It is happening in schools across the country every day, and students are quietly suffering from it.
It’s bullying, and it is a growing national problem.
Readers and viewers have seen countless news stories recounting tales of once introverted children who were pushed over the edge, or children caught in the crossfire of a constantly harassed student who decided to fight back.
It’s stories like these pressing education boards to keep articles like these out of the media’s budgets.
Locally, there are efforts also being made.
The Tallahassee Democrat reported Leon County school board is ruling on a policy covering “bullying and harassment.”
The board’s definition of bullying will also include cyber bullying, which is occurring more often because of technological advancements.
Children are more Internet savvy, and it is important for laws to protect students from falling victim to online bullying.
The final meeting for the decision happens Tuesday morning.
The definitions were the hardest part of the board’s deliberations.
“We focused on the frequency and the intensity,” Barbara Wills, assistant superintendent of professional and community services, told the Tallahassee Democrat.
It is good that the board is focusing on being counteractive for occurrences like bullying on campus and throughout the nation.
There are Web sites like, Stop Bullying Now that give proactive answers toward identifying and stopping bullying.
Hopefully, there will be more initiatives created statewide and nationally to stop this behavior.
A’sia Horne-Smith for the editorial board.