Social Justice & Bullying

This week in our EDU class, we have been discussing social justice, public policy, and legal issues, and how all of these go hand in hand in the education system. So, what is social justice? BusinessDictionary.com defines social justice as "the fair and proper administration of laws conforming to the natural law that all persons, irrespective of ethnic origin, gender, possessions, race, religion, etc., are to be treated equally and without prejudice." 

This definition got me thinking further into the problem of bullying and how bad bullying can affect people of all ages, especially children in schools. Children can be bullied for all kinds of reasons: because of their weight, height, race, sexual orientation, social status, etc.  Nels Ericson of the U.S. Department of Justice writes "Addressing the Problem of Juvenile Bullying, "Bullying is the set of repeated acts that cause physical or emotional harm.  There are three different types of bullying: physical bullying, verbal bullying, and psychological bullying. Physical bullying consists of hitting, kicking, pushing, stealing, ruining a person’s belongings, or forcing someone to do something he or she is unwilling to do.  Verbal bullying consists of name calling, teasing, and insulting.  Psychological bullying consists of spreading lies or rumors and manipulating social relationships."  Another form of bullying that as perhaps become the most popular among students is cyberbullying. Stopbullying.com defines cyberbullying as bullying that takes place online or with other electronic technology through e-mail, text messages, social networking sites, videos, etc.

What are the effects of bullying? 
- kids are more likely to become depressed and anxious
- they may struggle in school or not show up to school
- they are more likely to carry weapons, get into fights, and use drugs
- they have trouble making friends and having relationships with classmates
- they suffer humiliation, insecurity, and lack of self-esteem
(retrieved from Boston.com and U.S Department of Justice)

With all of these forms of bullying, what have schools done to help prevent this from happening? Is it their responsibility to step in? The answer is yes, absolutely.  In fact, the state of Massachusetts passed a new law in May of 2010 that requires schools to institute an anti-bullying curriculum, investigate acts of bullying, and report cases to law enforcement officials. The bill covers areas such as stalking and harassment, and it states that teachers, cafeteria staff, janitorial staff, etc., must report any incidents of bullying.  It also says that teachers must notify parents of the students who are involved in the bullying, and it requires teachers from both public and private schools to include anti-bullying in their curriculum. I hope that schools across the country can implement anti-bullying laws to help prevent this horrible problem.
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