Introduction
Klein (25) reports that bullying is a chronic problem in American high schools. Glen Ridge, a high school in New Jersey, was the site of a disturbing incident. Several students attacked and raped a mentally disabled girl. They committed the heinous crime using a broomstick while other members applauded and watched. As if this was not enough, the attackers called other boys ‘unmanly’ for not participating.
In another school in Massachusetts, a soft-spoken immigrant from Ireland was bullied continuously by a number of girls who thought that she was interested in a boy they liked. She got so frustrated with the vicious attacks that she took her own life at a stairway. Sometimes bullying starts as a mild form of aggression but it may intensify to such extreme levels. These incidents illustrate the extent of the problem and prove that only an aggressive policy like anti-bulling laws will resolve the crisis.
History and statistics
In the 1990s, many US high schools reported a series of violent incidences in different parts of the country. Some of them entailed several victims and shootings. Administrators, parents, and teachers were alarmed by the state of insecurity in American schools. This pattern of aggressive displays of violence dwindled slightly in the subsequent decade; however, milder forms of violence took place in the form of bullying.
About 15% of all American students are bullied repeatedly. 80% of all individuals claim that they have encountered some form of bullying in their life. 6% of all students have also been bullies and victims. Regardless of these dramatic figures, few individuals will admit to bullying.
Only 13% of children claim that they have ever bullied other children (Srabstein et. al. 11). Therefore, it could be that they are trying to hide their behavior or they may not know that what they are engaging in it bullying. The advent of information technology has created cyber bullying. A number of casualties have also emanated from this platform, and new interventions are accommodating that form of abuse.
Definition of terms
Bulling may be perceived as a form of aggression in which provokers tease, threaten, ridicule, harass or intimidate their targets. It is an attempt to knowingly create a feeling of discomfort or injury upon another student. In most instances bullying may occur through low level aggression like isolating a victim from a group, pushing them or throwing their books on the floor.
Bullying involves three parameters: an intentional act, repetition of the act and an imbalance of power. The victim is perceived as weak and easy to target. It should be noted that bullying differs from aggression because the latter involves some form of violent or dangerous act, but it is often done in isolation. On the other hand, bullying involves repeated attacks on an individual such that the person operates in an atmosphere of intimidation and fear (Jimerson et. al. 92).
Anti bullying law refers to legislation designed to curb bullying. It may be done on a federal level or a state level. Most times, it places obligations on schools, school district boards and educators to act in instances where bullying arises. Acts are passed statewide, and school districts have the mandate to implement them. Sometimes, it may take a proactive approach by training students and educators on how to deal with the matter.
Problem
Victims of high school bullying are at a great risk of suicide, post traumatic stress and depression (Srabstein et. al. 15). Casualties of bullying tend to report high instances of school absenteeism as they may do whatever they can to avoid going to such a stressful environment.
By inference, chronic absenteeism leads to poor performance in school and even dropping out. Schools are supposed to be institutions where students learn skills needed to survive in their adult life. Bullying comes in the way of this goal. It undermines the nation’s objective of providing equal access to education for all students. Literacy levels will become dismal if this problem is not addressed immediately.
Manifestations of bullying are evident in different spheres of adult life. Road rage stems from uncurbed bullying practices. Adult drivers may bully fellow drivers and thus cause retaliation through road rage. It is a given fact that many people have lost their lives owing to road rage. Workplace bullying is also a prominent phenomenon that causes many employees to get stressed about their jobs.
These patterns usually start in high school or earlier forms of schooling. In the political sphere, effects of bullying are evident when politicians display intolerance towards marginalized groups. Such individuals developed these patterns in school when they got away with mistreatment of ‘weaker’ colleagues.
In fact, Shandwick (5) reports that civility is eroding in modern society. 65% of the participants in this survey felt that the country is suffering from a lack of civility. Unless causes behind these issues are addressed, then percentages could increase. Middle or high school bullying is one of the platforms that cultivate these problems. Persons living in high-stress environments have a high risk of developing coronary diseases. Therefore, casualties of workplace bullying could even develop physical health complications.
One may assert that bullying is not just taking a toll on the country’s education goals, but it is damaging the esteem and psychological well being of children. These effects continue on into adulthood and have an effect on the productivity and economy of the country. Furthermore, bullying may be intended as a mild form of aggression but it often results in unwanted consequences. Many lives have been lost to suicide owing to bullying-related reasons. School shootings are a sign of retaliation from offended parties.
They may feel frustrated at their powerlessness and may use weapons to get back at their offenders. Rapes involving several aggressors are taking place because some students can simply get away with it. Children have a right to be protected from foreseeable harm. School environments should not be a place where students suffer from preventable injuries or death (Bedell & Arthur 60). Bullying can cause so many unpredictable and calamitous consequences, so it should not be tolerated in schools.
Blame
A number of stakeholders contribute to the high prevalence of bullying in American schools. The media, particularly television, the internet and video games expose children to different forms of aggression. Many of them may resort to bullying as an outlet for these representations.
Therefore, the media has partially contributed to this problem. Children require guidance as they grow in order to learn about proper social, emotional and psychological conduct. Parents are primarily responsible for teaching children these expectations. When bullying emerges, then parents must ask where they went wrong (Aspy et. al. 271).
