Students, parents should stand up to bullying
Teenagers sometimes do stupid things, and mean things, and occasionally
they’re one and the same.
It’s not really new. As long as there have been teenagers, this has been the case. Fortunately, most grow out of both.
But during those teen years, and even pre-teen years, they have a proclivity for doing stupid things. It goes hand-in-hand with that teenage sense of immortality. They think nothing can go wrong, nothing bad’s going to happen to them, nothing’s going to hurt them. And if something does go wrong or someone gets hurt, well, ... sorry.
In the last few weeks, The Bulletin’s reported on teenagers who have done stupid things, mean things and have hurt other people. Sadly, some of it hasn’t been much different than stories we see from other parts of the country, although what’s happened here hasn’t turned tragic. Yet.
When someone is supposed to have borrowed a girl’s innocent picture, technologically stripped her bare to the world and shared it on the Internet, or convinces others to text them racy photos then share the images with everyone (or even try to sell them), that goes beyond overreaction or oversensitivity. More so, it seems incidents such as these have been associated with other forms of harassment and bullying.
Oh, some might say they’re just teen pranks, nobody gets hurt even if it is hugely embarrassing. But the impact can last much longer than you imagine. Anyone who was bullied years ago probably still can tell you the details, especially if it was a constant thing.
When high school, and even junior high, teens start sexting, they’re playing with fire in more ways than one. Because of the ages, technically it is a crime, and if those involved were prosecuted they could face child pornography charges, and if convicted they could be saddled with having to register as a sex offender. Parents need to emphasize this with their offspring, although they have to first accept that their children might do something like this.
Actually, parents need to educate their children that bullying is wrong, harassing other children and teens in any form or format is wrong, and they need to keep reminding them.
Since many of these incidents happen at school, or become school-related, there’s an obligation for the school to step in to prevent it, or to respond with an appropriate punishment. The particular incidents at hand occurred in the Mountain Home School District, which the best I can tell operates a under cloak of privacy when it deals with such situations.
We’ve been told action was taken by the school in these instances, and would be taken in any other ones, but what action is taken just isn’t discussed. The high school principal said if a student or parent brings a problem to the administration, they’ll take care of it, but won’t tell the victim or parent what was done “because you wouldn’t like it if we discussed an issue with your child to just anyone.”
Well, in one sense that’s good. But a victim of bullying as well their parents aren’t just “anyone”; they’re directly involved and know who the bully, or bullies, they complained about and at the least deserve to be told what action was taken.
And if the idea is to protect the privacy of a student and keep others from knowing, consider this: If Dick bullies Tom, and Tom complains to the school administration, then Dick suddenly is out of school for three days, or even is transferred to the alternative school, do you think other students aren’t aware of what’s happening? Schools are one of the worst places for keeping secrets and are fertile rumor mills anyway.
It’s been suggested complaints involving children of well-known or well-off families may not be treated the same as others in these cases, or even may not be disciplined at all. Who they are or how much money their family has doesn’t matter, and they should be treated the same as every other student. In fact, who a student’s family is shouldn’t even be an issue when considering a discipline issue. School administrators need to stand for what is right, not cower because of who someone is.
Finally, I’d like to offer this bit of advice to teens and their families. If
there is a problem with bullying or harassment from other students, stand up and
report it to the school administration. Keep reporting it until something is
done and you’re told action has been taken. Don’t worry about being considered
“one of those” students or parents. You deserve fair treatment, you deserve
justice. If one level won’t act, keep taking it to the next higher level until
someone does act.
And if a situation crosses the line into a potentially criminal area — such as vandalism — report it to the police. Don’t hesitate, don’t think twice, report it.
It’s not really new. As long as there have been teenagers, this has been the case. Fortunately, most grow out of both.
But during those teen years, and even pre-teen years, they have a proclivity for doing stupid things. It goes hand-in-hand with that teenage sense of immortality. They think nothing can go wrong, nothing bad’s going to happen to them, nothing’s going to hurt them. And if something does go wrong or someone gets hurt, well, ... sorry.
In the last few weeks, The Bulletin’s reported on teenagers who have done stupid things, mean things and have hurt other people. Sadly, some of it hasn’t been much different than stories we see from other parts of the country, although what’s happened here hasn’t turned tragic. Yet.
When someone is supposed to have borrowed a girl’s innocent picture, technologically stripped her bare to the world and shared it on the Internet, or convinces others to text them racy photos then share the images with everyone (or even try to sell them), that goes beyond overreaction or oversensitivity. More so, it seems incidents such as these have been associated with other forms of harassment and bullying.
Oh, some might say they’re just teen pranks, nobody gets hurt even if it is hugely embarrassing. But the impact can last much longer than you imagine. Anyone who was bullied years ago probably still can tell you the details, especially if it was a constant thing.
When high school, and even junior high, teens start sexting, they’re playing with fire in more ways than one. Because of the ages, technically it is a crime, and if those involved were prosecuted they could face child pornography charges, and if convicted they could be saddled with having to register as a sex offender. Parents need to emphasize this with their offspring, although they have to first accept that their children might do something like this.
Actually, parents need to educate their children that bullying is wrong, harassing other children and teens in any form or format is wrong, and they need to keep reminding them.
Since many of these incidents happen at school, or become school-related, there’s an obligation for the school to step in to prevent it, or to respond with an appropriate punishment. The particular incidents at hand occurred in the Mountain Home School District, which the best I can tell operates a under cloak of privacy when it deals with such situations.
We’ve been told action was taken by the school in these instances, and would be taken in any other ones, but what action is taken just isn’t discussed. The high school principal said if a student or parent brings a problem to the administration, they’ll take care of it, but won’t tell the victim or parent what was done “because you wouldn’t like it if we discussed an issue with your child to just anyone.”
Well, in one sense that’s good. But a victim of bullying as well their parents aren’t just “anyone”; they’re directly involved and know who the bully, or bullies, they complained about and at the least deserve to be told what action was taken.
And if the idea is to protect the privacy of a student and keep others from knowing, consider this: If Dick bullies Tom, and Tom complains to the school administration, then Dick suddenly is out of school for three days, or even is transferred to the alternative school, do you think other students aren’t aware of what’s happening? Schools are one of the worst places for keeping secrets and are fertile rumor mills anyway.
It’s been suggested complaints involving children of well-known or well-off families may not be treated the same as others in these cases, or even may not be disciplined at all. Who they are or how much money their family has doesn’t matter, and they should be treated the same as every other student. In fact, who a student’s family is shouldn’t even be an issue when considering a discipline issue. School administrators need to stand for what is right, not cower because of who someone is.
And if a situation crosses the line into a potentially criminal area — such as vandalism — report it to the police. Don’t hesitate, don’t think twice, report it.
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