A new report released by the Department of Justice has revealed a concerning rise in hate crimes at schools in the United States. The report, which analyzed data from 2018 to 2022, found that hate crimes at schools have steadily increased since 2020, with schools ranking as the third most common location for reported hate crimes in the country. The number of hate crimes at schools more than doubled from 500 in 2020 to over 1,300 in 2022.
While the most common location for hate crimes was on the street or in a home during this time period, 10% of hate crimes occurred at school locations in 2022. The report highlighted that over the five-year period studied, a total of more than 4,300 hate crimes were reported in schools, with the largest number of offenses being motivated by anti-Black bias. Specifically, there were 1,690 reported hate crime offenses involving anti-Black or African American bias, followed by 745 offenses motivated by anti-Jewish bias, and 342 offenses motivated by bias against the LGBTQ+ community.
The most frequently reported offenses at schools were intimidation, destruction/damage/vandalism, and simple assault. The report, released by the FBI as part of the Department of Justice, marks the first comprehensive look at hate crime occurrences at elementary schools, secondary schools, and universities. It utilized data from the FBI's National Incident-Based Reporting System, which was fully implemented in 2021 to improve the measurement and estimation of reported crimes by the federal government.
The aim of the report is to provide a deeper understanding of hate crime incidence so that law enforcement and school administrations can work together to mitigate or prevent future hate crimes at schools. The report emphasized that over 30% of juvenile hate crime victims experienced the offense at school during the five-year period studied. It also noted that the majority of reported hate crimes occurred at elementary or secondary schools, rather than at colleges or universities.
While the report found an increase in reported hate crimes at schools from 2018 to 2019, it also highlighted a significant dip in 2020, which could be attributed to schools shifting to remote learning during the Covid-19 pandemic. The FBI and Justice Department have yet to determine if additional reports on school-based hate crimes will be issued in the future.
This report comes at a time when hate crimes are on the rise across the country, with a record 11,643 incidents reported in 2022, surpassing the previous record of nearly 11,000 incidents in 2021. The FBI hopes that by drawing attention to the data and occurrences of hate crimes at schools, it will enable law enforcement partners and school officials to take action and address this concerning trend.
