TPS: 'Bullying Prevention Paying Off'

Tulsa Public Schools said its emphasis on bullying prevention is paying off. Reports of violence and bullying are down in Tulsa schools, but that doesn't mean prevention programs stop.

Now there are more students making threats against school employees.

TPS released a safe schools report reviewing the 2012 and 2013 school years. It's good, bad and ugly.

Safe And Secure Report

Bullying incidents have been cut in half, but a hundred more students have been suspended for assaulting school employees.

"I don't think kids will learn if they have a fear that something's going to happen to them,” said Tulsa Public Schools Police Chief, Robert Swain.

Tulsa Public Schools tracks how many weapons are brought to school, how many arrests are made at school and how many incidents of bullying are reported and those numbers are down from 2012 to 2013.

Safe And Secure Presentation

Bullying is at its lowest low in three years, an important statistic for new the new TPS police chief.

"That's one of my primary focuses at the top of my list. Always has,” Swain said.

While bullying may be at its lowest, the number of students suspended for threatening or physically assaulting a school employee has grown by more than 70 percent.

There were more than 100 serious crimes on school property in 2013, and three guns were brought to school.

TPS Safe School Coordinator, Stephanie Andrews said, "The district has a behavior response plan that is very specific for administrators to know how to handle specific situations, and it's separate for elementary and secondary."

Andrews said students must be safe to learn, but what concerns her most is getting students to school. That's why 75 percent more truancy cases are being sent to the district attorney's office for prosecution.

"Schools offer incentives. They're quicker to call parents. They're really on top of really trying to get kids to school," Andrews said.

The report also reveals that school bus accidents are down.

The district said five to ten years ago, before Columbine and Sandy Hook, many of these things, like threats, weren't being monitored.