Blog Post #8-IMHO

When kids talk about school being intolerable they are usually referring to test, reports, and homework, but when Pheobe Prince told her friend “school has been close to intolerable lately,” she wasn’t talking about the schoolwork. She was talking about the months of bullying she had endured; the bullying that got so vicious that, at only 15 years old, she took her own life.

Nine teens were indicted on March 29, 2010 in connection with the girl's death including: two teen boys charged with statutory rape and a clique of girls charged with stalking, criminal harassment, and violating Phoebe's civil rights. These charges came almost three months after Pheobe’s younger sister found her hanging in the stairwell of their family home.

I have heard and read many stories like Pheobe’s, and sadly this is not the only story of a teenager taking her/his own life because of the anguish brought on by bullying and tormenting. Bullying is becoming a disturbingly frequent occurrence in not only schools in the U.S. but all over the world, and it’s time to put a stop to it.

According to a study done throughout 13 countries by Yale School of Medicine, there are connections between bullying, being bullied, and suicide in children and teenagers. Suicide is the fifth leading cause of death among those 5-14 years old, the third leading cause of death among those 15-24 years old, and among young people aged 10-14 years, the rate has doubled in the last two decades.

I believe not only are the kids being bullied at risk, the kids doing the bullying can have effects lasting long after leaving school. Youth who bully frequently during adolescence are more likely to be aggressive and to have criminal records as adults.

I know most people think bullying is just part of growing up, but research done by The International Bullying Prevention Association, shows that 50% reduction rates in bullying are possible.

So why is it still happening? Why aren’t schools doing more to protect their students? And why do kids think the only way out is by taking their own lives?

Stop Bullying Now! a program started by The International Bully Prevention Association did a three-year study in Colorado schools in 2005. The program was to help youths and adults in school districts, schools, and communities intervene in and prevent bullying through training, networking, practice sessions and other strategies.

The findings show that bullying declined over the three-year initiative. The percentage of students reporting that they continued to bully others fell by 12 percent. Physical bullying dropped by 9 percent and verbal bullying, which included cyber bullying, decreased by 5 percent.

I believe that we implement programs like these in schools across the country and the world we can put a stop to bullying and even save a life.