5/9/08: The concept of bullying as a form of child abuse (or, more specifically, but no less serious, neglect) is logical, implicitly. Bullying is significant harm which occurs to children who are in the care of adults with caregiving and supervisory responsibility ('in loco parentis', if I have the Latin correct, as the school's responsibility is sometimes described by courts), and since most bullying is a function of the environments those adults create and maintain, the caregiving adults are responsible for addressing it. When bullying occurs, it can therefore be seen as a form of - at least - neglect. But it is still uncommon to see bullying referred to a child abuse in anti-bullying efforts and media coverage. That's why the attached (see below) article about an effort in England is notable.

England anti-bullying effort 5-08

5/9/08: See news article on 'Cyberbullying' page (clickable on left side of this page) about Facebook agreement to curb cyberbullying.

5/8/08: New articles on the 'Research' page (see clickables down left side of this page). It's just the articles themselves which are posted, for the moment - they were selected from a database search which turned up 57 significant articles published in '07 and so far in '08. I'll post comments on the articles shortly.

5/6/08: This is the current status of the Commission on Bullying Schools, you can access the status website by going to the Boards, Authorities and Commissions page and clicking on the Commission on Bullying in Schools link. You'll see that 6 of the appointments are still officially 'unannounced', though it wouldn't be hard to speculate on who some of the appointees will be (e.g., one appointee will be Director of Division on Civil Rights, which is Frank Vespa-Papaleo, or his designee - in any case, each person very welcome and eagerly awaited, whomever is appointed - lots of work to do). Here's the list, as of this morning.

5/5/08: Just posted on the 'Model Presentations' page, the powerpoint for the basic talk I give, including sections on Cyberbullying (relying heavily on Nancy Willard's Cyberbullying and Cyberthreats) and on Hazing (relying almost completely on the source I like best - Hank Nuwer and folks at stophazing.org).

5/1/08: The Massachusetts Department of Health just published a bullying prevention guide (linked, below). Their guide has actually been prepared since 2001, but experienced delays in funding and approval for distribution. (This is a situation with which we in New Jersey are familiar. A NJ guide developed by a task force has been available for a while but not yet distributed. Perhaps it can ill serve as a basis for a NJ guide which can be made available as part of the new state initiative which may result from the work of the new Commission on Bullying in Schools - see below.) In any case, we welcome this work by the Massachusetts group. On review, the new guide has a good perspective on bullying, as one would expect, emphasizing the systemic and ecological approach to the problem associated with Olweus and others. Many good points are clearly made - that adults are primarily responsible for bullying, especially through management of school culture and processes, that those bullied or at most risk receive increased support, and the deserved emphasis on supporting gender identity and expression. The guide developed by the Maine group (see link, below), which we've made available here before, still seems stronger, a comprehensive, useful compendium which is hard to top, but it's great to have this additional work and Massachusett's work is much appreciated.

Masschusetts Guide      Maine Guide

4/28/08: Update - NJ Commission on Bullying in Schools - as of today, the Governor's office indicates 6 of the 14 Commissioners have been appointed. The Commission's work can't get meaningfully started until the full group is available, though those appointed can certainly be in contact and start to develop relationships and share perspectives. Hopefully the formal work period will be able to start soon. Once the work starts, it'll be nine months until there's a report with recommendations for a state initiative and for additional law. We're counting the days ...

4/28/08: Yesterday's NY Times contained a good example of how many news stories each day are essentially about bullying, but the word 'bullying' is never used. (There were several examples in yesterday's Times, actually, but I'll just focus on one.) The story was about a solider (now at Fort Riley but in Iraq in 2005 and again in 2006-07) suing the army because of harsh treatment and threats he experienced after declaring his atheism. As the article makes clear, the behavior of officers (those in charge) was critical (as it always is, in bullying). The article also served to remind me (if I needed any) of the courage of those who are bullied, the strength it takes to bear up under it, let alone pursue and end to it, and justice. Here's the article:

