Schools Should Consider Bullying as a Serious Matter And Needs Sincere Attention

While the connection and relationship between bullying and suicide is still being researched, I believe that Ohio should hold students and faculty legally responsible for bullying that results in suicide based on the evidence provided. I believe that actions have consequences and if there is clear evidence that influenced a suicide, those individuals should be punished. Bullying can be performed in a number of ways, but is defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as “Unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance.

” Negative outcomes of individuals involved in bullying include depression, anxiety, violence, substance abuse among many more. (CDC) In a 2009 ABC News article, parents used the term “bullicide’ when describing their sons suicide while they asked for an anti-bullying program to be installed into Mentor High School.

Their son was harassed in school and was even told, “Why don’t you go home and shoot yourself, no one will miss you,” by a bully in his class while the school claimed to have no problem with bullying.

(James) A teacher was accused of not standing up and protecting the boy during bullying situations which I believe should be a punishable action. If the adult in charge notices bullying and does nothing to stop it, the behavior sets a precedent for the future that it is acceptable to bully, and I believe that adult should not be given a free pass for their poor actions. The teacher accused simply avoided the problem rather than providing support to both parties.

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Though the person being bullied is typically the victim, research has shown that youth who act out as a bully might be reacting to stress or abuse related issues in their life. (CDC) Bullying is linked to serious negative effects on the psychological and mental health of everyone involved. The CDC mentions how even individuals who had only observed bullying reported feelings of helplessness and lack of support and connectedness. They suggest that school personnel can encourage students to be involved and make them feel connected by greeting them and asking how they are.

While I believe students and faculty should be held responsible, I also believe it is important to draw a line somewhere because suicide can be the result of many different things going on in a person’s life. Bullying and suicide behaviors are influenced through different levels including emotional distress, exposure to violence, family and relationship conflict, lack of support and connectedness among many more. Suicide-related behavior often displays signs of helplessness and hopelessness which is a sign of many involved in bullying situations. (CDC) In the situation above, I believe the accused teacher and student who told the victim to shoot himself should be legally responsible for their actions. To conclude, with all of the statistics provided, there appears to be a connection between bullying and suicide amongst the American youth and I believe students and faculty should be held legally responsible if evidence is clear enough to show that they helped influence or prevent the death. Actions have consequences and if there is a known legal responsibility for bullying that results in suicide, I believe bullying and suicide numbers would decrease while creating a healthier and happier community.