Policy makers have made advances in education with the passing of bully laws. State to state, educational administrators use these laws to take a stand against situations long been neglected by the general public. Bullying as defined in general is any attempt to verbally or physically intimidate, hurt, or cause distress or fear in an individual on the part of another, or group of others.
According to a CNN study, bullying affects children across all types of schoolyard situations from rural to inner city schools. Students across the board are found to be the victim as well as the aggressor, claiming that the bullying is a type of tool used for climbing in social status.
The study showed that, “Compared to gender, the racial differences in aggression and victimization are less striking. Whites and “other” minorities are more likely to be aggressive than Asians, and whites have the highest average number of victims. Whites are also somewhat more likely to be victimized. When we examine the rate of bullying at the pair level, we see clearly that aggression is most frequent within, rather than across, racial groups.”
Fortunately, the study also discovered that bullying did not elevate the aggressor and that the school climate played a big part in how aggressive the bullying situation can be in a school.
Positive attitudes and education on the seriousness of bullying can turn the atmosphere around in a school setting, and students respond well to positive intervention according to the study.
Unfortunately, almost everyone has fallen victim to some type of bullying, name-calling, or intimidation of some kind. Those who escaped it are extremely lucky. Those that have not can sometimes carry it with them their entire life. Fortunately, the bullying laws that have rapidly spread state to state have brought a new awareness of the problems that have long plagued school systems.
With the on slot of school shootings, evident proof illustrates how schoolyard bullying played a large part in the events that led up to the tragedy. Some bullying incidents began as early as first and second grade and lasted through the years, seemingly unchecked and building momentum that tragically exploded.
The bullying laws have brought with them an enormous amount of public knowledge. Stories abound of children in the first and second grade facing repercussions from the new laws for crimes that might seem to those outside the educational loop to be excessive. However, the new public awareness has also led to more conversations between child and parent, parent and teachers, and teachers and child.
Children do recognize when someone is a bully, and they recognize when they are the victims of bullying. In turn, the bully has more opportunities to understand that they have caused stress and harm to another and hopefully stop the harmful behavior before it explodes into an out of control situation.
Parents that formerly took a nonchalant attitude towards their child’s aggressive behavior are more likely to get on board with behavior interventions much more rapidly when faced with legal ramifications. All in all, the bully laws are not school laws, they are very real and enforceable legally, however, they are a positive step towards making school a place free of harassment, discrimination, intimidation, verbal or physical abuse, and crimes of hate.
About the Author: Rebecca Fortner has a Masters in Special Education from University of Louisville, 12-year veteran educator, Behavior Consultant.
Sources:
To read the full CNN study in PDF format: http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2011/images/10/10/findings.from.the.wheatley.school.pdf
http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/10/us/ac-360-bullying-study/