School Safety

All schools, school districts and charter schools are required to report the 17 reportable acts of crime and violence occurring in school, at a school bus stop, on a school bus, on school grounds, or during an off-campus school-sponsored activity to the NC Department of Public Instruction. The report card provides data on any of the 17 reportable acts reported to have occurred at the school. Reportable acts include:

• Possession of a weapon
• Possession of controlled substance in violation of law
• Possession of alcoholic beverage
• Possession of a firearm or powerful explosive
• Assault involving use of a weapon
• Assault on school personnel
• Assault resulting in serious injury
• Robbery without a dangerous weapon
• Robbery with a dangerous weapon
• Taking indecent liberties with a minor
• Rape
• Sexual offense
• Sexual assault
• Kidnapping
• Death by other than natural causes
• Bomb threat
• Burning of a school building

Definitions of each reportable act and additional information about school reporting requirements are available on the Department of Public Instruction's Web site at www.ncpublicschools.org/research/discipline/.

Data are gathered throughout the year by schools, Local Education Agencies (LEAs), and charters and submitted to the Department of Public Instruction.

Rates are derived by dividing each school's total number of reported acts by the the school’s final Average Daily Membership (ADM) for the 2006-07 school year and then multiplying by 100. The total number of acts along with the ADM also is reported.

Source: NCDPI, Agency Operations and Information Management, 2006-07.

Triple S (Super Safe Schools) Recognition
The Super Safe Schools Recognition process is a competitive and voluntary one. Although schools are encouraged to apply for the recognition, it is not required and failure to submit an application does not imply that a school is unsafe. Schools that qualify have completed a comprehensive application process that includes reviewing trend data, safe school planning information, crisis planning process and implementation procedures, student recognition programs, parent and student satisfaction surveys, intervention and prevention programs and other related information.

Additional information about Triple S Recognition is available on the Department of Public Instruction's Web site at www.ncpublicschools.org/safeschools/applications/triples/.

Source: NCDPI, Curriculum & School Reform Services, Middle School Division, School Safety and Climate Section, 2006-07.

Persistently Dangerous Schools
Data are collected, along with the crime and violence and suspension and expulsion data, by June 30 of each year. Before the decision to label a school persistently dangerous is made, an external team reviews the school’s portfolio information. The final decision for labeling a school as persistently dangerous is the responsibility of the State Board of Education.

Source: NCDPI, Curriculum & School Reform Services, Middle School Division, School Safety and Climate Section, 2006-07.

Student Suspensions & Expulsions
Schools are required to report out-of-school suspensions to the state. Out-of-school suspensions are typically divided into short-term (10 days or less) and long-term (more than 10 days).

Local Education Agencies (LEAs) establish their own definitions and business rules for awarding and reporting suspensions and for reporting alternative placements (some LEAs consider alternative placements to be a suspension but others do not). For this reason, comparable data cannot be reported at the state-level.

Rates are derived by dividing each school's total number of reported incidents by final Average Daily Membership (ADM) for the 2006-07 school year and then multiplying by 100. Data are gathered throughout the year by schools, Local Education Agencies (LEAs), and charters and submitted electronically through the Disciplinary Data Collection Form to the Department of Public Instruction.

Source: NCDPI, Agency Operations & Management, , Annual Study of Suspensions & Expulsions, 2006-07.

Attendance
The attendance rate is calculated by dividing the final Average Daily Attendance (ADA) in the school year by the final Average Daily Membership (ADM) in the school year.

In order to be considered in attendance, a student (except for hospital/homebound or staggered kindergarten) must be present in the school for the school day or at a place other than the school with the approval of the appropriate school official for the purpose of attending an authorized school activity. Such activities may include field trips, athletic contests, student conventions, musical festivals or any similarly approved activity.

District and state counts are the averages for schools in the same grade range category (elementary; middle; high; combined elementary, middle and high; combined elementary and middle; or combined middle and high).

Source: NCDPI, Financial & Business Services, School Business Division, Principal's Monthly Report, 2006-07.

Books & Technology
Each year, schools must complete an online technology report beginning in April of each year. All reports are due on June 30. The Technology Director in each Local Education Agency (LEA) verifies all school data (by July 1) before it is processed (July 17) and published on August 1. The report requests that schools report all information as of June 30th. Schools and LEAs may amend reports before August.

• Number of Books Per Student
  Schools are asked to provide the total number of books in their media center or library collection. Periodicals, software titles, videotapes, and electronic books may not be included. Schools are directed to count no more than five (5) copies of a single title and to count encyclopedias as one book. This total is divided by the final Average Daily Membership (ADM) for the school year to produce the average number of books per student.
  
  
• Average Age of Books in the Media
  Schools are asked to respond to the inquiry, “What is the average age of your media collection?” Age is based on the last copyright date of each book in the school media center or library.
  
  
• Number of Students Per Instructional Computer
  Schools are asked to provide a count of the total number of computers that they use for student instruction in their media center/library, general/academic classrooms, general/academic labs, vocational education classrooms, vocational education labs, and other areas. This total is divided by the final average daily membership (ADM) for the school year to produce the average number of students per instructional computer.
  
  
• Number of Students per Internet-Connected Computer
  Schools are asked to provide a count of the total number of Internet-connected computers available to students in their school. This total is divided by the final average daily membership (ADM) for the school year to produce the average number of students per Internet-connected computer.
  
  
• Percentage of Classrooms Connected to the Internet
  Schools are asked to provide the total number of Internet-connected classrooms in their school. This total of Internet-connected classrooms is divided by the total number of classrooms in the school to produce the percentage of classrooms connected to the Internet.

District and state averages for this indicator include data from all schools, without regard to school grade span. As available, data from charter schools are reported.

Source: NCDPI, Accountability & Technology Services, Instructional Technologies Division, Technology Planning & Support Section, Annual Media & Technology Report, 2006.