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Children can be cruel, and it is not uncommon for grade school students to come home in tears after someone calls them names on the bus ride home. Unfortunately, many parents do not understand the potentially damaging effects of bullying not only on a child’s confidence and self-esteem but also on his academic performance.

Shocking Statistics About Bullying

According to StopBullying.gov, a website managed by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, nearly 50% of students in grades 4 through 12 experienced bullying within a given month, and more than 70% of students admit to having seen bullying occur in their school. Verbal and social bullying are the two most common types, including things like name-calling, teasing, spreading rumors, stealing belongings, sexual comments and gestures, or physical violence. Physical bullying happens less often than social bullying, and cyberbullying, though it is becoming increasingly prevalent, is still less common.

While many people assume that a little bit of bullying is harmless – it may even be helpful for the child to teach them how to stick up for themselves. In reality, however, an estimated 160,000 children miss school on any given day due to fear of bullying by other students. Every day, more than 280,000 students are physically attacked in schools, and one out of ten students who drop out of school mentions repeated bullying as a factor. Bullying can have a serious impact on a child’s educational experience, and not just by causing him or

The start of a school year can be an exciting time for kids as new teachers and friends broaden their world in many positive ways. However, the presence of a bully in that world can transform what should be a constructive learning environment into a scary place for kids. With many disturbing reports of suicides recently as a result of bullying, it is important for parents to acknowledge the potential for bullying and take steps toward prevention or dealing with a situation that already exists. Fortunately, there are many positive actions parents can take to protect their children from bullying.

Types of Bullying

The lists a number of different types of bullying children might experience today, including the following:

• Physical Bullying – hitting, kicking or other types of aggressive physical behavior
• Verbal Bullying – incessant teasing, name calling, spreading rumors or racial slurs
• Cyber Bullying – tormenting another child through cell phones or the Internet

Children may be bullied through just one of these channels, or a combination. The dangers of cyber bullying are particularly pronounced, since this type of bullying can invade the privacy and safety of the home environment. While bullying that is done at school can be left there at the end of the school day, cyber bullying can become incessant. Psychologists believe that is one of the reasons why cyber bullying has resulted in

States across the country are putting anti-bullying laws in place, many in response to tragic circumstances that resulted from excessive bullying within their schools. While some already have laws on the books that require schools to comply, others are continuing to fight the battle to transform anti-bullying from school policy to state law. Are laws against bullying essential, and will they effectively protect the victims? We'll take a look at some of the states grappling with this challenge to find out.

This video describes anti-bullying laws in general.

Laws in Place in Massachusetts

Last May, the governor of Massachusetts, Deval Patrick, signed a piece of anti-bullying legislation into law. The Massachusetts Bullying Prevention Law required all public schools to file anti-bullying plans with the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education by the end of last year, according to a report in the . The schools' plans needed to include the following:

• Clear descriptions of what bullying looks like
• Statements prohibiting bullying in the schools
• Procedures for school staff to report incidents of bullying
• Guidelines to promptly respond to reports of bullying
• Guidelines to ensure the safety of victims
• Procedures to notify parents and guardians of the victim or perpetrator
• Guidelines to report incidents of bullying to law enforcement officials
• Provisions for anonymous reports
• Professional development to build awareness and skills for dealing with bullying
• Disciplinary actions for perpetrators of bullying

The plan should also have

While campus violence and bullying have been heated topics in recent years, the wake of a young teen's suicide, allegedly prompted by aggressive bullies, is forcing community members to reexamine the responsibility of schools in the fight against bullies.

Should Schools Pay the Price for Bullying?

In the most recent high school tragedy, 15-year-old Phoebe Prince sadly ended her own life after nine teenagers allegedly harassed and bullied the young girl. According to , District Attorney Elizabeth Scheibel has filed charges against the nine alleged bullies, further asserting that Phoebe Prince endured three months of extreme bullying under the awareness of some school leaders. According to Scheibel, “The investigation has revealed that certain faculty, staff, and administrators of the high school also were alerted to the harassment of Phoebe Prince before her death.”

This video describes how parents of bullies may be liable.

In fact, supporting these claims are reports from Phoebe’s mother, as well as fellow students, who reported obvious struggles endured by the teen. For example, Phoebe’s mother was so concerned about her daughter’s depression at school that she contacted school officials on multiple occasions, asking about whether or not students were making threats and attacks against her daughter. Furthermore, some students reported seeing Phoebe crying in the hallway outside her classroom, as well as crying in the nurse's office on the day she took her life.

However, many argue

While school-based bullying has been an issue since the beginning of public school institutions, public schools today are seeking out new solutions to provide all students and parents with support and guidance. Today, in an effort to educate both bullies and victims, schools are implementing early-intervention programs to combat the many issues of bullying in public schools.

Bullying in Public Schools: Signs and Symptoms of Problems

According to the public school program Stop Bullying Now, parents and school officials can identify specific signs as indications of a bullying issue. In fact, according to studies reported by Stop Bullying Now, an incident of bullying occurs every seven minutes, as the experts assert: “Children, after all, learn from what they see us do, rather than from what we say. When adults do not intervene, bullies may feel there is nothing wrong with their actions. Targets may feel they deserve the bullying.” To prevent a negative cycle of violence and attacks, both kids and adults can identify three specific types of bullying: physical, verbal, and exclusive.

Physical bullying signs, as Stop Bullying Now supports, are evident through “hitting, kicking, pushing, choking, punching.” Verbal bullying, on the other hand, is seen by “threatening, taunting, teasing, starting rumors, hate speech.” Lastly, exclusive bullying is evident, often, through a less obvious symptom. In this third case, when a child is bullied by being excluded from activities, “This does not mean that a child should not have the right to choose to play,