Recently in Bullying Category

In a recent blog post for stopbullying.gov, the authors review the literature to determine possible links between bullying and suicide in children and youth.

They conclude that many factors may increase a youth’s risk of suicide—including mental health history, family history of suicide or child maltreatment, alcohol and substance abuse, and isolation—and caution against assuming there are “simple” causes for suicidal thoughts or behavior.

Check out the post here.

Emily Bazelon has written a timely groundbreaking book on bullying, its root problems and real-world solutions. Sticks and Stones: Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy defines what bullying is and, just as important, what it is not.

Bazelon explores when intervention is essential and when kids should be given the freedom to fend for themselves. She also dispels persistent myths: that girls bully more than boys, that online and in-person bullying are entirely distinct, that bullying is a common cause of suicide, and that harsh criminal penalties are an effective deterrent. Above all, she believes that to deal with the problem, we must first understand it.

No writer is better poised to explore this territory than Emily Bazelon, who has established herself as a leading voice on the social and legal aspects of teenage drama. In Sticks and Stones, she brings readers on a deeply researched, clear-eyed journey into the ever-shifting landscape of teenage meanness and its sometimes devastating consequences. The result is an indispensable book that takes us from school cafeterias to courtrooms to the offices of Facebook, the website where so much teenage life, good and bad, now unfolds.

Some early reviews:

“Thoughtful and moving, incisive and provocative, Sticks and Stones is essential reading for any educator trying to negotiate the minefield of bullying. Packed with valuable advice, the book brings a welcome dose of sanity to an often overheated national discussion.”—Paul Tough, author of How Children Succeed

“Beautifully written and tenaciously reported, Sticks and Stones is a serious, important book that reads like a page-turner. Emily Bazelon is a gifted writer, and this powerful work is sure to place childhood bullying at the heart of the national conversation—right where it belongs.”—Susan Cain, author of Quiet

"Emily Bazelon is doing the most honest, hard-hitting investigative work on bullying in America today. Sticks and Stones is a page-turner, combining compelling personal stories, rigorous reporting and practical advice for parents and educators. Read it: It’s essential.”—Rachel Simmons, author of Odd Girl Out

“Finally! In remarkably clear and friendly prose, Emily Bazelon dives into a difficult, complex topic and emerges with a wise, deeply nuanced, and practical guide to a subject that has us all confused.”— Wendy Mogel, Ph.D, author of The Blessing of a Skinned Knee

“Once in a while a book comes around that deeply illuminates a complex and stubborn problem and convinces you that something can be done about it. Emily Bazelon has written such a book about bullying. She has listened carefully and astutely to children and knows how to tell their stories. She is a remarkably compelling, evocative writer. She has keen insights about how to deal with bullying which, contrary to what many Americans think, imperils huge numbers of children. She understands law and policy and she shares an array of clear-eyed and wise solutions that will be useful for educators, parents and anyone else who cares about children. Sticks and Stones is a terrific book.”—Richard Weissbourd, Harvard psychologist and author of The Parents We Are Meant To Be

“Emily Bazelon's writing always stands out for its intelligence, in-depth reporting, and fresh perspective. Those stellar qualities shine through Sticks and Stones, which takes a brave and highly personal look at the thorny and persistent problem of school bullying. Her book sparks compassion, and will undoubtedly lead to a smarter, more nuanced discussion.”—Judith Warner, author of Perfect Madness

Emily Bazelon also wrote the recent New York Times Magazine feature story entitled The Price of a Stolen Childhood which highlights the Marsh Law Firm's advocacy for victims of child pornography.

Sticks and Stones: Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy can be purchased at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and Audible.com

For the schedule of Emily Bazelon's book tour, visit her calendar of events and follow her on Facebook.

Emily’s book was featured on the front page of the New York Times Book Review. Plus here’s a podcast of her talking about the book.

In 1979, U.S. Surgeon General Julius B. Richmond declared violence a public health crisis of the highest priority, and yet 33 years later that crisis remains. Whether the violence occurs in children’s homes, neighborhoods, schools, playgrounds or playing fields, locker rooms, places of worship, shelters, streets, or in juvenile detention centers, the exposure of children to violence is a uniquely traumatic experience that has the potential to profoundly derail the child’s security, health, happiness, and ability to grow and learn — with effects lasting well into adulthood.

