Parents Upset Over Bullying Take Out Newspaper Ad

Tuesday, May 17, 2011 8:25 AM

WBNS-10TV

BALTIMORE, Ohio — A bullying controversy in a Fairfield County school district continued Monday, as parents concerned over a student who they say is terrorizing their children took more action in an effort to have him removed from the middle school.

Several parents in the Liberty Union-Thurston School district said that administrators are not taking their concerns seriously enough, 10TV's Tanisha Mallett reported.

The bullying issues in Baltimore gained attention last month when a parent upset over the district's handling of the situation confronted Superintendent Paul Mathews in his office. The father was charged with disorderly conduct after the incident.

On Monday afternoon, Mathews said the school board would address the issues during a closed meeting prior to the next regular school board meeting, but Bob Denny, who has a child in the district, said that is not soon enough.

"I said it to you before, the kid is a threat and we are not backing off of that," Denny said.

Denny and another parent have paid to put an ad concerning the matter in a local newspaper. They have also created an e-mail address and urged parents whose children have had run-ins with the student to share their stories, Mallett reported.

"He is a threat to my family so I need some answers," Denny said, "and we are going to pursue it until we get some answers."

Baltimore police confirmed that the student, who 10TV is not identifying because he is a minor, was arrested Friday for a probation violation. Police records show he was on probation for an incident that occurred outside of school, Mallett reported.

The boy's father said his lawyer advised him not to speak about the case, but he did say that the students who say they are victims were not blameless in the situation.

Watch 10TV News and refresh 10TV.com for additional information.

The Bully Project Gets In Your Face!

The beginning of this documentary's journey started two and half years ago by producer Lee Hirsch. At the time bullying had not reached the epidemic that it is in our country today. The Bully Project is directed by Louis Jordan. This is an emotional, powerful new documentary that premiered at Tribeca film festival last month. You can not watch this film and walk away in denial. The tortured lives captured in this film is in your face and heart wrenching. The tortured lives captured in this film is heart wrenching and in your face.

What our youth are having to endure is unacceptable. They are carrying enormous pain. For some when all other possible solutions are exhausted, they choose suicide. We must eradicate bullying behavior. There are over 45 states with bullying laws on the books but these laws have not stopped bullying or the suicides of our youth. We must all stand up to the bullies together. Get involved. Start by viewing this documentary. Once you watch The Bully Project, you will understand how critical this problem is in our society. Don't we all deserve a positive, safe space in which to live out our dreams?

- Kathy Horn

N.H. a leader in fight against bullying

May 16,2011

By John Weaver

In the wake of the sentences delivered to Massachusetts teenagers associated with the Phoebe Prince suicide investigation, attention has returned to bullying in schools and cyberbullying out of schools. In New Hampshire, we have an aggressive law that has developed over the last decade. New Hampshire passed the "Pupil Safety and Violence Prevention Act" in 2000. It was amended in 2004 and again in 2010. Bullying Police USA, a watchdog organization, has given the law an A++ in response to last year's amendment.

One of the big reasons why Bullying Police USA gave New Hampshire such high marks for its anti-bullying law was the fact that it addresses cyberbullying: bullying or harassment that occurs online via Facebook, instant messages, e-mail, Web pages, and other Internet-based communications. The statute grants schools the authority and responsibility to respond to bullying that occurs out of school, like cyberbullying and text messaging, when it "interferes with a pupil's educational opportunities or substantially disrupts the orderly operations of the school or school-sponsored activity or event."

Under the current law, public school boards had until Jan. 1 of this year to adopt policies that prohibit bullying. Following policy adoption, districts must train their teachers and establish reporting procedures for identified incidents of bullying. New Hampshire's law defines bullying as a single significant incident or a pattern of incidents involving written, verbal, or electronic communication, or a physical act or gesture, or any combination thereof, directed at another pupil which either (1) physically harms a pupil or damages the pupil's property, (2) causes emotional distress to a pupil, (3) interferes with a pupil's educational opportunities, (4) creates a hostile educational environment or (5) substantially disrupts the orderly operation of the school.

What this means is that schools are responsible for providing a safe, secure and respectful learning environment for all students, not just in school buildings, but also online, when kids are susceptible to cyberbullying. This was a new requirement added to the law by the 2010 amendment. Prior to this specific obligation, school officials were uncertain as to the extent of their responsibility to respond to bullying off school grounds. It effectively requires schools to police student-to-student harassment and abuse committed anywhere if it negatively affects their school performance.

