National Bullying Prevention Month Brings Awareness To Buckhead

ATLANTA, GA — We hope you’ve noticed over the past year that we’ve been focusing on bullying and cyberbullying, a confounding national crisis that turns youths’ lives upside down with unimaginable angst and dread, sometimes with deadly consequences. With each story, we’ve heard poignant stories from Patch readers in Georgia and others who were bullied and overcame it, but also many who continue to struggle with the damage done by bullies to their self-esteem.

Many common threads emerged in emails from our readers: Teachers and other educators have suggested everything from first-period decompression time to classroom contracts with students on how they’re expected to treat one another. But for all the readers who said schools need to do more to foster an anti-bullying culture, as many said parents should talk more with their kids about bullying and keep closer track on their social media habits.

And in a loud chorus, they said Americans need to stop wringing their hands and work at all levels to create a world safe from bullying.

That’s one of the purposes of National Bullying Prevention Month, observed annually during October to bring attention to the problem and involve people in Buckhead and nationwide in a conversation on how to create a world safe from bullying.

Here is a look at Atlanta Public School's bullying policy:

All reports of bullying are taken seriously. Reports of bullying or retaliation may be made by staff, students, parents or guardians, or others, and may be oral or written. The Bullying Reporting Form is available in the school’s main office, the counseling office, the school nurse's office, as well as the Atlanta Public Schools’ website. Counselors and administrators can provide assistance to students in filling out the bullying reporting form.

Prohibited behaviors must occur on the property of the public school, at an event within the jurisdiction of a public school or at a school-sponsored event. Reported incidents of bullying, harassment, intimidation or retaliation that have occurred outside the jurisdiction of the school and have not disrupted the school environment shall be reported to the students’ parents/legal guardians. Disciplinary action may also be necessary if off-campus behavior results in a disruption to the school environment.

Bullying: No student shall bully another student or students. Bullying can occur on school property or through school technology resources, but can also occur through the use of electronic communication, whether or not that communication originated on school property or with school technology resources, if the electronic communication:

a. Is directed specifically at students or school personnel,

b. Is maliciously intended for the purpose of threatening the safety of those specified or substantially disrupting the orderly operation of the school, AND

c. Creates a reasonable fear of harm to the students' or school personnel's person or property or has a high likelihood of succeeding in that purpose.

*Electronic communication includes but is not limited to any transfer of signs, signals, writings, images, sounds, data or intelligence of any nature transmitted in whole or in part by a wire, radio, electromagnetic, photo electronic or photo optical system.

Bullying behavior is defined as:

• Willful attempt or threat to inflict injury on another person when accompanied by an apparent present ability to do so or;
• Intentionally exhibiting a display of force such as would give the victim reason to fear or expect immediate bodily harm, or;
• Any intentional written, verbal or physical act, which a reasonable person would perceive as being intended to threaten, harass or intimidate that: - Causes substantial physical harm or bodily harm capable of being perceived by a person other than the victim and may include, but is not limited to, substantially blackened eyes, substantially swollen lips or other facial or body parts, or substantial bruises to body parts. - Has the effect of substantially interfering with the victim student’s education; - Is so severe, persistent or pervasive that it creates an intimidating or threatening educational environment; or - Has the effect of substantially disrupting the orderly operation of the school.

Examples of bullying and harassment include, but are not limited, to:

• Unwanted teasing
• Threats, taunts and intimidation by words and/or gestures
• Physical violence and/or attacks
• Extortion
• Sexual, religious, or racial harassment
• Public humiliation
• Destruction of school/personal property
• Theft of money and/or personal possessions
• Rumors or spreading of falsehoods
• Stalking
• Social exclusion, including incitement and/or coercion
• Cyberstalking or engaging in conduct to communicate, or to cause to be communicated, words, images, or language by or through the use of electronic mail or electronic communication, directed at or about a specific person, causing substantial emotional distress to the victim.
• Cyberbullying or the willful, hostile and repeated harassment and intimidation of a person through the use of digital technologies, including, but not limited to, email, blogs, social networking websites (e.g. MySpace, Facebook, etc.) chat rooms, texts, and instant messaging
• The use of cameras or camera phones to take embarrassing photographs of students or school employees and posting them online.
• Sending abusive or threatening text messages or instant messages
• Using websites to circulate gossip and rumors to other students

A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE

Once viewed as a childhood “rite of passage” that toughened kids to handle the pressures of adulthood, bullying and its more insidious digital twin, cyberbullying, is seen by many experts as a major public health issue — on par with heart disease, cancer and diabetes — with devastating and often long-term effects like the loss of self-esteem, heightened anxiety and depression.

