Trauma

20% (1 in 5) of high school students reported being bullied on school property in 2019*. 20% = 3.4 million children. 8% (1.4 million) were in a physical fight at school.

5% of students of middle and high school students age 12-18 (2.5 million) reported they were afraid of attack or harm at school – more than the 3% who said they were afraid of attack away from school.

The negative impact of these experiences can last throughout the lives of the students, including

• Learning problems, lower grades, more suspensions and expulsions
• Higher use of health and mental health services
• Increase involvement with child welfare and juvenile justice systems
• Long-term health problem, like diabetes and heart disease

At All Choices Matter, we see our job as trying to stop these events from happening through education. We believe that making students aware of how their actions can impact their own lives and the lives of their families, due to potential legal consequences, could make them think twice before starting or participating in traumatic events. Seeing how even “fun” activities, or words spoken without thinking, can ruin the lives of both the victim and the accused could make them more aware of their own actions.

*The last year of reliable data due to the school closings in 2020-21.