“Father Takes Bold Stand in Court: Is This the Ultimate Response to Schoolyard Bullying?”
The cafeteria is another popular choice for bullies, as well as outside on school grounds and over the internet or via text messages. Bathrooms and locker rooms are less common, but bullying does still occur in both locations, as well as in gyms and on school buses.
Parents and administrators must work together to put an end to bullying
Image credits: Wavebreakmedia/Envato (not the actual photo)
While some might assume that bullying is a rite of passage for students or that it “builds character,” it’s certainly not something that anyone deserves to experience. In fact, it can have lifelong effects on victims.
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network reports that bullying can cause stress, anxiety and depression in victims, as well as anger, feelings of loneliness, isolation, low self-esteem, disruptions in sleeping and eating patterns, health complaints, poor relational skills and more.
Students that have been bullied are also more likely to avoid school or drop out, struggle with their academic performance, have separation anxiety, cause self-harm, struggle with an eating disorder and have suicidal or homicidal ideations.
So what can parents and school administrators do to put an end to bullying and protect students? According to the Crisis Prevention Institute, the first step is having a clear definition for what exactly counts as bullying. It might also be helpful to simply remove labels like “bully” and “victim” and instead focus on addressing the behavior.