If federal governments or district boards want to tackle the problem of bullying, they must incorporate parents in this effort. Teachers and school personnel also act as role models and affect children’s behavior. They have the capacity to create an atmosphere free of bullying. Alternatively, when bullying occurs, educational institutions have the ability to punish wrongdoers and thus control the practice.
Therefore, possible solutions to the problem ought to incorporate their input. School administrators have the biggest role to play in the issue. They can either act on a report about bullying or pretend that it does not affect them and ignore it. A school administration has the responsibility to pass and enforce anti-bullying policy (Jimerson et. al. 57).
If the school administration is not committed to this goal, then instances of the behavior are likely to increase. People who witness instances of bullying and do nothing about it are also to blame. Bystanders have the obligation to report any such cases to the authorities. If they chose to remain silent, then more victims will continue to suffer (Nansel et. al. 350).
Elementary, middle and highs schools are breeding grounds for bullying. At this developmental stage, group identities are a central part of children’s lives and most of them do not have the psychological ability to overcome aggression. Schools are institutions in which all members of society are expected to attend.
Therefore, it is essential to establish environments in which children can develop academic and social skills needed to function in society. All the stakeholders involved in the school setting and child raising must be held to account when tackling the bullying situation (Newman-Carlson and Horne 262).
Solution
Passing an anti-bullying legislation that bans bullying in all high schools would solve this problem. A cost-benefit analysis indicates that the method is workable. Mild forms of the legislation have been introduced in various federal states Like New Jersey; therefore, a country-wide solution is plausible (Sacco et. al. 13). The laws would create responsibilities for all the stakeholders involved in running schools. First, school district boards should have a superintendent who would ensure that all schools in the district comply with the legislation.
He or she would coordinate efforts, and punish those schools that fail to conform. Initial penalties could include provision of warning letters and instatement of meetings with violators. Perpetual disregard for the law among schools could lead to the loss of their licenses. The laws would also place a responsibility on schools to select specialists that would deal with harassment cases. The most suitable person for this job would be a school counselor.
However, this may overwhelm the social worker. Therefore, it may be wise to add the number of counselors for this as well as train them on high school bullying. School districts must allocate specific funds for this purpose as educational institutions must not be left with the only responsibility for solving the problem.
Teachers also need to undergo training in order to learn how to respond to instances of bullying or learn how to identify it. In the event that a bullying report takes place, a school head should start investigation using an anti-bullying committee on the same day. The latter should be represented by parents, teachers and counselors. Schools should send monthly reports to the district supervisor who then ascertains that they have been doing what they are supposed to do.
Previous interventions on bullying have proven to be too slow and uncoordinated (Hurd & Zimmerman 336). Many schools may create their own policies but few of them take the time to implement them. They lack the commitment and will power to push through with these policies (Orpinas et. al. 439).
A national ban would ascertain that schools treat bullying with the seriousness it deserves. Furthermore, the anti bullying committee would create a unified approach to the problem as it would account for parents’, educators’ and school interests. Other methods in the past, which involve only teachers, have left out important members of schools that are also responsible for the problem. It is not enough to make recommendations on high school bullying; passing laws to deal with it would be the best option.
Initial training would cost schools approximately $ 1500 per counselor or teacher. Currently, some firms are available that can train teachers on these new requirements. If a school has approximately two counselors and 30 teachers then the program would cost $ 48, 000 at the beginning. This would be an investment in students’ well being and would need to take place only once (Kueny & Zirkel 29).
There is not doubt that such an approach will have some challenges. For instance, schools may feel overwhelmed by the amount of time it takes to write reports or examine instances of bullying. They may also express apprehension over budgetary constraints. Issues of loss of licenses may also be objectionable.
However educational institutions stand to gain more than they will lose. They will create conducive environments for learning, protect students from potential injuries or even death. Additional funding from school boards will also cushion budgetary constraints.
This approach is moral and justified. Bullies are persons who abuse the education system by victimizing others; they deserve tough punishment for their actions. Schools that ignore bullying are a big part of the problem and they need to be held accountable.
Conclusion
Since bullying is an endemic problem, it requires responses that are tough and far-reaching. Passing legislations to ban bullying in high school would solve this problem by placing obligations on all stakeholders and eliminating a carefree attitude. Funding support and one-off training would dispel possible objections.
Works Cited
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Hurd, Noelle & Marc Zimmerman. “Role model behavior and youth violence: A study of positive and negative effects.” The Journal of Early Adolescence 31.2(2011): 323-354. Print.
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Kueny, Maryellen & Perry Zirkel. “An analysis of school anti-bullying laws in the United States.” Middle School Journal 43.4(2012): 22-31. Print.
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Newman-Carlson, Dawn and Arthur Horne. “Bully Busters: A psychoeducational Intervention for reducing bullying behavior in middle school students.” Journal of Counseling & Development 82.3 (2004): 259-267. Print.
Orpinas, Pamela, Arthur Horne and Deborah Staniszewski.“School bullying: Changing the problem by changing the school.” School Psychology Review 32.3 (2003): 431-444. Print.
Sacco, Dena, Katharine Silbaugh, Felipe Corredor, June Casey and Davis Doherty. An overview of state anti-bullying legislation and other related laws. 2012. PDF File. Web.
Shandwick, Weber. National Civility Survey. 2010. Web.
Srabstein, Jorge, Benjamin Berkman & Eugenia Pyntikova. “Antibullying legislation: A public health perspective.” Journal of Adolescent Health 42.1 (2008): 11–20. Print.