Op Ed - Bullying...
Responding to what is emerging as an important social issue I recently authored the following Op Ed on bullying. I would welcome the comments of constituents. Send an email to RepDonato38@aol.com.
Here is the Op Ed in full:
Date: January 29, 2007
The time has come to take initiative and address a source of school trouble. Bullying in schools is a problem that has negative effects on school environment and on student’s ability to learn in a safe atmosphere without fear. Bullying can also have negative life-long consequences both for students who bully and for their victims. Bullying can be comprised of direct behaviors or more indirectly by causing a student to be socially isolated through intentional exclusion.
There are problems other than lack of money and opportunity that can make children troubled or desperate enough to lash out. Mental health difficulties, family problems, domestic violence are not just confined to the poor. Bullying happens in all schools- rich, middle-class, and poor. Sometimes we call it “teasing,” “taunting,” or “kids being kids,” but it is all the same thing- kids being abusive to each other.
Research shows that bullying and abuse are important causes of school violence. The studies of school assaults in the 1990’s established that fact. The good news is that bullying is one thing we can change – in any school, in any town, and in any community.
At the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center, kids tell us about the perils of standing by or laughing along while another student is being abused. They talk about not being an active bystander, because going along with abuse helps the bully and anyone can become a victim. In a way, though, we’re all bystanders – we all stand by while kids abuse each other, and maybe we don’t always try hard enough to change how kids and adults think about bullying. We know that sometimes parents of victims feel like they’re all alone in their struggles to help their child. Sometimes towns and schools don’t want to take a hard look at preventing bullying because they worry that it might mean they have a “bullying problem.” Does practicing fire drills mean that a school has a serious fire problem? No; fire kills, and we want to keep kids safe. Bullying kills too. Let’s practice bullying prevention, and keep kids safe.
Together, we can all make a difference. Tomorrow call your local State Representative or Senator and send a message saying “PLEASE SUPPORT ANTI-BULLYING BILL HD842”. Together, we can send a message loudly enough to make a difference and to begin the journey towards understanding that school violence doesn’t just happen “somewhere else” – it can be prevented everywhere.
Sincerely,
Rep. Paul J. Donato (D-Medford, Malden)
Chairman
Committee on Steering, Policy and Scheduling
and
Elizabeth Englander, Ph.D
Professor of Psychology
Director, Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center
Bridgewater State College
Bridgewater, MA 02325
Again, I welcome your comments.
Here is the Op Ed in full:
Date: January 29, 2007
The time has come to take initiative and address a source of school trouble. Bullying in schools is a problem that has negative effects on school environment and on student’s ability to learn in a safe atmosphere without fear. Bullying can also have negative life-long consequences both for students who bully and for their victims. Bullying can be comprised of direct behaviors or more indirectly by causing a student to be socially isolated through intentional exclusion.
There are problems other than lack of money and opportunity that can make children troubled or desperate enough to lash out. Mental health difficulties, family problems, domestic violence are not just confined to the poor. Bullying happens in all schools- rich, middle-class, and poor. Sometimes we call it “teasing,” “taunting,” or “kids being kids,” but it is all the same thing- kids being abusive to each other.
Research shows that bullying and abuse are important causes of school violence. The studies of school assaults in the 1990’s established that fact. The good news is that bullying is one thing we can change – in any school, in any town, and in any community.
At the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center, kids tell us about the perils of standing by or laughing along while another student is being abused. They talk about not being an active bystander, because going along with abuse helps the bully and anyone can become a victim. In a way, though, we’re all bystanders – we all stand by while kids abuse each other, and maybe we don’t always try hard enough to change how kids and adults think about bullying. We know that sometimes parents of victims feel like they’re all alone in their struggles to help their child. Sometimes towns and schools don’t want to take a hard look at preventing bullying because they worry that it might mean they have a “bullying problem.” Does practicing fire drills mean that a school has a serious fire problem? No; fire kills, and we want to keep kids safe. Bullying kills too. Let’s practice bullying prevention, and keep kids safe.
Together, we can all make a difference. Tomorrow call your local State Representative or Senator and send a message saying “PLEASE SUPPORT ANTI-BULLYING BILL HD842”. Together, we can send a message loudly enough to make a difference and to begin the journey towards understanding that school violence doesn’t just happen “somewhere else” – it can be prevented everywhere.
Sincerely,
Rep. Paul J. Donato (D-Medford, Malden)
Chairman
Committee on Steering, Policy and Scheduling
and
Elizabeth Englander, Ph.D
Professor of Psychology
Director, Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center
Bridgewater State College
Bridgewater, MA 02325
Again, I welcome your comments.
posted by Paul Donato @ 8:27 AM
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