We felt this topic was too important to ignore. Lately there have been many stories in the news regarding the horrific results of bullying in junior high schools, high schools and even colleges.
Take for instance this recent story in Des Moines, Iowa. Recently an application for the Ku Klux Klan was found taped to an eighth-grade student’s school locker, and the victim of the offensive prank was indeed an African American student. Imagine being 14-year-old Dante Johnson-Taylor and finding an application to the KKK taped to your locker at Urbandale Middle School?
Pretty unnerving, even if you’re an adult.
Now the student who callously taped the form to the victim’s locker in Des Moines was caught and is currently undergoing a disciplinary action that the Urbandale Schools Superintendent Doug Stilwell “cannot comment upon at this time.” Due to the gravity of the act, and the fact that it was a fellow classmate—one whom Taylor admitted he “thought was a friend"— is even more disturbing. Why? Because it proves that the culprits of bullying sometimes are not understanding of the gravity of what they did.
And you don’t have to reach too far back into the past to find other instances of intense bullying. Just two weeks before the Urbandale bullying incident, three other high school students in East Lansing, Michigan currently face severe disciplinary actions for carving images of a swastika into two other student’s high school lockers. According to news reports, one victim whose metal locker was carved is apparently a Jewish student.
Bullying. It has become a very heated and controversial topic. This isn’t like the days when a student would randomly get whipped once with a towel in the gym locker room, or being stuffed into a narrow high school locker as a seemingly harmless “practical joke.” Today’s bullying is far more severe and is not limited to what happens on school property.
Take these two recent cases mentioned above. Viciously attacking a person’s ethnicity or deep religious convictions goes far and beyond the scope of any initiation rite of passage that hazing is commonly associated with. These attacks strike at the very core of an individual’s soul. They are both reprehensible and should be dealt with in a serious, yet constructive and informative manner to help those “bullies” understand the lasting effects their actions had upon those victims.
According to the Center for Disease Control, (CDC) suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people. That results as about 4,400 deaths annually. For every suicide that is successful, unfortunately there are at least 100 other unsuccessful attempts, and over 14 percent of high school students actually have admitted they have considered suicide.
Now we are not stating that bullying is the only and sole cause of suicides in junior high and high school aged students. There are possible other factors and more reasons, however the statistic is alarming enough to warrant a closer look at how to prevent acts of bullying mentioned above.
The CDC notes that bullying victims are between two and nine times more likely to at least consider suicide than non-victims of bullying. Add that to a recent survey by ABC News where nearly 30 percent of students are either bullies or victims of bullying, and that adds up to being a number that is indeed quite concerning.
Signs that your child may be the victim of bullying can present themselves as follows:
- They lose interest in normally favorite activities and pastimes.
- There is a noticeable decrease in sleep and eating.
- Parents may notice an increase in having “a bad day” and a withdrawal from former friends, neighbors and even family members.
- The child begins talking or writing about death or displays an unusual interest in dying. This can include comments such as the following; “things would be better without me” or; “if I wasn’t here, you would all be happier.”
- Unusual behavior changes that could possibly include going to such lengths as even giving away cherished items and favorite possessions.
If your child does exhibit any, or even some, of these symptoms it is important to not ignore these signs seeking help. Sit down and talk to them about your concerns and even get them professional help immediately in the form of professional therapy.
Since two of our divisions specialize in gym and high school lockers, we are aware of, and understand the pressures surrounding high school and that bullying can cause serious issues and lead to horrible consequences. We just wanted all of our clients such as teachers, principals, parents and school administrators to be aware of the effects of bullying and keep a keen eye out for these signs when presented by students, or your very own children.
For those bullying stories mentioned above:
For the Urbandale Bullying Story: CLICK HERE
For the East Lansing Bullying Story: CLICK HERE
For more information about cyber bullying:
http://www.endcyberbullying.org/about-us/
Other helpful sources and articles:
WebMD, Depression Guide, "Recognizing the Warning Signs of Suicide"
Nemours, KidsHealth, "Helping Kids Deal with Bullies”
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Suicide Prevention, "Youth Suicide"
Yale University, Office of Public Affairs, "Bullying-Suicide Link Explored in New Study by Researchers at Yale"
Matt Dickinson, The Independent, "Research finds bullying link to child suicides"
Michael Inbar, MSNBC Today, "Sexting bullying cited in teen's suicide"
Susan Donaldson James, ABC News, Health, "Teen Commits Suicide Due to Bullying: Parents Sue School for Son's Death"
Erik Eckholm and Katie Zezima, The New York Times, "6 Teenagers Are Charged After Classmate's Suicide"
