FBI reveals 1.3M crimes at public schools. A nightmare of violence awaits our kids

Fox News

2 days ago

The FBI released a new report August 12 on crime in schools and it's a wake-up call that no parent can afford to ignore. Between 2020 and 2024, law enforcement agencies reported nearly 1.3 million criminal incidents occurring on school property across the United States. This staggering figure includes about 540,000 assaults and 45,000 sex offenses – crimes that directly victimize children in places that are supposed to be safe havens for learning.
The kicker is that this figure is almost certainly an undercount. In 2024, only about 9,000 law enforcement agencies submitted data to the FBI for the report, even though there are roughly 18,000 of these agencies nationwide. That underreporting means we're only getting a partial picture that likely misses hundreds of thousands more incidents from excluded jurisdictions. The real number of crimes in America's schools is undoubtedly much higher, painting an even grimmer portrait of the system.
Kids shouldn't be trapped in dangerous schools. Every day, children are exposed to violence, abuse and chaos in these government-run institutions. Assaults make up the bulk of these crimes, turning hallways and classrooms into battlegrounds. And the sex offenses are a chilling reminder that predators lurk where we might least expect them. Parents send their kids to school expecting education, not endangerment. Yet, the FBI data shows that's exactly what's happening.
President Donald Trump's Department of Education recently released guidance instructing states to provide school choice options to students stuck in "persistently dangerous" schools. This guidance is a good first step, reminding states to empower families to escape failing and unsafe environments by transferring to safer alternatives.
The evidence overwhelmingly indicates that school choice helps children attend safer schools. My peer-reviewed analysis of the literature, published in Educational Review in 2022, found that private and charter schools are consistently safer than traditional public schools. These choice options foster environments with less violence, fewer disruptions, and stronger discipline standards. Competition forces schools to prioritize safety to attract and retain families.
Take the latest gold-standard evaluation of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, for example. Students who won the lottery to attend a private school were 34% more likely to report being in a "very safe" school compared to their peers who remained in public schools. This randomized controlled trial – the closest thing to a scientific experiment in education policy – proves that school choice can save lives by getting kids out of harm's way.
The failures of public schools go beyond violence. The latest data from 2024 shows that not a single child was proficient in math in 80 Illinois public schools. Zero. These failures are all symptoms of a broken system. Kids are trapped in these violent institutions with no escape hatch, especially in states where teachers unions run the show and block school choice at every turn. Unions prioritize adult jobs over child safety and success, lobbying against reforms that would give families options.
The sexual abuse epidemic in public schools is particularly horrifying. A 2004 Department of Education report estimated that about one in 10 children will experience educator sexual misconduct by the time they graduate from high school. That's millions of kids subjected to abuse by the very adults entrusted with their care.
A more recent 2023 study found that 11.7% of recent graduates reported experiencing educator sexual misconduct during their K-12 years. This data represents systemic rot that demands immediate action.
Texas is leading the way on this front. Texas state Representative Mitch Little sponsored a bill to eliminate immunity for public schools and their employees in sex abuse cases, and Governor Greg Abbott signed it into law this year. The public school system needs more accountability, and this bill is a step in the right direction for justice that every state should follow. By removing governmental immunity, victims can finally hold districts liable for failures to protect children, sending a clear message that abuse won't be shielded by the system.
Author and podcaster Michael Malice is right when he says, "Public schools are literal prisons for children and the only time many people will ever encounter physical violence in their lives." For too many kids, school is a daily ordeal of survival rather than a place for growth.
The failures of public schools go beyond violence. The latest data from 2024 shows that not a single child was proficient in math in 80 Illinois public schools. Zero
The new FBI report is the latest damning evidence of the failures of the public school system.
We can no longer allow the teachers union cartel to lock children in these dangerous institutions. Parents know best and they deserve the power to choose safer schools for their kids. It's time to shatter the prison walls of the public school monopoly and build a future where no child is left trapped in violence.