Here are some of the latest articles in the news about bullying.
New law bolsters school anti-bullying efforts
There aren't bruises or black eyes, but cyber bullying can be just as traumatic to children as old-fashioned playground fights.
Benjamin Lahey of the University of Chicago and colleagues looked at the reactions of a group of youngsters with or without a history of violent behaviors while they were watching videos of people inflicting pain. As stated by Lahey, psychologist at the University of Chicago and co-author of the study, the study's results were startling. Researchers didn't expect to learn that seeing people intentionally causing harm to others through verbal harassment or physical assault could actually please the teenagers. "It just dumbfounded us," Lahey said. ...Researchers now think of developing therapies to treat or compensate for this deficiency of self-regulation "that we think is there and the fact that it may be positively reinforcing every time they hurt somebody," said Lahey. "I am not surprised that scientists who are working on this and doing brain imaging are finding more and more," asserted Marlene Snyder of Clemson University's Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life and the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. Read more..
Bullies may get kick out of seeing others in pain Are kids born to bully? A new study suggests school bullies may actually enjoy seeing others in pain. Psychiatrist Dr. Janet Taylor weighs in on the implications of the findings. Read more..
Bullying is the top "health" concern among parents with overweight and obese children, according to a new report. Read more. How to help your child cope with a bully Judy Fortin, CNN Medical Correspondent cnn.com A week before the start of the new school year, principal Denise Magee roamed the hallways of Campbell Middle School in Smyrna, Georgia, preparing for battle. Read more. Bullying Takes Twisted Turn for the Worse Regan McMahon, San Francisco Chronicle August 17, 2008 Oakland first-grader Zachary Cataldo suffered a skull fracture when a fifth-grader allegedly slammed him against a tree in April as he waited to be picked up after school at Piedmont Avenue Elementary. Read more. New York State Senate Gets Bill Banning Bullying Acts in the Schools Jennifer Medina New York Times, August 7, 2008 Legislation aimed at banning bullying in public schools, including harassment based on sexual orientation, has been quietly introduced in the State Senate. Read more.
Students who walk into Wheeling Middle School on their first day of class will have a choice: They can have a good day or a bad day - depending on their own behavior.
The School Bully: Does it Run in the Family? Science Daily August 5, 2008 A shove, a taunt or name-calling on the playground or in the hall, away from the eyesight, earshot and authority of the teacher - childhood bullying can involve physical contact, spreading rumors and other negative behaviors committed over and over again to intimidate, humiliate and isolate the receiver of the behavior. Read more. Broward Passes State's First Anti-Bullying Policy The Fla. DOE Will Use Policy As Model For Other 66 School Districts CBS 4 (Florida), July 28
Students in Broward County have a new weapon against bullies. The Broward County School Board has approved the first school district Anti-Bullying Policy in Florida. By James Taylor, Lynchburg, Va. USA Today, July 21 Tell the bullies that they're the weaklings The Forum piece about bullying in schools was informative but failed to mention an important factor. Bullies show not strength and self-confidence but just the opposite: deep insecurity and weakness ("Bullying's day in court," Tuesday). This recognition needs to be communicated to both bullies and victims at every opportunity. I can still remember a point my father made about this 70 years ago. He said it's always easier to put down someone else's strengths than it is to repair your own weaknesses. Bullying is probably a complicated issue with a host of contributing factors, but we all can help by saying-- over and over and in as many ways as possible--that those who bully are the weak ones. They are not showing strength but trying to cover up their shortcomings. Read more. COVER STORY: SOCIETY Young, Gay and Murdered By Ramin Setoodeh Newsweek, July 19 Kids started whispering about Larry when he was in third grade at Hathaway Elementary School. "In a school of 700 students, you'd know Larry," says Sarah Ranjbar, one of Larry's principals. "He was slightly effeminate but very sure of his personality." Finally, his best friend, Averi Laskey, pulled him aside one day at the end of class. "I said, 'Larry, are you gay?' He said, 'Yeah, why?' " He was 10. Averi remembers telling Larry she didn't care either way, but Larry started telling other students, and they did. They called him slurs and avoided him at recess. One Halloween, someone threw a smoke bomb into his house, almost killing the family's Jack Russell terrier. In the sixth grade, a girl started a "Burn Book"--an allusion to a book in the movie "Mean Girls," where bullies scribble nasty rumors about the people they hate--about Larry. The Larry book talked about how he was gay and falsely asserted that he dressed in Goth and drag. And it ended with a threat: "I hate Larry King. I wish he was dead," according to one parent's memory of the book. "The principal called my wife on the phone and she was crying," Greg says. "She found the book, and said we needed to do something to help protect Larry." His parents transferred him to another elementary school, hoping he could get a fresh start before he started junior high. Read more. Bullying among very young catches eye of researchers, schools, parents and advocates By LEANNE ITALIE, Associated Press June 24, 2008 Recess was Allie Long's favorite part of the day until the second grade, when some of her friends on the playground pressured her to join their whisper campaign against a classmate. Read more. In 123-page guide, State Offers