The statute also states that when a school receives a report of bullying, whether in school or out of school, it is required to initiate an investigation within five schools days of the principal receiving the report. Further, the principal must take action to remediate the bullying and offer assistance to the students where appropriate. The goal is to stop the bullying, but also to reduce the risk of future incidents. Because of the clear obligations established in New Hampshire's law, teachers and school administrators must take reports of bullying seriously, and parents should take advantage of that. If you believe your child has been bullied, report it to his or her teacher and principal.

But combating bullying requires more than just policies, reporting, and investigations. The starting point for positive school behavior between and among students begins with encouraging and rewarding good behaviors. Parents can assist schools to create programs that promote such behavior. Examples include good citizen of the month, student of the week, above and beyond awards, and other recognition of good behavior that can be incorporated into the school's culture.

Administrators, faculty, school employees, and parents must model respectful and appropriate behavior. Schools must monitor behaviors and not tolerate unacceptable behavior. School administrators should cultivate and promote open communication, an open door to raise concerns, and diversity and inclusion of all members of the school community — students, employees, and parents. A written policy, training and appropriate responses when bullying does occur are the requirements under New Hampshire's law, but providing a healthy, safe and respectful school atmosphere is a school's and parent's best tool to combat bullying in our schools.

John Weaver is a member of the Real Estate Department and the Education Law Practice Group at the law firm of McLane, Graf, Raulerson & Middleton, Professional Association. He can be reached at 628-1442 or john.weaver@mclane.com. The McLane Law Firm has offices in Concord, Manchester and Portsmouth.

http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20110516-BIZ-105160305

Fear Is The Bully

by ADAM SCHERR on APRIL 18, 2011

“Mom approves 7-year old for plastic surgery to pin back ears to avoid schoolyard bullying.” This was a headline last Thursday in the NY Daily News. Given my emotional bull in the china shop nature, my emotions ran the gamete. Disbelief, anger, saddness and then a bumpy landing into real concern for OUR children. Now when I say our, I don’t mean mine and my wife’s, I mean US of OuRs.

Now I’m not here to say whether plastic surgery as a preventive measure is right or wrong. Although I am here to say it is merely putting a bandaid on a fatal gunshot wound on the soul of our youth.

The mother said she was upset about her daughters ears. The article didn’t mention how the girl felt. I do know that as a parent I have to constantly pray about not passing any fear to my boys. Fear is the most serious contagion going around. It is the root of “all evils.” The article says further: “kids are mean.” And I say if we are to take this bullying epidemic by the horns, we must start with ourselves. We must stop righting off our children as mean and bad. They aren’t born that way. They learn it. If I want my kids to stop yelling than I need to make sure that I’m not yelling. If my wife and I see our kids talking back to us, we just need to look and see if we are talking back to each other. It does the trick every time. Kids are born perfect. And they have a lifetime warranty. And it is our job to hold onto the warranty and nurture their perfection. Speak to their perfection not to their perceived defaults. That is our job as parents and adults.

The mother said that although she hadn’t been bullied yet, she feared that her daughter’s ears would eventually make her-self conscious and shy. The mother feared all the way to NY, all the way to a plastic surgeon. Having been in fear myself at times, I can only imagine how devastating it must be to be bullied by fear to the point that you take your child half way across the country for them to get plastic surgery, to prevent them from getting bullied in the future. The collective we must take this BULL-ying by it’s horns now. It is time to bully fear and doubt before it bullies anymore of our children.

“Nothing in life is to be feared. It is to be understood.” Marie Curie.
“Keep your fears to yourself but share your courage with others.” Robert Louis Stevenson
“You block your dream when you allow your fear to grow bigger than your faith.” Mary Manin Morrissey

Make Your Bully Story into a Short Film

By aeisenbe

As this website is titled “Bullying Stories” and shares people’s personal stories, I wanted to share an opportunity you have to have an A-list Actress direct a short story based on your bullying story. You can submit a story to them at their website at http://glamourreelmoments.com. They are looking for a unique story perspective and will have it turned into a short film. It sounds like a great opportunity to turn a negative experience into a positive one.

The details as they describe it are:

“Tell us when you felt PRETTY POWERFUL by standing up to a bully and taking matters into your own hands. What was your moment?”

If you wish to submit a story for them to consider, got to http://glamourreelmoments.com and enter it on their form. Who knows, maybe one of the stories on this site will be seen on the big screen in the future.