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 five percent, a decline of 967 incidents from 18,633 in 2006-07 to 17,666 in 2007-08. 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 11 percent, weapons declined 14 percent, and substance abuse increased four percent. The decline in reported incidents of vandalism continues a long-term trend and that of incidents involving weapons continues a trend that began in 2004-05. Appendices include: (1) Public School Safety Law; (2) Data Collection Form; (3) Figures 1-20; (4) District Totals by County; and (5) Substance and Weapons Detail, 2005-06-2007-08. (Contains 5 tables, 20 figures and 1 footnote.) [For the 2006-2007 report, see ED514582.]