Bullying Horror Stories: Civil Rights Workers Get Personal

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A new anti bullying video is out from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. It focuses on fighting the harassment of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender kids and those who don’t conform to gender stereotypes about male or female behavior or appearance. The video features several Division employees sharing their childhood struggles with being bullied and harassed. In this short video, the staff was surprisingly candid about not only being attacked by other kids, but by parents and teachers as well. Staffers go on to encourage young people who are bullied and harassed, by letting them know their futures are still bright.

TV Shows Sexualize Images of Teenage Girls, Study Says

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Television shows are featuring teenage girls involved in sexual situations a lot more often than adult women.  

Out of the sexual incidents young girls were portrayed in, 98 percent of them occurred outside of a committed relationship and 73 percent were presented in a humorous manner, such as a punch line to a joke. This data comes from a study conducted by the Parents Television Council. The study, called Sexualized Teen Girls: Tinseltown’s New Target, looked at the top 25 primetime shows aimed at teenagers in the 2009-2010 season. The study targets popular shows such as Glee, Gossip Girl and 90210.

The Glee Effect: Singing Teens Do Better in School

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Students are finding musical inspiration from shows like “Glee” and “The Sing-Off” and studies show that singing kids do better in school and are more diverse. Ninety percent of educators believe singing in a choir can keep some students engaged who might otherwise be lost, according a nationwide study. The Atlanta Journal Constitution profiled Marist High School in Atlanta, which has caught “The Glee Effect” where stereotypes are being broken. A variety of students, from teens who play sports to more reserved teens, are participating in school choirs. Thirty-one percent of kids between 8 and 18 say that movies like Disney’s “Camp Rock” and shows like “Glee” make them want to get involved in music making, according to a recent poll conducted by Harris Interactive.

LGBT Teens Are More Likely to Get Arrested

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Teens who are lesbian, gay or bisexual are more likely to be arrested, expelled from school and/or put in jail than heterosexual kids, according to a nationwide study. The study also found that gay kids are more vulnerable to health risks including addiction, bullying and family abuse. The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health looked at teens in grades seven through 12 who identified themselves as lesbian, gay or bisexual. Lesbian girls reported the worst treatment, indicating they were stopped by police 50 percent more often than their straight peers in one experiment. The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, is unclear why lesbian, gay or bisexual kids are facing harsher treatment.

Nine Girls Arrested for Gang Activity in Peachtree City

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Nine girls, all 13 to 15 years old, were arrested for gang activity Wednesday morning at their Fayette County schools, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. The girls were turned in by other students who reported to school officials that the girls were making threats and wearing pink and black clothes. Peachtree City police were already tracking the girls for allegations of bullying, beating in new gang members, carrying weapons and apparently sharing information on Facebook. Investigators are increasingly monitoring social media websites to track gang activity, as we reported last month. Surveys across the country also show a nationwide trend of girls getting arrested more often than boys.

Mother and Daughter Face Drug Charges for Bringing Ibuprofen to School

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A 12-year-old girl with cramps brought Ibuprofen to her middle school in Columbus, Ga. and is now facing drug charges. Her mother, who provided her with the pills, has been charged with one count of distributing a dangerous drug, according to the Ledger-Enquirer. School officials found the pill bottle in the girl's purse, containing 800-milligram tablets of Ibuprofen. Ibuprofen is classified as a dangerous drug if a single dose is more than 200 milligrams, according to state law.

National Study Says Teens Are Smoking More Pot

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The number of pot smoking teens increased this year with one third of high school seniors admitting they used marijuana during the month before participating in a national survey. And it’s not just seniors. One in seven 8th graders and one in four 10th graders are also smoking pot. This data comes from the 2010 National Institute on Drug Abuse Monitoring the Future study, which has been surveying American teens since 1975. The study, designed and conducted by the University of Michigan, looked at more than 46,000 8th, 10th and 12th graders enrolled in over 350 public and private schools.

Southern States Lead the Way in Reducing National Dropout Rate

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More freshmen teens in Georgia and other southern states are going on to graduate, which has helped improve the national dropout average. The number of “dropout factories” – high schools where less than 60 percent of freshman actually graduate – went down from 2,007 to 1,746 between 2002 and 2008, according to a Johns Hopkins report out today called Building a Grad Nation: Progress and Challenge in Ending the High School Dropout Epidemic. Here’s the picture in Georgia. In 2002, 156 high schools were considered dropout factories. Things improved in 2008 with the number dropping to 120 schools.

School Boards Dispute Federal Bullying Policies

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School boards across the country are protesting federal bullying policy. The National School Boards Association (NSBA) is challenging the U.S. Department of Education on the federal interpretation of bullying as a civil rights violation. As JJIE reported in October, the Department sent a 10-page letter warning schools to comply with federal rules to prevent bullying and harassment. It also said student bullying may violate anti-discrimination laws. The letter sent to schools nationwide said: “When…harassment is based on race, color, national origin, sex, or disability, it violates the civil rights laws that [the Office for Civil Rights] enforces.”

NSBA sent a letter Tuesday to Charlie Rose, General Counsel for the Department of Education, urging the Department to clarify it’s definition of bullying and harassment as a civil rights violation.

Free Webinar On New Way to Help At-Risk Teens

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If you’re interested in providing community services for high-risk teen offenders, check out a free webinar offered by the Office for Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The webinar, called Court Coordination Program: Thinking Small May Be the Best Way to Accomplish Something Big, takes place January 6, 2011 at 3 p.m eastern. The web conference is designed to help juvenile justice practitioners learn how to get the attention of a juvenile court judge and gain public and private agency assistance in helping youth. Click here to register.