Young people spend more time at school than anywhere else except home. Schools can have a major effect on children’s health by teaching about health and promoting healthy behaviors. The school building and environment should be a safe and healthy place for children. Furthermore, according to the CDC, health-risk behaviors such as substance abuse, violence, and physical inactivity are consistently linked to academic failure and often negatively impact attendance, grades, test scores, and the ability to pay attention in class.1 Additionally, academic success is a good indicator for overall well-being and a good predictor and determinant of adult health outcomes. The following pages contain reports which measure student perception of safety at school, self-reported fighting at or carrying of weapons to school, harassment by other students, and self-reported use of alcohol or marijuana on school grounds.
1CDC. Healthy Youth! Student Health and Academic Achievement. Accessed January 19, 2010 http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/health_and_academics/index.htm
