UT-Austin study: Student bullying costs districts millions
Researchers from the University of Texas at Austin found evidence to suggest school districts could be losing out on millions of dollars in funding due to the bullying of students.
The researchers used survey data from California to estimate that school districts there missed out on about $275 million annually when students stayed home from school because they felt unsafe in class. When a student misses school, the local district often receives less funding, depending on the state.
The findings were published Thursday in a journal, School Psychology Quarterly.
"Preventing bullying and absenteeism while promoting feelings of safety has both economic and social benefits," the researchers wrote. "While existing research often focuses on consequences of bullying to the individual, the work presented here gives schools information to assess costs of bias-based bullying and missed daily attendance."
The study's authors cautioned against using the data to estimate funding losses in other states, such as Texas, because rates of bullying and absenteeism might vary.
To estimate the financial impact of bullying, the study's authors analyzed survey responses by middle and high school students in California. The researchers focused on how often students reported that they stayed home from school because they felt unsafe, and how often they were harassed or bullied.
Using the stay-at-home response data, the authors calculated how much districts lost in funding, which is tied to daily student attendance.
The researchers found a strong link between absenteeism due to safety and rates of bullying. But the student survey did not ask how often children stayed home specifically because of bullying. Other factors, such as in-school violence, could have contributed to absenteeism.
As a result, the researchers could not estimate funding losses caused exclusively by bullying-induced absenteeism.UT-Austin study: Student bullying costs districts millions - Houston Chronicle: