Church Partnership Newsletter August 2014 | Page 5

Bullying
Bullying doesn’t just happen to the smallest kid in the class. Bullies target those who seem to be less powerful
or not as strong. Bullies also often target children who seem "different".
Bullying can be physical, involving hitting or attacking another person. Bullying also can come in the form of
verbal or electronic aggression (using the internet or cell phones, for example), including name calling; verbal
threats; and threatening, embarrassing, or insulting emails or texts. A bully also might use psychological
aggression, including spreading rumors or excluding a person from activities or conversations. Bullying,
teasing, and harassment should not be considered normal rites of passage or just "kids being kids".
Ohio Revised Code, section 3313.666 prohibits harassment, intimidation, or bullying in schools, effective
March 30, 2007. Although this law does not apply to private schools, all public school districts must prohibit
bullying. The law describes bullying as "harassment, intimidation or bullying" as any intentional written, verbal,
electronic, or physical act a student has exhibited toward another particular student more than once. Bullying
includes both physically beating up or attacking your child, or verbally abusing your child with treats, taunts,
etc. Your child does not have to be physically harmed to be a victim of bullying. The law also includes any
violence within a dating relationship as an incident of bullying
All public school districts must establish a policy against bullying. You should be able to view the schools antibullying policy every year in your student's handbook. If a school district is receiving government funding to
support anti-bullying efforts, age-appropriate information must be given, as well as a verbal discussion and the
consequences of violating that policy.
If you find your child has been bullying others, don't ignore the problem. Ask the school, your child's
pediatrician, or another source for help in putting a stop to this behavior. If your child is the victim of bullying,
report the incident immediately to your child's school. Make sure the school follows its anti-bullying policy.
Children and youth who are bullied are more likely than other
children to:
• Be depressed, lonely, and anxious;
• Have low self-esteem;
• Experience headaches, stomachaches, tiredness, and poor
eating;
• Be absent from school, dislike school, and have poorer
school performance; and
• Think about suicide or try to commit suicide.
It is important for everyone in the community to work together to send a unified message against bullying
because it can threaten students’ physical and emotional safety at school and can negatively impact their
ability to learn. Talk to your children about bullying. Kids who know what bullying is can better identify it. They
can talk about bullying if it happens to them or others. Children need to know ways to safely stand up to
bullying and how to get help.
Resource: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/tourette/bullying.html, http://www.ohiolegalservices.org/public/legal_problem/studentsschools/bullying-in-schools/qandact_view, http://www.stopbullying.gov/prevention/talking-about-it/index.html

But God has combined members of the body… its parts should have equal concern for each other.
1 Corinthians 12:24-25 (NIV)