[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

As badly as i feel about the GHS student that committed suicide due to bullying, i'm not so sure that i agree with the action taken by Stamford police in this incident. I feel that at a private school, it should be the administrator's responsibility to resolve(expel) the issue.

Thoughts?

Stamford girl, 12, charged with bullying - StamfordAdvocate

[Tetto]

They need to draw a line in the sand with these kids. Nowadays, bullying's intensity is exponentially worse with social media as a force multiplier. Weaker kids dont have a chance.

[KH02]

I agree with Tetto. Something needs to be done and the schools can only do so much. There is nothing wrong with a healthy amount of fear, some of these kids need that to truly realize the seriousness of the situation. Bullying is no laughing matter and becoming more prevalent because no action is being taken. Those children who are being bullied are the ones paying for our lack of action.

[shyguylh]

Frankly, I think bullying is way overrated in terms of its seriousness. It's wrong, yes, but the proper response is fighting back, not running to someone else to fight your battles for you. I say this as someone who was picked on a lot as a child, by the way. Learn to stand up for yourself for crying out loud. The suicides are tragic, yes, it shouldn't come to that, it is shameful, but criminalizing meanness isn't the answer. You teach people that bullies have no power over you, the cycle is broken.

I am not saying that bullying is okay, not at all. What I am really saying is that fighting back is the answer, & people should be allowed to fight back. I've always thought it wrong when kids in fights both get in trouble even if they are able to establish clearly who started it. A person should be able to defend THEMSELVES, not always have the teacher or the police do it for them. I understand we can't have vigilantism, but at the same time I think we give too much power to human resources persons, police, other rule makers rather than being allowed to fight our own battles when we're able to.

It reminds me a lot of how the workplace became years ago with sexual harassment rules etc. Mod, please don't "cut" this, I think it relates to the topic. What I am saying is that in the workplace you're told over & over "if so & so is bothering you & you don't feel comfortable telling them yourselves, tell us." What a load of rubbish. To me, you should HAVE to tell the potential offender first or else your complaint should be ignored. The risk of retaliation pales compared to the far higher likelihood that the offender may not even realize what they're doing bothers you, and would be glad to stop upon being told. They don't need you running up to management tattle-telling on them for something they didn't even realize they were doing. Have the guts & decency to say something to them YOURSELF first, and if they continue, then by all means take it up with management. Using them as your means of relaying your issue rather than having the decency to do it yourself is just as indecent as the inappropriate behavior itself is, if not more so.

To me, this is the same sort of thing. Stand up for yourself, fight back.

LRH

[AntonioR]

Originally Posted by larrytxeast

Frankly, I think bullying is way overrated in terms of its seriousness. It's wrong, yes, but the proper response is fighting back, not running to someone else to fight your battles for you.

Some kids fight back with their own fists while others are smarter and get the law on their side.

I personally think this reaction was a little too much, but at least the kid will learn her lesson in a way that is guaranteed she will never forget it and sometimes a slightly traumatic experience is exactly what some kids need to put them on the right path again.

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by Tetto

They need to draw a line in the sand with these kids. Nowadays, bullying's intensity is exponentially worse with social media as a force multiplier. Weaker kids dont have a chance.

Originally Posted by KH02

I agree with Tetto. Something needs to be done and the schools can only do so much. There is nothing wrong with a healthy amount of fear, some of these kids need that to truly realize the seriousness of the situation. Bullying is no laughing matter and becoming more prevalent because no action is being taken. Those children who are being bullied are the ones paying for our lack of action.

If this had happened in a public school, i would be more agreeable with the police action. But seeing as it was a private school, i think expelling the bullier would have been more effective than an arrest.

[Tilt11]

A little over the top. Sometimes it sure seems like were becoming a nation of pansies.

[Tetto]

Originally Posted by Stratford, Ct. Resident

If this had happened in a public school, i would be more agreeable with the police action. But seeing as it was a private school, i think expelling the bullier would have been more effective than an arrest.

I'll bet this girl was so shaken up she won't even contemplate bullying again. This may be a good model for nipping it in the bud. I still think with the advent of social media, these little savages need to be reigned in harshly. When I was growing up, there was no means for the continued harassment out of school (ie. Facebook etc.). If you smacked the s#it out of a kid for bugging you, it usually ended there. Things are MUCH different today.

[mlassoff]

Since we know that the results of bullying can be deadly, I do think it needs to be taken seriously. Too often schools ignore the problem... If we get schools more involved then perhaps police intervention will be unnecessary.

I assume that someone called the police here-- likely the victim's family. If they police are called they have to investigate the complaint and this child broke the law. I don't think you want the police involved in every case-- or even the majority-- but this time it yielded the right result.

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by mlassoff

Since we know that the results of bullying can be deadly, I do think it needs to be taken seriously.

Too often schools ignore the problem... If we get schools more involved then perhaps police intervention will be unnecessary.

I do agree that public schools absolutely ignore bullying issues, and i don't mind seeing police departments step in and take care of the responsibilities that public school administrators are shirking. However, i don't feel that the police should be involved when it's a private school, unless of course there was an act of violence involved. When it's a private school, it should be handled as a civil issue. IMHO.