Doctors fight back against bullying
When Kevin Epling complained about his eighth-grade son being bullied by upperclassmen, police chalked it up to kids being kids. When Brenda High lobbied legislators in her state to pass anti-bullying legislation, she was surprised at how many blew her off. Bullying, they shrugged, was just part of growing up.
No longer. For the first time, the American Academy of Pediatrics is weighing in on the subject in its official policy on the pediatrician’s role in preventing youth violence. The journal Pediatrics calls upon schools to implement comprehensive anti-bullying programs. The feds, too, have played a role, raising awareness with a campaign called Take a Stand, Lend a Hand: Stop Bullying Now.
In 1998, researchers at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development found that 30 percent of nearly 16,000 6th- to 10th-graders has either bullied other kids or been bullied.
Furthermore, studies show that bullies are more likely to cut class or drop out and are more prone to smoke, drink, and get involved in fights. Meanwhile, fear of being bullied prompts up to 160,000 students to stay home each day, according to the National Association of School Psychologists. Being bullied can dash a child’s self-confidence and trigger depression; it has caused enough children to end their lives that a term has been coined: bullycide.
if your kid is being bullied
Ideally, your child’s school has a bullying-prevention protocol in place. Some schools funnel complaints first to the guidance counselor; others, to the teacher or principal.
If your child’s school has no formal program, speak first with the appropriate teacher. If the situation remains unresolved, head to the principal’s office.
WHAT WORKS:
According to Robert Sege, of the AAP, tackling bullying in schools works. “It’s a good place to intervene because it’s where kids set up their social structure,” he says. “An effective bullying-prevention program works with bystanders to change the culture.”
WHAT DOESN’T:
Putting the onus on the child to work it out; it’s the responsibility of adults to intervene. It’s a bad idea to advise bullied kids to turn the other cheek or just walk away. “It’s a tall order to ask a young child to confront someone who may be bullying him,” says the AAP’s Joseph Wright. “That’s why it’s important to activate the bystanders.”
Holding one-time school assemblies isn’t effective. “You hear a speaker for an hour, sign a banner that says ‘Don’t Bully’, and then what? You need the system to change.”