Solider Sues Army

4/25/08: This is a note of apology (or regret). I taped a tv show yesterday for a major network. The show was 1/2 hour on bullying and I had about 8 minutes. The prior guests were wonderfully articulate and made good points - a rep of an internet safety group and a teen who recently wrote a book about difficult experiences in school. I was completely inept (in my view). I was nervous (of course) and hadn't prepared enough (or done major venues enough). I tend to be long-winded, especially when I'm worked up about a topic (bullying!), so my responses were a poor fit for the short amount of time and quick pace of tv interviewing. What I regret is what feels like a missed opportunity to make important points for a wide audience. The apology is to Toms River School District. One of the questions I was asked was about the LW case. Instead of noting its most important aspects - the strength of LW and his mother in pursuing a just outcome for what he experienced, terrific decision by Frank Vespa-Papaleo of NJ Division on Civil Rights  that schools should be held to a higher standard for protecting students, and the NJ Supreme Court decision which supported what Frank did - I only managed to get a fragment of my thoughts out. And the fragment focused on the way LW was treated over a long period in a Toms River school. For one thing, it's not up to me to characterize LW's treatment - I can state the facts of what he experienced (I didn't do so) but labeling it (e.g., as 'torture' or 'horrible' or similar) is really up to him, not me. Further, it's not fair to Toms River to do so. It's been several years since LW was in school there, and Toms River may by now have made significant efforts to change its approach to these problems. Schools should not be demonized when bullying occurs - they are social institutions run by people struggling to adapt and change, however upsetting the current state of things may sometimes be. It's easy to get angry about what happens to bullied children. I do. And I think that anger came across. In another question I was asked, about the violence associated with bullying (mainly what is done to bullied children, but sometimes what they do in response). I responded - again, a fragment of my thoughts - that the anger was understandable and could even be helpful in producing the change that's needed. I did say the violence was not helpful, but I'm not sure that came across clearly enough. I made some points (e.g., that most bullying occurs in schools) but failed to be clear about most others. E.g., after I spoke, the other guest came up to me and said, "I feel it's important to emphasize that schools are responsible for changing the climate which allows bullying to occur!" "Great point," I said to him, thinking 'gee, didn't I just make that (all-importrant) point?' I guess I didn't! I hope another chance arises to do better for the cause!

4/18/08: Bullying which targets gender identity and expression (always as perceived by those who bully) is, some reports suggest, the most common and vicious type. On the occasion (next week April 25th) of a national Day of Silence which highlights the problem of violence toward and negative treatment of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth in the schools, a columnist in the Florida Sun-Sentinel does an excellent job of describing and reviewing the issue.

Day of Silence article

4/17/08: Commission on School Bullying is announced! A copy of the law is attached (below). It was enacted a few months ago and made some important changes in hate crime legislation, some desired changes in existing anti-bullying law, but mainly addressed bullying in future terms by establishing the new Commission. A separate document which excerpts Section 9 of the new law is attached below. The section describes the work of the Commission and its prospective membership. I posted here a few days an announcement from the Governor's office which listed 5 members (including me), but the full Commission is actually 14 members. The larger membership is important in that for the Commission to have any credibility of impact, certain voices and organizations must be included. E.g., if the Department of Education and the Attorney General's office were not represented, it's hard to see how any recommendations for a new state initiative (which must be implemented in cooperation by those two organizations, among others) would have any meaning. On the other hand, 14 is too large for an effective working group with such a detailed mission, as any group dynamics expert could attest. One assumes the new group will create sub-groups for certain tasks, which should help, but none of this (how the group will work) is guaranteed. Anyone associated with this Coalition can only look forward with great hopefulness and excitement to the possibility that the Commission will work well and do great good - that's the feeling here! Anyway, here is the law and the Commission section:

