Many students scared to go to school | WashingtonExaminer.com

Many students scared to go to school | WashingtonExaminer.com:

Many students scared to go to school

October 6, 2012 | 8:00 pm 

Students at Richard Montgomery High School (Examiner file photo)

By most regards, John F. Kennedy High School is a good high school in Silver Spring. The overwhelming majority of students pass state exams with flying colors, and 82 percent graduate within four years. Later this month, students will dress in university gear to celebrate College Readiness Day.

So why do only half of Kennedy students feel safe in school?

On just-released surveys, students in even the Washington suburbs' best schools say bullying remains a serious problem at a level undetected by parents and teachers. Some campuses suspended students hundreds of times for endangering school safety in the 2011-12 school year.

(See a chart of incidents in Montgomery and Fairfax schools)

At Kennedy, only 53 percent of students agreed with the statement "I feel safe at school," while students were suspended 131 times for