Marion County students in grades six, eight, 10 and 12 recently completed an annual survey on bullying.

Forty-six percent of those surveyed said they saw bullying once or twice a month, 17 percent saw it regularly (one or two times a week), and 12 percent saw it every day. Twenty-six percent said they had never seen anyone bullied at school.

Bullying seemed to be most prevalent among sixth graders. At least 28 percent said they saw someone being bullied every day or one to two times a week.

At least 66 percent of those surveyed said they had never reported being the victim of a bully, 26 percent reported it once or twice a month, four percent regularly, and four percent every day. At least 18 percent of sixth graders reported being bullied every day or one to two times a week.

If they saw bullying, what did they do? Fifty-three percent said they ignored it as none of their business, 36 percent said they had not seen bullying, eight percent said they would do nothing and just observe, and three percent said they would join in on the fun.

What did adults do when they saw bullying? Seventy percent said the adults stopped the bullying and solved the problem, and 16 percent said the adults stopped it and told everyone to leave. Eight percent said the adults did nothing.

When asked if property was stolen from them or deliberately damaged on a regular basis (one or two times a month), 32 percent of eighth graders and 25 percent of sixth graders answered in the affirmative.

Despite problems with bullying and disrespect of personal property, almost 91 percent of students reported they feel safe in Marion County schools.

(Source: Communities That Care, www.ctc.data.org)