Addressing Crisis in Schools: Bullying, Suicide and Violence
Dr. Butch Losey, Executive Director, Greater Cincinnati Counseling Association
Bullying has become a large-scale problem in schools and universities across the U.S. Violence between children/students no longer only manifests itself physically on school playgrounds or hallways, but also cybernetically in social networking sites such as Facebook and chat groups. In the past couple of years, several suicides classified as a direct result from chronic bullying have put caused national outcry. President Obama held a summit in March 2011 to investigate anti-bullying measures, and several U.S. states have implemented stricter laws. September 1, 2011, New Jersey enacted new legislation (known as the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights), which is considered one of the toughest responses in the U.S. against bullying in schools.
Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death among youth, with students who are bullied almost 10% more likely to consider suicide than non-victims. (In Britain, a recent study blamed bullying for over half of the suicides in youth!) With schools reporting that nearly 30% of all students are bullied, this has caused great urgency among school administrators, psychologists, parents and communities alike to resolve the problem of violence in schools.