5/23/2012 3:42:55 PM
I should be clear that my earlier comments about the bullying laws were in response to 1337 b4k4, not the actual case originally presented in this thread. I thought that was clear, but somebody missed it.I'm not sure how I feel about anti-bullying laws. I wish they weren't necessary, and I'm not sure they are necessary. I dunno--I thought school systems would already have taken the steps to handle bad bullying situations when they arise.Regardless, it's not about banning kids from calling other kids fat or whatever...nobody thinks we're gonna stop that. It's about making sure a kid who gets beat up or verbally harassed every day without provocation is recognized fairly. The offending student(s) can be moved to different classes, banned from the bus, or even moved to a different school if necessary. Or the victim can opt to move to a different school or finish the school year from home.The point is that we don't want administrators dismissing it, not providing options, telling kids to "suck it up," etc... It's already been noted that kids bully each other all the time without having serious problems...so if a kid is distressed enough (or even thin-skinned enough) that he or she goes to an adult, then we should take steps to address their needs, even if they "start it" by being a boy in lipstick and eye liner.
5/23/2012 7:34:24 PM
5/23/2012 8:10:32 PM
"Bullied Gay Teen Hangs Himself in Oregon Schoolyard"http://www.towleroad.com/2013/01/jadinbell.html
1/29/2013 10:57:26 PM