Driven by increased reports of bullying in accordance with the nation's toughest anti-bullying law, the total number of violence, harassment and other offenses at schools increased 50 percent over a one year period, statistics released today by the state Department of Education show.



More than 12,000 instances of harassment, intimidation and bullying were reported by students and school staff last school year — a staggering figure that state education officials are calling a "new baseline" for understanding how safe and comfortable students feel at school.



"We are committed to being as transparent as possible about circumstances that impact the health and safety of our students with the goal of ensuring every child in New Jersey can learn in a safe and supportive environment," Education Commissioner Chris Cerf said in a statement.

Momentum among legislators to pass the state's Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act built after Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi committed suicide in September 2010. Clementi jumped off the George Washington Bridge days after his roommate used a webcam to watch him in an intimate encounter with another man, an act many viewed as an act of bullying.



The law expands how schools define and address instances of bullying. Some districts have reported that the law goes too far in what it defines as bullying while others say the new law has been a lifeline for students who had endured harassment for years with little recourse.



Also included in the annual violence and vandalism report are statistics showing that the number of assaults, fights, criminal threats and vandalism in schools decreased between 2010-2011 and 2011-2012.

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