Bullying: Painful, Pervasive and Preventable

Bullying is unacceptable, abusive and the potential opening door to acts of serious violence.

Each day in schools throughout America, children are threatened, teased, taunted and tormented by bullies. Bullying is not an acceptable rite of passage for our nation's youth but harmful emotionally, physically and socially.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, examples of bullying are:

• Physical; which includes punching, poking, strangling, hair pulling, beating, biting and excessive tickling.
• Verbal; such as name calling, teasing and gossiping.
• Emotional; including rejecting, terrorizing, defaming, humiliating, blackmailing, ranking of personal characteristics such as race, disability, ethnicity or perceived sexual orientation, manipulating friendships, isolating, ostracizing and peer pressure.
• Sexual; which includes acts listed above as well as exhibitionism, voyeurism, sexual positioning, sexual harassment and abuse involving actual physical contact and sexual assault.

Leadership is required in schools to deal with the bullying problem and, to combat bullying, a collaborative effort of the government, state, community, neighborhood, school and family must be cultivated.

The U.S. Department of Education offers a five day facilitated event to enhance bullying understanding and to assist with the creating or refinement of a bullying prevention plan.

Click here to read about the program...