MEDIA RELEASE

HONOLULU – Fewer Hawaii public middle school students say they have been bullied at school over the last two years, according to new youth survey results. And fewer students reported being cyberbullied or cyberbullying someone else.

“This is a positive trend that we want to see continue as our schools uphold the commitment to provide safe and nurturing learning environments for all students,” said Superintendent Dr. Christina Kishimoto. “Bullying of any kind has no place in our schools and communities — it runs counter to everything we stand for as a public education system that’s grounded in respect, acceptance, and aloha.”

More than 16,300 public middle and high school students participated in the Hawaii School Health Survey, a joint project of the Hawaii State Department of Education (HIDOE), Hawaii Department of Health and the University of Hawaii.

The anonymous survey, which is administered every other year, monitors categories of health-risk behaviors including mental health, injuries and violence, sexual behaviors, alcohol and drug use and physical activity. Two different surveys are given: one to middle-schoolers and one to high school students.

The middle school results are representative of 28,900 middle school students statewide.

At the high school level, the results remain flat and are representative of 42,700 high school students statewide.

 
The Hawaii State Board of Education last month approved for public review updates HIDOE is proposing to strengthen the student misconduct and discipline code known as Chapter 19. Among the key changes is elevating bullying and cyberbullying at the secondary levels to a Class A offense, the most serious category.

The Department will be reviewing the proposed changes at the following public community engagement sessions through December.

For more results from the Hawaii School Health Survey, click here.