I just read an article about an Ohio high school that has had four of its students commit suicide as a result of bullying. You can read the article at this link:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101008/ap_on_re_us/us_bullying_one_town
I think the thing that appalled me the most is that the students who bullied the girl to the point where she committed suicide laughed at her open casket at the funeral. The girl’s parents are suing the school district where she went to school, alleging that the bullying went on for months with no response or intervention by the school.
How
do you feel about holding the school responsible for a student’s death? You can post your opinion on my "Forum" page at this address:
http://MyForum.newteacherhelp.com
I really want to know how people feel about the issue.
No matter how you feel about the issue of bullying, it has become clear that schools and school districts need to take action when they see bullying occur. Even more importantly, schools and school districts need to develop a method of DOCUMENTING the steps they have taken to reduce bullying, and documenting the steps they have taken in specific cases of bullying that they see on their campus. I have a few ideas for you to look at in my “Dealing With Bullies” article…just click on the blue link to read:
http://www.newteacherhelp.com/Dealing_With_Bullies.html
The documentation you provide just may be the difference between winning and losing your court case. The steps you take just may be the difference between keeping or losing a young life.