If this is to succeed, the faculty will have to give up their godlike aloofness, get down in the trenches with the kids and see for themselves what is going on. The kids will resent this, but so what? If a victim reports a bully, the only way to protect him from retaliation is to provide an around-the-clock bodyguard or send him out of town; otherwise, his tormentor will get to him sooner or later. The adults should get involved in everything the students do, not just in the classroom. Let's hope that we do put an end to the bullying.
Victims of bullying were more than twice as likely as other kids to contemplate suicide and about 2.5 times as likely to try to kill themselves, according to a new study that quantifies the emotional effects of being teased, harassed, beaten up or otherwise harmed by one's peers. Children and teens who were taunted by cyberbullies were especially vulnerable -- they were about three times as likely than other kids to have suicidal thoughts, the study found. The findings, published online Monday by the journal JAMA Pediatrics, puts the lie to the old adage about sticks and stones.