A handful of high-profile cases, some resulting in the deaths of victims, has brought the problem to the attention of the White House and the national media.
Locally, some threatening incidents in the Middletown City School District, including an incident in which a student’s hair was set on fire, have brought the issue to the forefront in Butler County. Three students have been charged with criminal offenses in connection with the incident.
Middletown isn’t alone. Most school districts are constantly dealing with the abuse that students heap on other students and face criticism if they fail.
Last year, a student in the Fairfield City School District filed a lawsuit, alleging that the district failed to protect her from a girl who had bullied and injured her.
The Middletown district is drawing considerable media attention in the region because it’s trying a new approach to the bullying problem in the aftermath of the hair-burning incident. The district has launched an anti-bullying campaign on local TV and social media, such as Twitter and Facebook. High school students have recorded 30-second public service announcements that are being seen by their classmates and friends. Other districts that have access to similar technology, as well as students who are willing to take a strong public stand against bullies, might want to consider following Middletown’s lead.
The problem is not to be taken lightly by anyone. A national study last fall revealed that 50 percent of 43,000 high school students surveyed admitted to bullying someone in the previous year. Some 43 percent said they had been physically abused, teased or taunted in a way that seriously upset them.
And anyone who has been bullied knows that it just doesn’t begin in high school.
“We have a crisis in our schools in which bullying and harassment seem to be a rite of passage, and it doesn’t need to be that way,” Russlyn Ali, assistant secretary for civil rights in the U.S. Department of Education, told the New York Times last year. An increasing number of harassment complaints also involve intimidation of gay, lesbian and Muslim students, she said.
We applaud the White House for making this issue a priority for America. We continue to urge teachers, counselors, coaches and principals to be vigilant and to never ignore a student’s cry for help.
And, of course, parents must own up to their responsibility to correct their children if they learn of bullying behavior. In many cases, the conduct is learned in the home and that’s where it must be corrected. No parent wants his/her child to be subjected to abuse from a bully — especially in a learning environment that should be safe — or to face the kind of criminal charges that can result, as we’ve seen in Middletown. If you haven’t already, plan to have a serious conversation with your child soon.