New NJ anti-bullying law

Section establishing the new Commission

4/17/08: ABC news did an interesting piece on bullying which involves children with food allergies. The article refers to the link (bullying w food allergies as the targeted characteristic) as well known (in the food allergy community). It makes perfect sense that this would be the case - adding food allergies to the almost endless list of characteristics which have been targeted - but I've not come across articles to that effect in the scientific literature as yet (I've missed them, I assume). The ABC article is very well done - covers the issue, provides some info re both common problems (bullying, and food allergies), gives the bullied children's perspectives and even notes the protective importance of friends. Here's the article:

Bullying and food allergies

4/14/08: New book review (of an unidentified book) posted on the 'books' page - to get there, click on the circle at upper left to get to the site's home page, then click (upper left again) on the 'books' page.

4/10/08: There is, understandably, a lot of media coverage of a current example of youth violence. The violence is presumably bullying, involving as it does, many against one, a relationship (the kids involved know each other), and there is likely to be a history of negative acts. It would also be likely if some - if not all - attend the same Lakeland, FL school. The perpetrators and victim of the violence are girls, which is not uncommon, though 'relational aggression' (rather than hitting) is the more common form of girl:girl bullying. And the bullying here is a so-far less common (but apparently growing) form in which the violence has an online (or cyberspace) aspect: the girls who beat the victim and videotaped the beating were reportedly doing so with the intent of posting the video on sites such as YouTube and MySpace. That act would consitute "cyberbullying." As the article describes, one issue is how responsible such web businesses should be in addressing cyberbullying (and violent video material generally). In our view, the usual hesitation to encourage "censorship," - which is always the argument raised - does not apply; this isn't a case of self-expression, however creative the means - this is a case of assault. The owners of such sites should be held just as responsible for violence committed against youth using their sites as the weapon, or means of attack, as schools should be held responsible for the reasonably preventable violence which occurs between their students. See what you think:

article re video of beating

4/10/08: Today's editorial in the NJ Star Ledger about inflated graduation rates, while not specifically about bullying, is strongly relevant. The well-written article neatly captures the difficulty social reforms face when accurate data is unavailable (usually because the data is distorted or hidden, albeit legally in most cases, in order to protect a powerful interest and image (the apparent success of NJ schools and teachers, in this case), This is a huge and core issue for the attempt we all are making to adequately address school bullying. A system which identifies bullying incidents within and across all public schools, with reasonable validity and accuracy, must be developed.

NJSL editorial re graduation rates

4/10/08: See the article (inserted below) in today's Star Ledger about a school district having settled a case involving the sexual assault of an 11 year old girl by an 8th grade boy in a middle school. Notable in addition to the tragedy of the assault is that the family expects changes in school district behavior in addition to the money. The changes, according to the article, which takes its points from the family's lawyer, are that the district must report all violent incidents to the state (and claims this has not been done to this point), that hall pass and sign-out sheet policies must be enforced (which implies this wasn't happening enough before). The lawyer is quoted as saying that if the case had moved forward he would have shown "numerous, prior violent incidents" in the school hallways, and that: "There was only one hall monitor to supervise 384 kids." While it's not clear how many monitors are ideally needed for that number of students (the article cites 'two' as a better number), and the school's perspective is not reported, there are still important points here, which anti-bullying advocates well recognize: Supervision of school areas must be adequate, and - as the lawyer states - schools are indeed responsible for protecting children from reasonably foreseeable dangers. Sexual assault is one of those dangers, bullying incidents generally (which may include sexual assault) is similarly a foreseeable danger.

NJSL article 4-10-08 - school district settlement

4/4/08: Here is an article from an Arkansas newspaper about the situation in Fayettesville to which the item below refers. In the attachment here, the article has been 'deconstructed' (comments inserted into the text).