We want to hear from you. Do you have a story to tell about bullying or cyberbullying, a suggestion about how to stem it or an event to publicize? Comment at the end of the story, or email tim.darnell@patch.com and copy bullies@patch.com. You can post Bullying Prevention Month and many other events right here on Patch.

Statistics vary, but an aggregate of 80 different studies on bullying suggests one in five American students between 12 and 18 is bullied at some point during their middle or high school years. Traditional bullying — name calling, public humiliation, isolation, physical violence and that sort of thing — occurs most often, with 35 percent of kids reporting they’ve been targeted in one of those ways. The studies cited by the PACER Center, which established National Bullying Prevention Month, show that 15 percent of kids surveyed report being cyberbullied.

And though it occurs less often, cyberbullying — which has resulted in a disturbing string of suicides by adolescents and teenagers — is especially hard to stop. While experts say most cyberbullied kids don’t kill themselves, the long-tailed internet makes a taunt live longer than one flung on the schoolyard. Kids can escape traditional bullying in the safety of their homes, but because social media is so intertwined with how kids communicate, they never really escape it.

READ: Bullied To Death: When Kids Kill With Words

And because cyberbullies have the stealth of anonymity, “empathy tends to fade to zero,” NoBully.org founder Nicholas Carlisle told Patch.

He was knocked around 40 or so years ago as an awkward 12-year-old. The torment persisted through high school, but as tough as it was, his experience was markedly different from the torture kids endure today, he says — and it’s not just that he was attacked in a physical as opposed to online space.

“Online, you can’t see the whites of their eyes,” Carlisle said. “If you can see someone, that’s often a break upon people’s aggression — not always, but it does seem to have some break upon crossing the line.”

(For more news like this, find your local Patch here. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here.)

The full consequences of bullying on the brain aren’t fully understood, but kids who are targeted by bullies in childhood and adolescence are at increased risk for psychological problems that can stretch into adulthood, according to experts. In the moment, bullied kids may be unable to sleep or suffer a range of stomach issues and headaches. Later on, they’re at risk for depression, anxiety, and alcohol and drug use.

OCT. 24 UNITY DAY

Among the marquee National Bullying Prevention Month activities is Unity Day, observed on Wednesday, Oct. 24, when everyone is encouraged to wear and show orange to send a message that no child should ever experience bullying.

“Orange provides a powerful, visually compelling expression of solidarity,” Paula Goldberg, the executive director of the PACER Center, said in a statement. “Whether it’s hundreds of individuals at a school wearing orange, store owners offering orange products or a community changing a landmark to orange, the vibrant statement becomes a conversation starter, sending the supportive, universal message that bullying is never acceptable behavior.”

Here’s more about Unity Day:

THE BULLY MENACE: WHAT’S AHEAD

During October and beyond, several experts have agreed to answer readers’ questions about bullying, ranging from how to keep their kids from becoming targets to what to do if their kids are the bullies. We’ll also delve into some of the issues surrounding bullying —

Take a look back at some of the stories in our series:

• America’s Shameful Truth About School Shooters And Bullying
• They All Failed Changed Child: Malden Bullying Detailed
• Bullies, Their Targets The Same In A Surprising Number Of Cases
• ‘Everyday, I Wear Your Words,’ Teen Tells Bullies In Video
• Teen’s ‘I Wear Your Words’ Video Inspires Nashville Songwriters
• Bullying Of Mallory Grossman, 12, Spelled Out In Wrongful Death Lawsuit
• Poetry Teacher Helps Bullied Kids Open Their Tortured Minds
• Why These Kindergartners Start Each Day With A Simple Handshake

If you have a question or want to share your story, please email bullies@patch.com.

Photo via Shutterstock