Schools Tips on Stopping Bullies Maria Cramer, The Boston Globe Boston, Massachusetts May 1, 2008 The goal is to dispel myths: that bullies have low self-esteem, that bullying is just a part of childhood, and that victims often overreact to taunts. Read more Anti-bullying Bill Passes Florida Senate with Unanimous Vote Betty Parker, Florida Capital Bureau Tallahassee, Florida May 1, 2008 After three years of trying, the anti-bullying bill inspired by the suicide of a Cape Coral teenager who was bullied at school passed Florida's Senate unanimously and is on its way to Gov. Charlie Crist. Read more Reframing Bullying in Middle Schools Sarah Shulkind, Teacher Magazine April 28, 2008 Bullying. We know it when we see it. Though we bemoan such behavior, it's almost as if we expect it from adolescents. Read more Social Form of Bullying Linked to Depression, Anxiety in adults Adapted from materials provided by the University of Florida, ScienceDaily.com April 23, 2008 Spreading rumors and gossiping may not cause bruises or black eyes, but the psychological consequences of this social type of bullying could linger into early adulthood, a new University of Florida study shows. Read more Peanut Butter and Deadly Taunts Lauren Cox, ABC News Medical Unit April 17, 2008 A combination of bullying and peanut allergies may put some kids in the ER. Read more RCMS Seeing Results from Bullying Policy Vanessa Overholser, The Morehead News Morehead and Rowan Counties, KY April 15, 2008 State lawmakers have given final approval of House Bill 91, a bill that deals with bullying. Read more
Mom Saw Warning Signs in Son Who Planned Shooting Spree Parents sue son’s bully, threaten school district By Mike Celisik NBC Today Show, March 26 They started picking on Billy Wolfe in elementary school. In middle school, the assault of vicious words was joined by fists. In high school, it's the same. When bullies in one Arkansas community, feel the need to beat somebody up, they look for Billy Wolfe. “I’m not completely sure,” the 16-year-old boy said on Wednesday on TODAY when asked why his life has been one of black eyes, cuts and bruises. Read more
Cyber Bully Pledge for Teachers The government is pledging action to protect teachers from bullying through mobile phones and the internet. Read more Bullying's Roots Traced to Home Kristin Rushowy, Today's Toronto Star March 25, 2008 Parents with aggressive kids need to be involved in early prevention and intervention, study says. Read more
When the Bully Sits in the Next Cubicle A Boy the Bullies Love to Beat Up, Repeatedly By Dan Barry New York Times, March 24 Bullying is everywhere, including here in Fayetteville, a city of 60,000 with one of the country's better school systems. A decade ago a Fayetteville student was mercilessly harassed and beaten for being gay. After a complaint was filed with the Office of Civil Rights, the district adopted procedures to promote tolerance and respect - none of which seems to have been of much comfort to Billy Wolfe. It remains unclear why Billy became a target at age 12; schoolyard anthropology can be so nuanced. Maybe because he was so tall, or wore glasses then, or has a learning disability that affects his reading comprehension. Or maybe some kids were just bored. Or angry. Whatever the reason, addressing the bullying of Billy has become a second job for his parents: Curt, a senior data analyst, and Penney, the owner of an office-supply company. They have binders of school records and police reports, along with photos documenting the bruises and black eyes. They are well known to school officials, perhaps even too well known, but they make no apologies for being vigilant. They also reject any suggestion that they should move out of the district because of this. Read more With Help from a Friend, Woman Overcomes Bullying Mike Celizic, TODAYShow.com contributor March 21, 2008 Gabrielle Ford was 20 years old and hiding in her room, driven there by the abuse of vicious bullying she had suffered in school because of a degenerative neuromuscular disease. Read more
College Gossip Site Subpoenaed New Jersey prosecutors target JuicyCampus for possible consumer fraud. Read more
Betty Parker, Florida Today Capital Bureau March 19, 2008 The anti-bully bill cleared its first Senate hearing unanimously Wednesday, including a vote of support from a major former opponent. Read more
By Jeffrey Meitrodt and Ashley Wiehle SPRINGFIELD - Protective legislation sparked by a 13-year-old girl's suicide after a series of harassing e-mails and MySpace.com postings passed a Senate panel Tuesday. The measure would make it a crime to use e-mail or Web sites for the purpose of "tormenting or terrorizing" a specific person on more than one occasion. Violators could receive a year in jail for a first offense and up to three years for a second offense, but those penalties would be stricter if the crime is committed by someone older than 21 against a victim younger than 18. "I think it is unfortunate the legislature has to act after the fact of a tragic incident like this, but I am hoping this legislation will prevent any future incidents," said Sen. Ira Silverstein (D-Chicago), chief sponsor of the so-called "cyber-bullying" bill. Read more
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Kansas City:
Bullying Harms Kids' Mental Health: Study Reuters Atlanta: The Christian Science Monitor By Patrik Jonsson - Staff writer February 25, 2008
Teachers strike back at students' online pranks
Dardenne Prairie, Missouri A Missouri town has passed a law to prevent cyberbulling in response to last year's suicide of 13-year-old school girl Megan Meier after receiving intentionally hurtful messages on MySpace. Read more Parenting Help: What to do about Bullying Author Rosalind Wiseman offers tips on how to keep mean kids at bay TODAY June 6, 2007 Teen and parent expert Rosalind Wiseman, author or "Queen Bees and Wannabees," answers your difficult questions about the challenges of being bullied. Read more |
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