Newspaper article about bullying, w comments

3/26/08: Here is a front page NY Times article about bullying (specifically about a child in Arkansas) and letters published in response to the article, including one I wrote. It's very significant when the Times (or other major media) puts a bullying-related story, identified as such, on the front page. It's even better when, as in this case, the writer (Dan Barry) takes a sophisticated, supportive approach to the story. And it's even more significant, I think, when every letter published, "gets it," in terms of bullying, clearly supporting the bullied child and clearly placing responsibility for the child's situation on adults, including (and especially) the school the children involved attend. Unfortunately, one of the letter writers placed some blame on the parents. The writer's frustration with the child's continuing suffering is understandable, and taking a child out of a school in which they're repeatedly assaulted is definitely a recommended strategy, usually as a last resort. But the bullying of their child is a very difficult situation for parents as well, and there are many reasons a parent may not remove their child from the school, including economics and other available resources. However, all of the writers, no exception, take a strong, supportive attitude toward the child and have a sophisticated, evidence-based understanding of bullying. This has not always been the case - in fact it's the first time I've seen such a consistently helpful response in major media. Is a positive culture change in regard to bullying finally occurring? Anyway, see for yourself. Here is the article and the letters.

letters 3-26-08 NY Times      Arkansas article NY Times 3-25-08

3/20/08: This may be a stretch, but ... It seems important to take note of a front page article in the Times (3/20/08) which suggests that the average percentage of students who finish high school in the U.S. is only 70% and significantly lower in some areas (higher in others also, of course). This is an abysmal track record. From an anti-bullying advocacy point of view, the implicit issue is the extent to which schools are taking care of all of their students. It is not much of a stretch - in terms of what we know about human psychology and functioning - to suggest that the extent to which students feel they belong, are cared about, attended to, included and feel safe in school is likely to be a major (the major, really) factor in whether a student stays in school and obtains their degree. This is another one of those articles which does not contain a single specific mention of the word 'bullying', but is arguably about it anyway. Read between the lines and see for yourself:

school drop-outs, NY Times

2/14/08:

See 'Legal Issues' page (this site) for an update on cyberbullying law developments, including in NJ. As the material describes, NJ's cyberbullying law (in effect 8/07) provides a basis for school districts to address cyberbullying that "substantially interferes" with school functioning, even if the cyberbullying occurs off-campus. Some NJ districts are hesitant to address such off-site bullying. We consider addressing off-site bullying as a matter-of-fact responsibility of schools and school districts. It would certainly be obvious to any parents of bullied children, and the children themselves, that off-campus bullying should be addressed, cyber- or otherwise. Most 'off-site' bullying, even in cyberspace, occurs in school building-based relationships, between students at the same school or in the same district, though many others (especially in cyberbullying) may be involved. The bullying substantially impacts student functioning in the school. It should be addressed by the school. Anyway, for a good discussion, see the article, which comes from National School Boards Association Legal Clips.

1/8/08:

An important step forward in NJ's efforts to address bullying! (see below) We're extremely grateful to the legislators and organization whose hard work and inspiring commitment created this new effort. Depending on how the new Commission is constituted, much progress on bullying can come from this law. (More details to follow).

January 8, 2008

Now on the Governor’s Desk --

Among the measures approved by the Senate and Assembly:

1/2/08:

Important new study strengthening the association between bullying and school 'success', including such variables as attitudes toward weapon-carrying, grades and a sense of belonging in a school. (See Research page for the abstract.)

1/2/08:

New article on Parents page - on involving parents.

11/29/07: 

There are new items on the 'Research', 'Cyberbullying' and 'Parent Campaign' pages (this site).

11/13/07:

Audio and other reports for last week's major anti-bullying conf. in Florida will be available soon on the conf. and association website - www.stopbullyingworld.com.

10/4/07:

UPCOMING CONFERENCE (NOV. 5-8) IN FT. LAUDERDALE @ HARD ROCK HOTEL.

