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Kaliko -> RE: Bullying... the results (4/21/2012 4:05:39 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: tazzygirl
I would also add that this was not a verdict against the bully but the school. They should have known the possible physical effects of bullies.
Youngman found that there had been at least three separate reports, one involving police, of the other student violently bullying his classmates, but the school didn't keep any paperwork documenting investigations or any documents showing disciplinary actions.
The school knew the violent tendencies of this student and did nothing.
I am always skeptical of a media report maintaining that a school has done nothing. And in this case, it's not being stated that the school did nothing. It's being stated that the school didn't keep any paperwork documenting what was done. That's not quite the same thing.
This occurred six years ago, before the current bullying prevention laws came into effect and so, was likely handled similarly, and not unlawfully, as other discipline events were. There are a whole string of events and investigative pieces that are specific to bullying and the string of pattern to harrassment and how to identify, rule out, report on, and prevent each, and these are designed to follow these new laws. These things simply didn't exist years back.
Reports of school discipline involving police are not rare at all. In many cases, police are involved as a matter of course. Many times, a "police report" is filed, but it is really nothing more than a copy of a discipline report faxed over to the school truancy officer. There is an evident spin to the article.
And lastly, and most damning to me, is that the case was settled. Because of that, we will never know the specifics. There was no public trial, and no opportunity for the district to state its side. Settling was likely the right choice as far as money goes. It is a drain of resources, both financial and human. But, there is no way for the district to speak publicly about it as the family has done. Privacy laws abound and tie the hands of school administrators from stating events from their perspective.
Was there some wrongdoing? I honestly don't know and so I'm not going to be foolish and say that the schools didn't do anything wrong. Perhaps they were completely irresponsible. I can't make either judgment based on this article, though. It is a one-sided slant on an issue that touches on the hearts of many. It evokes an emotional response and so is a good "sell." But bullying has been and is being addressed nationwide on a grand scale. This one case has not enacted the fight for anti-bullying training for students. I feel for the family and I understand that, faced with the grief they have experienced, a rallying-cry and fight for the downtrodden does help them through it. But I would hesitate to judge the motives of a school district based on an article that seems to be written as the premise for a Lifetime movie.
I know how heartless that sounds. It is indicative of my feelings toward the media, not toward this family or the boy. I barely ever trust the media to get it right.
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