and 34 percent of students with disabilities who were subject to mechanical restraint.
