Appeals Court Upholds Ruling On Bullied Gay Student

http://www.365gay.com/Newscon05/12/120705bully.htm

An appellate panel ruled Wednesday that New Jersey's anti-discrimination law applies to children victimized by bias-based bullying, saying schools can be held liable for student-on-student harassment.

The ruling upheld a $50,000 award to a Toms River boy who endured anti-gay taunts from classmates despite the school district's punishment of some of those responsible. But it struck down a $10,000 award the state Division on Civil Rights had ordered the school district to pay his mother.

The ruling was applauded by the American Civil Liberties Union, which said children have a right to a harassment-free school.

"Today's decision ensures that children receive the same protections in their schools that their parents receive in the workplace," said Deborah Jacobs, executive director of the ACLU-New Jersey. "Children are entitled to a safe schoolyard free from discrimination and harassment just like adults expect in the workplace."

Kicked and nominated!

I always forget about it, but this subject is my biggest passion so I wish I could nominate it more then once.

America still is a greedy bully and that is still treasured by far too many.

I believe that GW was bullied in school and when he got real power he became the bully.

but you may be right, maybe it was his mother that bullied him - isn't she a mean old bitch

That is at the core of the WH nightmare.

They think they own the world.

successfully sue the parents of the bullies and recover the $50,000.

Sinistrous

GANGSTERS in grade school.

Believe me, I am well aware of the situation and it is getting worse by the second.

Girls are becoming as big a problem as boys.

"You can fire people in the workplace. People are supposed to know the rules. But do we throw out the student who says that? Do we expel them, or do we try to educate them?" Monahan said. _ I don't know how this Mohahan is but if the schools started educating kids with an anti-bullying program when they hit kindergarten we wouldn't have these issues, at least not as often or as severe.

I hate bullies and I despise those that look the other way whether they be teachers, administrators, bosses or "peers". I'm meeting with our school superintendent next week about the bullying my son's have gone through for years. I purchased five copies of "The Bully, The Bullied and the Bystander" by Barbara Coloroso - it is a terrific book on the subject- which I will hand out at the meeting. Along with the print outs from Dr. Phil's web site, he also has a great anti-bullying program. I don't agree with Phil on everything but he hits the nail on the head with this one.

help get his/her mind in $$$'s gear, quick, quick,quick.

I have worked closely with schools for years and worked with the Bully Culture.

There are numerous Anti - Bully Programs in place and not enough awareness for PARENTS or their Bully Children.

Girl Bullies are growing by leaps and bounds!

I saw one Girl Bully control 5 girls in her class with her eyes! I kid you not! The girls were afraid to raise their hands to answer the teacher's question unless they got "eye approval" from the Girl Bully!

There should be a requirement that the Parent and Child attend Anti - Bully classes after an incident.

Bullies are like little apples that fall off of a Bully Tree.

It has been my experience that one of the parents is usually an enabler and protects the child at school, the "My Child Would Never Do Anything Like That" syndrome.

Good luck to you!

PM me if you need additional advice.

When my son's were in the elementary school I volunteered a lot! I ran the reading program for 4 years which meant I sat in an office across from one of the kindergarten rooms each morning. When I would report the crap I heard these kids say the staff would chuckle like it was cute. I heard one girl tell another "you can't be our friend because you didn't wear a dress today like I told you to".
The principals daughter, now my neices friend ;(, used to bully the kids by threatening to sic her dad on them.

This principal is worse then worthless, I spent every lunch hour at school to keep my son off the playground and at least once a month there was an incident worthy of my storming in to the office. When I alerted the superintendant (now retired) he told me that he had talked to the principal at my son's school and there was no record of my son's being bullied. I was just slightly annoyed by this, I'm hoping the new superindentant has a few more brain cells and some empathy for bully victims - I'll find out next Wednesday when I have a meeting with him.

contact the school board members.

Usually, there is always at least one Board Member that has a kind and understanding heart.

