Monday, October 17, 2005

Anti-bullying rules save victims and taxpayers

By Deb Price / The Detroit News

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Suicide attempts. Low self-esteem. Skipping school or even dropping out. Guilt. Incarceration.

The damage caused by bullying at schools goes on. Researchers now know the tragic costs not only to the targeted kids, but also to bystanders and the bullies.

And the damage doesn't stop at the schoolhouse door: Taxpayers eventually are stuck with the bills because children who torment other children tend to turn into criminals. Sixty percent of boys who were bullies in sixth to ninth grade were convicted criminals by age 24, one study found. That was nearly triple the rate of criminality among other men.

The good news is that bullying is not a cruel, unavoidable fact of life. Half of it can be prevented if educators take some fairly inexpensive steps to teach children that aggressive behavior won't be tolerated.

As the law enforcement group that calls itself Fight Crime: Invest in Kids stresses, "bullying prevention is crime prevention." Its report at fightcrime.org spells out proven ways to stamp out bullying and the adult crime it spawns.

A "bully box," which lets school kids anonymously alert adults about a problem classmate, can work wonders. So can clear, written anti-bullying policies and adult intervention the moment bullying is spotted, even as early as 2.

What doesn't work? Automatically suspending bullies from school rather than trying to change them; forcing victims to confront their tormentors; and telling victims to fight back.

Preventing just one high-risk juvenile from turning into a lifelong criminal saves society at least $1.7 million, research finds.

And, fortunately, "There is a consensus growing among educators that preventing bullying is their job. Students can't learn when they are afraid," says Kevin Jennings, head of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network.

The network's new "From Teasing to Torment" documents how pervasive verbal and physical bullying are in American schools. The largest study of its kind surveyed 3,400 students aged 13 to 18 and 1,000 secondary school teachers. Its findings are an alarming testimonial to how we adults are letting kids down.

• Sixty-five percent of teens say they have been bullied in the past year.

• Kids reported the reasons students are bullied are their size or looks (39 percent); they are or are thought to be gay (33 percent); how masculine/feminine they are (28 percent); their ability at school (16 percent); their race/ethnicity (14 percent); family income (13 percent); religion (8 percent).

• Fifty-three percent of teachers and 36 percent of students say bullying is a "serious problem" at their schools.

• Gay kids are more likely to feel unsafe at school.

• Students and teachers report less bullying at schools with policies that explicitly state that everyone is to be treated respectfully regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation and the like.

To spotlight the severity of the problem, GLSEN's unveiling of the report was attended by the heads of the National Association of School Psychologists, the American Association of School Administrators and the National School Boards Association.

Anti-bullying laws requiring schools to take the problem seriously are clearly a start. But only eight states have explicit ones. In Michigan, state Sen. Buzz Thomas, D-Detroit, has introduced such a bill. In Congress, so has Rep. John Shimkus, R-Ill., a former teacher.

One way or another, school children learn about bullying. Let's stop teaching them that adults don't care. Instead, let's stop the bullies.

Reach Deb Price at (202) 662-8736 or dprice@detnews.com.