To prepare this report, the Attorney General commissioned a task force of diverse leaders dedicated to protecting children from exposure to violence and to healing those who were exposed. The report calls for action by the federal government, states, tribes, communities, and the private sector across the country to marshal the best available knowledge and all of the resources needed to defend all of our children against exposure to violence.

The Task Force's recommendations include:

• Engage youth as leaders and peer experts in all initiatives defending children against violence and its harmful effects.
• Incorporate evidence-based trauma-informed principles in all applicable federal agency grant requirements.
• Launch a national initiative to promote professional education and training on the issue of children exposed to violence.
• Ensure that all children exposed to violence are identified, screened, and assessed.
• Provide all children exposed to violence access to trauma-informed services and evidence-based trauma-specific treatment.
• Provide research funding to continue the clinical and scientific development of increasingly effective evidence-based treatments for children exposed to violence.
• Incentivize healthcare providers and insurance providers to reimburse trauma-focused services and trauma-specific treatment.
• Expand access to home visiting services for families with children who are exposed to violence, focusing on safety and referral to services.
• When domestic violence and child sexual or physical abuse co-occur, ensure that the dependency and family courts, the child protection system, and domestic violence programs work together to create protocols and policies that protect children and adult victims.
• Ensure compliance with the letter and spirit of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA).
• Develop and implement policies to improve the reporting of suspected child sexual abuse in every institution entrusted with the care and nurturing of children.
• Provide children, parents, schools, and communities with the tools they need to identify and stop bullying and to help children who have been bullied — including the bullies themselves — to recover from social, emotional, and school problems.
• Make trauma-informed screening, assessment, and care the standard in juvenile justice services.
• Guarantee that all violence-exposed children accused of a crime have legal representation.
• Help, do not punish, child victims of sex trafficking.

You can download the entire report here.

Guest entry by Amanda Dove

Please visit Stop Bullying for more information about bullying and some measures you can use to help prevent it. Please contact the Maryland assault lawyers and Virginia assault lawyers of Price Benowitz LLP for more information.

In many superhero films, villains seem to share a lot of similar characteristics: a sinister appearance, an evil laugh, and the insatiable desire to take over the world. The line between good and evil is always clearly drawn in these films, making it hard to confuse the two, but unfortunately, reality rarely works in this way. Sometimes, the people that you are meant to trust in and to look up to are the ones that turn out being the most fearsome.

Two teachers from Texas prove that bullies can come in all shapes and sizes. When a kindergarten teacher caught one of her students, Aiden Neely, acting up in line, she went to her experienced coworker and asked for advice in dealing with classroom bullies. Instead of suggesting that she contact his parents or follow school procedures, the second teacher allegedly took the six-year-old into her classroom, sat him down, and told her twenty-four students to hit him one by one. She even encouraged her students to “hit him harder” in order to demonstrate why “bullying is bad”. It wasn’t until after Aiden was hit especially hard on the back that his teacher stopped the exercise.

When Aiden’s teacher came forward two weeks later, the district placed both teachers under paid administrative leave. Neither teacher has been identified, but the school says the one who organized the incident will not return next year, while the other will be eligible to come back in the fall after re-training. Salinas Elementary School also stated that they do not condone actions like this against their students.

Corporal punishment is not legal in all states, but when it is, the teacher must take appropriate disciplinary actions, not students. Usually, state laws will also contain requirements as to how physical punishments should be carried out and what offenses it can apply to.

Aiden’s mother, Amy Neely, is furious. She says, “twenty-four of those kids hit him and he said that most of them hit him twice.” She claims that this is the first time she has heard of her son having behavioral problems since the teacher never contacted her about the issue or sent her son to the principal’s office. Neely also adds that some of Aiden’s friends in the classroom told him that they didn’t want to participate, but they were too afraid to say no. She has already filed an official oppression complaint against the educators with the district police and is now working to ensure that the teacher who orchestrated the hitting never steps foot into another classroom.

The worst part of this ordeal is that none of the kids learned anything about bullying. If their classmate was perceived as a bully, the teacher should have helped him to take responsibility for his actions. Instead, she encouraged the students to believe that “two wrongs make a right”. Physical punishment is only a temporary solution to bullying problems. It is important for children to understand that if they are caught bullying, then they will be held accountable and may face serious repercussions like their educators.

For more information about this story visit USAToday.