The other resource is The Director of Instruction. They are usually in touch with the latest Programs for Bullies that Work.

Hopefully you will get some answers and some results.

I can believe what you are saying about the Girl Bully and the Dress.


Bet her mother said, " My little sweetie pie would never do anything like that" ~ and get mad at the parent of the victim.


Best of luck and keep us posted.

back in the '80s, I found out some of the kids in my class were teasing and bullying the special needs kids. I brought the entire class in and talked to them about the fact that I had been bullied and teased as a child, and how much it hurt, how I remembered it to that day. You should have seen the shocked faces of those kids. I talked about the fact that the special needs kids were born the way they were, and couldn't do anything about it-but that they still had feelings, still wanted to feel that they had friends. I had the class in tears before I was done. But all bullying and teasing stopped. And they befriended the special needs kids. It was so nice to see those kids being so happy to have friends outside their own classroom.

the way that you did, you must have been a wonderful teacher and taught life lessons that were meaningful.

It is not all about Math and Science.

Sure wish GWB had been in your classroom. :)

child needed protection?

Bullying can damage a child for life. It needs to be stopped right away, and the bullies reformed so they will do no more harm. No child should have to live his or her life in fear.

said when they were voting on an anti-bullying bill here in WA.

Here is some of what Nixon told his House colleagues about HB 1444 before they did the right thing and passed it:

"We, every one of us, are minorities in some way. Every one of us possesses some characteristic that has or could make us the object of ridicule and derision. You may ask, how is this Christian white guy a minority?

"Well, to start with, I'm a Republican and am reminded of my minority status on a fairly frequent basis right here in this chamber.

"I'm also fat -- I admit it -- have been since third grade. I don't get too much derision about that any more, except from people who have to sit next to me in coach, but back in junior high kids were pretty merciless. ...

"We're all too fat, too thin, too tall, too short, have too much hair or not enough, talk funny, have some unusual mannerism. ...

"I'm the father of five children. All but one of them has, at some point, been the object of fairly intense ridicule or harassment over something they could not control. As a parent, you can only sit beside your son or daughter, consoling them after they came home from school in tears yet again, just so many times before you ask yourself, 'How do we stop this?' We as parents have a right to expect that when we send our kids to school they won't be attacked and belittled.

"This bill isn't the whole answer, but it's a step in the right direction. Our existing assault laws are not sufficient. ... This bill will allow schools to act before the teasing, taunting and harassment escalate to violence. ...

"Some people have objected that the bill would infringe on our right to free speech, or freedom of religion, or of assembly. In the bill before us today, the bar has been raised on the definition of harassment. I see no constitutional violations in the bill. The level of threat and intimidation required to trigger the sanctions envisioned in the bill go far beyond the level of civil discourse that is protected by our constitution.

"And some people have objected that the bill is in some way part of the gay rights agenda. Perhaps it is. And perhaps it should be part of the fat people's agenda, and the short people's agenda, too.

"And I must ask: If your Christian son or daughter were being picked on for their beliefs and ridiculed for having high moral standards to the point where they felt threatened and intimidated -- and it does happen, in this state, every day -- would you not want to know there was a policy in place that required the school to act?

"And if you don't have any kids of your own to think about, please think of mine."

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/57638_bullyed.shtml

Cool huh?

It must be supported.

There must be Anti Bully websites, links.

Menstuff® has compiled the following information on the issue of Bullying from the Dr. Phil television show.

http://www.menstuff.org/issues/byissue/bullying.html


Schoolyard bullying is far more serious than just name-calling and teasing. It's escalated to include harassment, beatings and even death threats.

What motivates children to bully? How can the victims of bullying fight back? What can students, parents and teachers do to eliminate bullies in their schools? Dr. Phil offers insight and advice, including how to launch an anti-bullying campaign in your school.

http://www.drphil.com/shows/show/115

http://www.bullying.org/public/frameset.cfm

Just google bullying and there are loads of sites - if only administrators would look into them.