Some say high school is the best time of your life. With all the Friday night football games, prom, and after-school shenanigans, it can certainly be perceived that way. However, behind the laughter there is a dark stigma that perpetuates the hallways and sinks its teeth into the children of today: bullying. Nearly 1 in 4 students report as being a victim of bullying during their time in school. Be that as it may, it is up to the school to correct this behavior. Bullying prevention programs are becoming a routine policy in schools throughout the nation. On the other hand, they are not all effective. Acclaimed speaker on conflict resolution, Barbara Coloroso author of The Bully, The Bullied and the Bystander, points out that the problem stems from a lack of communication between teachers and education support professionals (ESP’s) and their differentiating viewpoints. Creating a safe environment for learning for all is crucial in a student's well-being and experience. It is the responsibility of not only parents to protect their child from bullying but it is also up to the school to provide strong policies and teachers trained to help combat violent confrontations therefore generating a safer and positive learning environment.

Bullying is defined as a conscious and deliberate activity intended to harm the victim. It often includes an imbalance of power, the intent to harm, and terror. There are many manifestations of bullying and means of doing it; bullying occurs in every school across the nation. Every school likes to say that they have the best program to prevent it, but are the proclaimed policies effective? Where most programs go astray is the differentiating perceptions of bullying in the school system. Establishing clear, school wide and classroom rules about bullying is just as important as developing new dress codes.

All states in the U.S. have adopted either a law, policy, or both. Some schools have adopted a Zero-Tolerance policy that includes a mandatory suspension or expulsion for the bully. It sounds good on paper, but then, so did communism. No parent wants their child to be bullied at school. Coloroso states that the idea of implementing a standard zero-tolerance rule, correlates with school administrators developing harsher punishments and lack of common sense when enforcing it. To make a policy effective, one needs to have procedures that exemplify fairness and common sense. For example, Barabara Coloroso cites that a sixteen-year-old boy was expelled for turning in an English paper in which he wrote about thoughts of revenge on those students who had taunted and physically harassed him daily. Dr. Dan Olweus, a researcher in Norway, did groundbreaking studies in the 1970’s to combat the stigma that is bullying. His anti-bullying program is based off of four principles that work on all levels. His ideals has been taken up by the University of Clemson and has shown great success through it. Along with his studies and the schools doing their part, protecting students also rests largely on the community. There are no innocent bystanders when witnessing an altercation . When a child is bullied, it is up to the people close by to report and comfort the bullied. A community’s involvement with bullying can make a difference. The intent of these policies is laudable, but the singular procedure-one size fits all (that is, mandatory suspension or expulsion)- that many school districts have implemented is inflexible and lacks common sense. In March 2001, the American Bar association released a statement opposing such zero-tolerance procedures, calling them a “one size fits all solution to all the problems that schools confront. It redefined students as criminals, with unfortunate consequences.” An anti-bullying policy that has zero tolerance for bullying is a good thing if exercised properly. However, some administrators abuse the method. Anti-Bullying programs have to work toward changing the climate and culture of a school.

Collaborative school-wide efforts should be put into action for the student’s well-being. Alienated individuals often feel distant from not only their school but their community as well, more often than not resulting in violence. Increased awareness alongside with quality prevention programs will prove to society that it only takes one act of kindness to change the bullying culture as we know it.

If you are going through life with your head buried and believing all of the evil words bullies are uttering about you, remember you are not alone in this battle and this is not your fault. Bullying is not and should not be a part of the high school experience. Keep your heads up and tell yourself you can do this because I believe in you.