More than 15,000 secondary students in the United States participated in the "Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance-United States, 1999" survey. The study, conducted by the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, revealed that
nearly 1 in 5 students carried guns or knives to school in the 30 days preceding the survey;
more than 1 in 10 students were involved in a physical fight on school property in the 12 months preceding the survey; and
nearly one-third of all students surveyed have been offered drugs on school property in the 12 months preceding the survey.[48]
As the problems in government schools continue to mount and reform efforts fail to resolve this crisis in education, citizens are looking for a reform with results.
[48] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC Surveillance Summaries, 9 June 2000. MMWR 2000;49 (No. SS-5).