FOR INFORMATION: WWW.STOPBULLYINGWORLD.COM

This is the 2nd annual conference of the International Bullying Prevention Association, an organization founded by Stan Davis, with participation of U.S. Olweus team leaders. The quality of the conference is excellent (last year's was in Atlanta), with the line-up this year the best I've ever seen. Keynoters include Ken Rigby, the Australian researcher on whom we rely for important systematic reviews of bullying interventions, as well as lots of original research; and seminar presenters include James Prochaska, one of the most important researchers in the country, creator of the 'stages of change' model - who recently has done work on bullying; Nancy Willard, a leading advocate and expert on cyberbullying issues (her new book, Cyberbullying and Cyberthreats, is a very useful resource for parents and schools); Susan Limber (a major U.S. Olweus associate, who was a primary developer of the national campaign); Dorothy Espelage, another well known U.S. expert; and Stan Davis (whose new book, Empowering Bystanders, is an important addition to his seminal work, Schools Where Everyone Belongs). The website www.stopbullyingworld.com is not only worth visiting for the conference announcement and registration but has other useful material on bullying, and is a good addition to Stan's original site, www.stopbullyingnow.com. Membership in the Association is also available.

8/15/07:

Dr. Michael Greene, Coalition Research Director, has just published a review in which he recommends a book (just published as well) on Hazing. See attached review.

Hazing book

8/14/07:

See Research page for new item.

8/8/07:  

See attached press release about passage of new NJ cyberbullying law. Assemblywoman Greenstein and colleagues certainly deserve credit for taking this logical step to extend the coverage of the existing law. This should be seen as a reflection of increasing awareness of an increasingly common form of bullying. However, the limitations of the existing law and its approach are inherited, of course: no funding for schools to implement programs, no meaningful tracking and reporting system across all schools for bullying incidents, no mechanisms to ensure that schools do more than just create policies on paper but actually meaningfully address bullying, etc. Nonetheless, we are grateful for the legislators' continuing interest and work, which contributes to NJ's deserved status as a progressive state on this issue, at least in terms of awareness.

Cyberbullying law NJ

6/6/07:

Interesting legislative development in CT, which should be of interest to NJ.

CT legislation proposed

5/22/07:

I'm especially reminded at times of the critical work on behalf of children, beyond a specific focus on bullying, being done by the organizations participating in the Coalition. Tourette Syndrome Association of NJ is certainly doing such work. Here's a recent article on just one of TSA-NJ's many great programs.

TSA-Rutgers article

5/20/07:

A while ago, came across this interview with Eliot Aronson, one of the country's leading social psychologists and developer of the 'jigsaw' collaborative learning method, whose book, "No One Left to Hate," published after Columbine, is one of the most important works on school bullying. Worth reading (book and interview)! Aronson interview - NY Times

4/24/07:

Since the LW decision, an active campaign is underway to inform the public about the decision and its implications. The next upcoming program is organized by ICLE at NJ Law Center on May 30th. Here are the details: LW program

4/11/07:

(1) A guide for schools was published in 2006 by a state of Maine government commission and made available to everyone today by the Equity national listserv. The guide, which relies heavily on the work of Stan Davis, is the most comprehensive, well written (and beautifully presented) and useful document I've ever seen for use by schools ready to meaningfully, effectively address bullying. Although we (NJ Coalition) are working with OBCCR (NJ's Bias Crime office) to craft a NJ-specific framework for a 'kit' to distribute to NJ schools, as previously noted, this Maine guide can provide immediately available and more than adequate guidance to any school right now. Here's the guide: Maine bullying guide

(2) Upcoming conference (international bullying prevention association) (Nov 07) featuring Ken Rigby, the Australian researcher, as a keynote. This looks to be an excellent conference and NJCAP will be represented there, among other possible NJ organizations. Attendance encouraged!

Upcoming Conference

3/8/07: 

New brochure on legal rights of (and advocacy resources for) bullied children!! Click on this: RIGHTS BROCHURE  or, for the brochure in Spanish, click on this: RIGHTS BROCHURE - SPANISH. To order copies of the brochure, contact ACLU-NJ or the Coalition.

© The material which we produce may be copied or downloaded for non-commercial use in schools or other establishments providing the New Jersey Coalition for Bullying Awareness and Prevention is credited.