The Commissioner's annual report provides the Legislature with information reported by school districts concerning incidents of serious student misconduct grouped into the following four major reporting categories: violence, vandalism, weapons, and substance abuse. An analysis of trends yields indications of progress and of ongoing concern, and provides guidance to districts, other agencies, and the department as they endeavor to focus resources on areas of need. In the Programmatic Response section of this report, the department notifies the Legislature and the public of the actions taken by the State Board of Education and the Department of Education to address the problems evident in the data. The total number of incidents reported by districts decreased three percent, a decline of 618 incidents from 17,666 in 2007-08 to 17,048 in 2008-09. The following changes are noted in the number of incidents reported in the four major reporting categories over the same period: violence declined five percent, vandalism declined three percent, weapons declined 15 percent, and substance abuse increased six percent. The decline in reported incidents of vandalism and incidents involving weapons continues a four-year trend. Appendices include: (1) Public School Safety Law; (2) Data Collection Form; (3) Figures 1-9; (4) District Totals by County; and (5) Substance and Weapons Detail, 2006-07-2008-09. (Contains 9 figures, 1 table and 2 footnotes.) [For the 2007-2008 report, see ED514584.]