Perhaps one of the hottest topics in education today is that of bullying. Bullying has become its own ugly beast on a list of educators’ concerns of teaching 21st Century learners. Surrounded by cyber world and technology, students are faced with an inescapable situation when they become victims. As an administrator, especially in a secondary school setting, I would be relentless in taking accusations and rumors seriously. Too often people take bullying lightly or they turn their heads assuming kids will be kids. Although with suicides and court cases on the rise for our young aspiring adults, that is changing, as it should.
According to Shaheen Shariff (2004), in answer to the question regarding school’s reluctance to act on potential bullying incidents, she provides several reasons, none of which can justify why a situation is ignored such as hoping the problem will go away in due time. Claims include: 1. It is assumed the victim invited the abuse. 2. The problem is blown out of proportion. 3. Even worse, anti-bullying policies absolved the school from doing more to protect victims. This was due to fear of litigation, insufficient knowledge or lack of clarity on the legal issues regarding students, and the unwanted reactive responses when they really need to be proactive from the onset. Administrators are pressured between a rock and a hard place…that of keeping students safe and that of some stakeholders’ vested interest in keeping litigation out of schools on such issues.
According to Stop Bullying Now!, one of over 16.5 million websites on bullying, it can mess up a kid's future. Young people who bully are more likely than those who don't bully to skip school and drop out of school. They are also more likely to smoke, drink alcohol and get into fights. Furthermore, the site reports that as many as 160,000 students may stay home on any given day because they are afraid of being bullied. These statistics along with the number of incidents of school aged children taking their own lives due to incessant bullying, is a valid reason to stay abreast of issues of this nature and to incorporate it into professional development, onsite support groups, and even a “crime stopper” team similar to the neighborhood crime stopper groups whose mission is to stay proactive.
References:
Shariff, S. (2004). Keeping schools out of court: Legally defensible model of leadership. The Education Forum, 68(3).
http://www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/kids/effects-of-bullying.aspx
