Bullying in NYC schools skyrockets

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - New numbers crunched by the New York Post from the State’s Department of Education show New York City students are bullying each other now more than ever.

This information is collected each year from the school’s teachers.

The skyrocketing tormenting, they say, is happening both in person and online.

In the 2017/2018 school year, 5,875 incidents were reported. That’s up 60% from the prior year when there were 3,660 and an increase of more than 300% since the 2013/ 2014 academic year which had 1,344 incidents.

Cyberbullying- specifically- is also on the rise.

In the 2017/ 2018 school year, teachers reported 1,242 cases of online bullying.

 A nearly 600% increase since the state began collecting data on cyberbullying in the 2013/2014 cycle.

That year, there were 178 reports.

In September of 2017, the DOE allocated an additional $8 million dollars in funding for anti-bullying campaigns after a Bronx teen, Abel Cedeno, stabbed two classmates, one fatally, claiming they were bullyinghim.

A DOE spokesperson telling the Post that schools with pressing bullying problems have been prioritized, “Although the annual school survey continues to show the overwhelming majority of students feel safe in their schools, we’ll continue our investments to prevent bullying and foster a safe and supportive environment for every child,” said the spokeswoman, Miranda Barbot.