Hate crimes in schools nearly doubled between 2018 and 2022
The number of reported hate crimes at schools and universities nearly doubled between 2018 and 2022, according to data released by the FBI on Monday.
In 2022, about 1,300 hate crimes were reported in elementary, secondary and college schools, up from 700 in 2018. That’s an increase of about 90 percent, according to the report, the first on the topic released by the federal government.
Black Americans were the most frequently targeted, with a total of 1,690 hate crimes reported against them in the past five years. LGBTQ people followed with 900 crimes. Jewish Americans came in third with 745 reported crimes.
The statistics count crimes against students or others in school buildings and on campuses.
While FBI officials did not provide an explanation for the rising numbers, the nation’s education system experienced a high degree of politicization during the period covered by the report.
Following the 2020 killing of George Floyd, a national movement drew attention to racism in every aspect of American life, including schools, which could have led to an increase in reports. There was also a strong backlash against that movement, which could have motivated some hate crimes.
The period covered by the new data ends in 2022; still, it is of great interest to many educators and policymakers who are watching the way the war between Israel and Gaza has roiled the country’s school systems. Since the conflict began in October 2023, there have been widespread reports of increased incidents of bias in schools against Jewish, Arab and Muslim students. Organizations including the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish group, have called on policymakers to take action.
The new report lists a total of 71 anti-Muslim and 32 anti-Arab hate crimes that took place in schools between 2018 and 2022. fewer American Muslims than American Jews.
In general, many crime experts believe that hate crimes underreported by victimsAnd in recent years, some local police departments have not reported their own hate crime data to the FBI, making it likely that national figures even undercount reported hate crimes.
According to the new report, the most common type of hate crime reported in schools was harassment, which the federal government defines as unlawfully causing another individual to fear physical harm through the use of threatening words or other actions. Nearly as common was vandalism, or property destruction, which can include graffiti with hate symbols or words. The third most common offense was simple assault, which is a physical attack without a weapon that does not result in serious injury to the victim.
At least a third of the nation’s historically black colleges received bomb threats by 2022, according to the FBI
According to the FBI report, more hate crimes were reported at elementary and secondary schools than at colleges and universities. The number of reported crimes fell in 2020, during the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic, when most schools closed, and then rose significantly, exceeding pre-pandemic figures in 2022.
Yet children and young adults were more likely to experience hate crimes outside of school than in schools and colleges, according to federal data.
The 90 percent increase in hate crimes in schools appeared to be greater than the overall increase in hate crimes nationally over the same period. In total approx 13,300 Hate crimes were reported in 2022, an increase of 8,500 in 2018an increase of approximately 60 percent.
Outside of schools, the groups most affected were the same as in schools: Black Americans, LGBTQ people and Jewish Americans.
