It has been suggested that many such disturbances have resulted from a tension between American democratic ideals and antidemocratic teaching and administration in the schools. There appear to be two generic areas of criminal offenses within the school: those against the school plant and those against students and staff. While studies have shown a rise in both types of offenses between the 1950s and 1970s, further efforts must be made to isolate the causal elements of the problem and to determine its actual magnitude. A number of studies have indicated that the schools were perceived as dangerous places by students, parents, and teachers. Further, fear of criminal victimization in the school has been found to be greater than the actual rate of victimization. It is suggested that the concept of the symbolic antistudent may be helpful in understanding the fear of crime in the American public school. The typical teacher, administrator, and student have an ingrained conservatism and love of good order. Disorder and criminal activity are seen as threatening within the teaching-learning environment. Perceptions of a symbolic antistudent, viewed as dangerous to the school environment, may result in a self-feeding fear which further distorts the climate of the school. While school personnel must become sensitive to the issue of crime in the school, sensitivity must be based on a desire to correctly understand and assess the nature of the problem rather than on a need to rationalize fear. In understanding the problem, the concept of the symbolic antistudent who does not conform to conventional expectations, has potential for benefit. Three tables and 35 footnotes are included.