“See Something, Say Something” Applies to Bullying, too

Here are some facts about bullying that you can’t look away from, according to the National Education Association.

1. A child in the United States gets bullied every seven minutes.
2. Only 25 percent of adults would do something about it.
3. Worse, 85 percent of the child’s peers will do nothing to stop it.

Bullying comes in many shapes and sizes — from online cyber bullying to old fashioned “in your face” playground encounters. In fact, throughout the country, over 160,000 students are afraid of being bullied and opt to stay home from school. The result of bullying is not only hurt feelings and depression, but severe physical injuries. Children who are thought to be different, overweight, gay or disabled, for example, are especially vulnerable to bullying.

New Jersey’s anti-bullying law required grade schools to “protect students from harassment (by creating) a safe school climate.” In fact, there is a grading system that allows schools to determine how they are doing in areas of bullying prevention, student curriculum, reporting and investigation procedures. Staff training is also an extremely important component in the fight against bullying. If teachers are willing, or don’t know how, to step in, the problems are allowed to get worse.

The Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act in 2011 amended the Public School Safety Law of 1982. Now, students can anonymously report bullying incidents. This allows kids to point the finger so adults can take action. And, the Act requires schools to do just that; districts must investigate every claim of bullying reported.

If your child has been the victim of bullying, contact a compassionate lawyer who will protect your child and seek to hold the wrongdoers responsible. If you feel your school district didn’t properly investigate a bullying accusation, you may have a claim. Contact Davis & Mendelson today about your concerns.