`Meghan Meier, picture below was one of the first cases of bullying that made a real impact on my life. She was 13 years old, two weeks from her 14th birthday party when she took her own life. Meghan was tormented by peers at school for years, her parents finally stepped in and puller her out of her middle school allowing her to transfer. But Meghan soon began to use the social media sight MySpace. It was here that she met and fell for a 16 year old boy. But this boy after months of getting to know her, and having her reveal her secrets, began to bully and torment young Meghan, it was this that caused Meghan to take her own life. The end resulted showed that it was a old friend and bully from the school she just left and the young girls mother.
I feel that bullying in the past few years has become something that has taken more affect on students and young children then ever before. Its a problem that with growth in technology and social media has begun to affect students not only in school but also in their homes and it need to end. Yes it is true that we are all bullied at some point in our life, but when is a line crossed when are we unable to escape the constant torment? I also think that it is important to understand why and how we as a nation and a population are working to change such a large problem. With the anti bullying laws being put into place, we now need to ask what the most affective way of enforcing these new laws and making sure that students dont cross the line.
~Jen
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| 13 year old Meghan Meier |
As of May 2010 there were a total of eight states in the United States of America that did not have anti-bullying laws. With the death of Phoebe Prince and Carl Joseph Walker- Hoover, Massachusetts looked to create a bullying law that prevents children from suffering the anguish associated with being bullied. The law was passed Monday May 3, 2010 and is looked at to be one of the most extensive anti bulling acts in the country. This law is known as CHAPTER 92 AN ACT RELATIVE TO BULLYING IN SCHOOLS. (see Senate, No. 2404) Approved by the Governor, May 3, 2010. This law was created to prevent the consequences of past bullying and to protect children from those around them.
This act contained a number important and extensive details that government officials hope to limit the amount of bullying that can occur on school grounds. One of the main purposes of the law is to direct teachers and school officials that they must report any and all bullying that they are aware of to a specified school official that will handle the complaint. It states that teachers and school officials must be properly trained on how to handle bullying situations and how to prevent and defuse bulling situations. Students must go through anti bullying classes each year to understand why bullying is bad and what to do in situations where they are being bullied or they see someone being bullied. One of the biggest things this law does is creates a legal definition of bullying. This definitions states that bullying is the
“the severe or repeated use by one or more students of a written, verbal, or electronic expression, or a physical act or gesture, or any combination thereof, directed at another student that has the effect of: (i) causing physical or emotional harm to the other student or damage to the other student's property; (ii) placing the other student in reasonable fear of harm to himself or of damage to his property; (iii) creating a hostile environment at school for the other student; (iv) infringing on the rights of the other student at school; or (v) materially and substantially disrupting the education process or the orderly operation of a school.”( Session Laws: CHAPTER 92 of the Acts of 2010)
By creating this law the Judicial, Executive, and Legislative branches of the government, have taken a stand on bullying. However, it is the schools systems in the country, and state, that are responsible for the enforcement of the law.
Erin's current opinion on the topic of bullying
I feel that bullying in general and in the school's is a serious problem that needs to be stop. I found it very sad to hear about all the stories of children that were bullied. In some of the stories the children even took their own lifes. I also feel that its important that there are laws that were put into place to stop bullying and that they now have created anti- bullying classes that each student must go to each year.
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