Zero tolerance policy needed for bullying
No one can say for sure whether bullying in schools is worse than it used to be, or that in our multimedia society we are just hearing about it more often. In either case, the problem is serious enough to merit the kind of attention it is now getting in the media and, fortunately, in the classroom.
If we didn’t pay enough attention to it in the past, that is certainly no excuse for failure to take action in the present.
Mendon tweens can learn how to surf and text safely
The Mendon Public Library, 15 Monroe St., will host a Surfing Safely for Tweens program for ages 10 through 15 from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, June 12.
Topics will include: keeping your identity safe, cyber-bullying, chat room safety, how to spot a potential predator, keeping your parents in the loop, and texting/instant messaging safety.
Students will learn through open discussions, written materials and real-life video documentaries.
Cyberbullying Leads to Brutality
By Maureen Rossi
Garden City Patch
Cyberbullying is a societal problem that has garnered national media attention with the recent suicides of two teenage girls, one from West Islip.
Another West Islip teen, Mary Kate Bell, was also a victim of cyberbullying this year. Mary Kate’s technological taunting ended in a vicious and brutal attack that left her hospitalized for three days and in need of reconstructive surgery on her face.
Before being physically attacked Mary Kate was threatened via text messages on her phone and on Facebook.
How to beat cyber bullying
In a recent survey by the charity Beatbullying, nearly 40 per cent of young people said that they were nervous about going back to school because of bullying. Also, one in three children have revealed that they have been the victims of cyber bullying. Cyber bullies target their victims mainly via mobile phone text and picture messages, prank mobile calls and social networking sites.
The impact can be just as devastating as verbal or physical abuse. In January, Megan Gillan (15) of Macclesfield took a fatal overdose of painkillers after classmates instigated a bullying campaign at school and on the social networking site Bebo, where they posted spiteful messages about her.
Read more about beating cyber bullying
Ben Shifrin, Head of Jemicy School, Offers Tips on What to do if Your Child is Bullied
BALTIMORE, May 26 /PRNewswire/ — With the increase in the use of social media and many recent reports of extreme cases of bullying in the news, Ben Shifrin, head of the Jemicy School in Owings Mills, MD wants to inform parents about how they can best help their children if they are bullied. Shifrin emphasizes that parents need to understand the serious threat bullying poses and that parents need to be advocates for their children.
Shifrin also stresses that parents must recognize that with our children’s constant access to technology, cyber bullying has become a serious problem. It is the fastest growing form of bullying, with middle school aged girls being the most vulnerable. Parents must be aware that this form of bullying happens not just on the computer, but also on the phone via text messaging. Cyber bullying is particularly damaging to a child, since the bullying can occur 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, which means the child does not have a safe haven.
CyberBullies: Death Threats Are Real to the Victims
Cyber bullies who make threats to other kids online or through cyberspace need to realize those threats are perceived as real by the recipients and the law.
Last year, a teenage girl who had posted a death threat on the social nertworking site, FaceBook®, bacame the first cyberbully to be sent to jail in the UK. After four years of constant bullying at the school both girls attended, 18–year–old Keeley Houghton threatened to kill Emily Moore.
Cyberbullying is on the rise around the world as kids and teens find it easier and easier to bully others online or through some other form of technology like text messaging. Parents need to be aware of just how kids are using the available technology to make threats to and possibly harm other kids.
Ways to stop bullying
In the December movie favorite, “A Christmas Story,” Ralphie and his friends cower in the presence of the neighborhood bully, Scut Farkus. That is, until one day when a snowball in the face provokes Ralphie to fight back and pound Scut into submission.
Back in the 1940s, when the movie took place, bullying wasn’t hard to spot. It was physical, verbal and always overtly confrontational. That’s how we often think of bullying today, and in fact, whether it’s kids or adults, face-to-face confrontations are frequently the way bullies go after their prey.
But it’s not the only way. Cyberbullying — through Internet social networks, texting and cell phones — can be as damaging as physical showdowns. And in some cases, it can be fatal, as demonstrated by the death of Phoebe Prince, a 15-year-old Massachusetts girl, who was targeted by classmates and hanged herself in January. The incident triggered widespread national publicity, reminiscent of other such incidents that have occurred and brought similar outrage and concern over cyberbullying.
Franklin anti-bullying group to visit Washington, D.C.
By Ashley Studley
The Milford Daily News
FRANKLIN —The Teen Angels have hit Town Hall, seen Beacon Hill and are now taking their anti-bullying message to Washington, D.C.
The Franklin students leave tomorrow to meet federal officials and kids from around the country in an effort to raise awareness about cyber bullying.
“The trip to Washington is a wonderful opportunity for our students – we are appreciative that our elected officials will open their offices to the students and listen to their voice,” said Superintendent Maureen Sabolinski.
Play teaches youths about cyberbullying
By Nok-Noi Ricker
Bangor Daily News
HAMPDEN, Maine — Girls always have used gossip and spread rumors to bully one another, but nowadays, with most teens carrying a cell phone or having access to a computer, their ability to spread lies and cause pain is instant and far-reaching.
“This isn’t ‘bully’ like when we were kids,” Joye Levy, director of education for Penobscot Theatre, said Wednesday. “You can’t escape … and the computer follows you home.”
Penobscot Theatre, Acadia Hospital and eight University of Maine students, with support from the C. Walder Park Foundation, are performing Texas playwright Linda Daugherty’s award-winning “The Secret Lives of Girls” at area schools.
Canadian parents say cyber-bullying is common
CALGARY – A new survey says that 7 percent of Canadian parents of children aged 7-17 indicate that their child had been cyber-bullied.
Known instances of cyber bullying increase with the age of the
child…
…Study author Mark Laver notes, “Cyber-bullying is one of the unintended consequences of the digital age we now live in, the fact that some parents do not know about the online habits of their children is possibly more troublesome. The Internet, smartphones and mobile phones have given children an additional channel to bully their peers.”
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