Facebook Application Targets Cyberbullying

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A new “Find Help” application on Facebook may make it easier for teens to not only report cyberbullying but also to find support organizations. Mashable.com reports that a company called SafetyWeb.com,has introduced the new app to address growing concerns about teen safety on the social networking site. According to CBC news, the “Find Help” application is similar to an online list of emergency phone numbers. When a child clicks on the application, he or she is directed to phone numbers and links for reporting incidents. This also sends kids to organizations like the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s CyberTipline, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline and Facebook’s abuse reporting process. Since 2003 there have been at least 12 teenagers who commited suicide because they had been bullied online.

Feds Warn Schools to Get Tougher on Bullying and Civil Rights Violations

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In a rare move, the Department of Education is sending out a 10-page letter today to thousands of school districts, colleges and universities, to make sure they are complying with federal rules to prevent bullying and harassment. They warn that some types of bullying may actually be discriminatory  harassment under the Civil Rights Act. The letter clarifies when student bullying may violate federal education anti-discrimination laws. It explains educator’s legal obligations to protect students from the following kinds of harassment and bullying. Racial and national orientation
Sexual and gender-based
Disability

The letter provides examples of harassment and explains how schools should respond to each case.

Experts to Share Latest Bullying Prevention Strategies

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Every day, thousands of kids wake up afraid to go to school. They check their Facebook or look at their cell phones, worried about what they’ll find. If there’s a child in your life who needs help, check out a webcast sponsored by the Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention Working Group, taking place October 27 at 1:00 p.m.

The webcast will feature a panel of experts including:

Dr. Catherine Bradshaw, Associate Director, Johns Hopkins Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence
Kevin Jennings, Assistant Deputy Secretary, Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools, U.S. Department of Education
Capt. Stephanie Bryn, Director, Injury and Violence Prevention Programs, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

The registration deadline is October 25. To register and get log in information, click here.

Marietta Police Produce Video on Bullying

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The Marietta Police Department and the City School system have created an eight-minute video with advice for parents on bullying.  The first recommendation may be the most important: good communication between parents and kids. Police officers also outline how families can identify the signs of bullying, how parents should report bullying, what schools are required to do, and what actions police may take. Click here to watch the video

Click here to see more crime prevention videos from the Marietta Police Department.

Ken Trump: Bullycide

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Does bullying cause suicide? You would think so if you read and hear some of the headlines, comments, and advocacy by anti-bullying law special interests following several suicides completed by youth who were reported victims of chronic bullying at school. I certainly do not question whether these kids were bullied.  I do not question whether the bullying added significant stress to the lives of these kids and others who are chronically bullied.  And I definitely do not minimize the seriousness of the losses of these innocent kids’ lives. But I am also not convinced that bullying onto itself is the sole cause of teens taking their own life.  Being “bullied to death” makes quite a media headline and soundbite.  But does it accurately reflect the sole cause of death implied by the use of such a phrase? I can see where chronic bullying could be the last straw in cases where deeper mental health issues exist with an individual, driving the individual over-the-top to completion of suicide.

Ken Trump: Federal Bullying Police Coming to a School Near You

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“We’re the federal government, and we’re here to  help investigate you.”

The Education and Justice Departments are now taking on investigatory and prosecutorial roles against school districts on bullying and harassment cases.  Historically their roles have centered on research, along with funding prevention and intervention programs on these issues. The U.S. Department of Education and its Office of Civil Rights reaffirmed last week it would be “vigorously” investigating local school districts on complaints against the districts related to bullying and harassment. The Department’s statement followed up on presentations made by Education Department officials at their “bullying summit” two weeks ago where they announced they would be “proactively investigating” schools on bullying complaints. Last week the Justice Department entered the fray by filing an “amicus curiae” or “friend of the court” motion in a federal discrimination lawsuit against the Indian River Central School District in New York.  The case involves claims of discrimination (based on sex) by the school district in connection with harassment, physical assaults, and threats against a gay former student.  The suit reportedly claims the district refused to help him and refused to allow him to form a Gay-Straight Alliance at the high school. According to the news report, the lawsuit was brought by Lambda Legal, a national organization that defends the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

79% of Students are Bullied

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79% of students in middle school and high school across the nation say they have been bullied.  63% of these students were bullied once or twice a year. 7% were bullied every day. This is according to a 2007 report by the National Center for Education Statistics.  Girls were 3% more likely to be bullied at school then boys. Only 36% of students who were victimized notified a teacher or another trusted adult.

New bullying law: Will it be enough?

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Now that Georgia has one of the toughest anti-bullying laws in the nation, school administrators have new responsibilities:

Investigate incidents – not just in the school yard, but also online. Notify parents of both bullies and victims.
Develop anti-bullying policies for schools, including the elementary level. The tougher law comes in the wake of two deaths in Georgia.  High School junior Tyler Long took his own life last October.  His family has filed a wrongful death suit against the Murray County school district, claiming he was bullied at school for years and school officials failed to intervene.   11 year old Jaheem Herrara also killed himself last year in DeKalb County.  Jaheem’s parents says his elementary school knew about repeated harassment and did nothing to stop it. Will new school intervention strategies be enough?   Newsweek.com reports that no U.S. program has been shown to significantly reduce bullying.  Finland and Norway are taking a different approach:  Lessons on stereotyping and emotional IQ are part of the daily curriculum. And for one more take on the issue, Psychotherapist Carol Smaldino writes about Georgia’s new law in the HuffingtonPost.com.