For 13 percent of students in the San Diego Unified School District, school can be hell.

Last week, Carl Cohn, superintendent of the San Diego Unified School District, spoke at The Center’s Community Coalition Breakfast and discussed a report that shows 13 percent of students are taunted, harassed, and, in some cases, physically assaulted because of their perceived sexual orientation.

Further, the 2005 National School Climate Survey, conducted by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), found that nearly three quarters of GLBT secondary school students frequently hear the words “faggot” or “dyke” at school. The report also found that nearly 20 percent of anti-GLBT language heard by GLBT students came from teachers or school staff, and 20 percent of GLBT secondary school students reported having been physically assaulted because of their sexual orientation.

The statistics are startling.

With anti-GLBT incidents making news at San Diego State University and the University of San Diego, and the report from the San Diego Unified School District, community leaders are focusing on the climate for GLBT students, staff and faculty at area schools (see stories, pages 8 and 9).

When students are taunted, bullied or physically attacked, regardless of sexual orientation, campuses, particularly high school campuses, become war zones, environments that promote violent behavior.

Post-Columbine, the statistics from the San Diego Unified School District are greater cause for alarm.

The American Psychological Association and student advocacy organizations have documented relationships between bullying and violence in schools.

Classmates excessively bullied Columbine shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold.

Columbine principal Frank DeAngelis, however, said there were no red flags, no warning signs, no indications at all that bullying was a problem on his campus.

San Diego residents don’t need to be reminded that a Columbine-style shooting can hit close to home. It has – twice.

Students at Santana High School in Santee said Charles “Andy” Williams, who killed two students and wounded 13 others, was relentlessly bullied at school. Williams’ father said the bullying bordered on “torture.”

A three-year study showed bullying at Santana High School was rampant long before Williams opened fire.

Another troubled student, Jason Hoffman, opened fire on Granite Hills High three weeks after the Santana shooting.

Though the shooting forced local schools, students and parents to take inventory, there seems to remain a prevalent “kids-will-be-kids” attitude. The trouble is, kids don’t know when to stop.

Whether students are teased for their perceived sexual orientation or bullied for being different, the alarming number of students harassed or assaulted in San Diego schools warrants immediate attention.

Cohn, who retires in December, is on the right track. He’s spearheaded GLBT awareness and health training for staff members, and the district is developing a resource binder for staff that includes information on anti-discrimination laws and policies.

When Cohn retires, the district is going to need a strong leader who is committed to making a concentrated effort to battle bullying and harassment in local schools. Awareness training, not solely for GLBT students, needs to extend into the classroom. The problem, typically, isn’t with staff members who don’t understand the needs of GLBT students or students from diverse backgrounds.

The problem is students who don’t understand how shoving, teasing, and using words like “fag” and “dyke” contribute to a hostile climate that may incite violence. Staff needs to work in tandem with students to promote tolerance and acceptance on local campuses. And the work needs to happen soon, before it’s too late.