In today’s day and age, harassment and bullying have become a prominent component of the American school system. Whether it be on the basis of body type, race, sexuality or just individuals being cruel, millions of children experience some form of bullying while at school. As serious as it sounds, the issue of bullying is continuously disregarded until the bullied children are at their wits end, resulting in a fatal outcome.
Just recently, on February 21st, Jaylah Thompson, an 11-year-old Rockford middle schooler, committed suicide as a result of bullying. Her death has stirred anger and concern throughout the community as individuals have used social media to voice their outrage. Now, her family, friends and many others have made it their mission to share her story and warn others of the reality that bullying has on young children’s minds.
Thompson’s death has caused schools to focus more of their attention on bullying. To look more into her story, one can read the Rockford Register Star to see how the district is handling the loss of one of its students. However, should it really take the death of a young child for schools to realize that bullying is a major issue? Unfortunately, this is the sad reality of schools in the United States.
One in every five students is bullied in the U.S. and 100% of students said they experienced or had witnessed acts of bullying, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. As one can see, bullying is far too common and underestimated, which leads to the question: Are schools doing enough to prevent it?
“I don’t think schools handle bullying well whatsoever,” said Kaylee Snyder, a first-year psychology major. “Schools don’t understand how fast bullying and harassment can spread and take effect on a young person’s mental health. Children and teenagers crave validation from their peers and when they don’t receive that, they feel unworthy and outcasted. This effect draws so many young people to end their lives when schools will just deem it as ‘teasing’ and ‘normal’ behavior.”
As much as the U.S. schooling system promotes independence among students, the true reality is that kids want acceptance from others around them. Their developing minds cannot handle constant name-calling, rumors and other occurrences, all of which are considered “typical children’s behavior.” However, these so-called normal behaviors should not result in thousands of suicide attempts across the country. To put it into perspective, The American Academy of Pediatrics states that around 157,000 individuals between the ages of 10 and 24 are treated for self-inflicted injuries each year.
In fact, it should not take a suicide at your local school for administrators to take bullying seriously. In our developing world, more kids have access to social media sites, which heightens the risk of harassment. The cyberbullying that takes place on these sites is typically ignored by adults when a child reports the maltreatment they are experiencing. Yet again, adults see cyberbullying as “kids being kids” and do not take action until it is too late.
“I believe that when a child tells a trusted adult that they feel like they are being bullied, a large investigation needs to take place. Schools undermine bullying and usually don’t try to stop it until it has already taken a tremendous toll on the child being bullied. Schools need to investigate and sever any opportunities for bullying to continue. Bullies deserve proper punishment that will stop them and make them understand that their behavior is wrong,” Snyder said.
Will the death of a local, young girl lead to change? In the community, possibly, but in the U.S., no. The issue of bullying is a national issue that requires a change of action from each and every school. It also requires change on a personal level. Do your part: Be kind and stand up for those that have become the victim of bullying.
