Abusive behavior with potentially serious social and mental health consequences for children and adolescents” is the definition given the word bully by the American Medical Association. Bullying affects the entire school system – not only the bully and the person being bullied, but the entire student body. The Michael Tiger Human Rights Center reports that 40% of Texas students reported being verbally bullied last year. This does not include other forms of bullying such as striking another student or cyber bullying. Implications of bullying include depression, thoughts of suicide, loss of self-esteem, anxiety, body aches, insomnia, and violent behavior which may include carrying weapons to school.

Follow up:

Listed below are the top (ten) 10 reasons children are bullied:

• Being fat or thin
• Being tall or short
• Being quiet or creative
• Having big ears or small ears
• Being from a different culture or having a different religion or ethnicity
• Having different tastes or likes
• Having the "wrong" clothes (wearing clothes that are not "cool" at the time)
• Wearing glasses or braces
• Being homosexual or believed to be gay or lesbian
• Being unwilling to use strength to defend him or herself

In other words, any imaginative "excuse" will do.

In Texas, the most highly publicized bullying incident involved Asher Brown, an eighth grade at a Cypress-Fairbanks middle school. Asher shot himself after what his parents said was a two year period of harassment because of his small size, his religion, and perceived sexuality. His death began a movement in the Texas schools that reached the Texas Legislature and ended in the first laws concerning bullying in the State of Texas. The new legislature brought criticism from the American Civil Liberties Union and the Liberty Institute who questioned the success of any new law that would curb aggression in schools saying that the policing of the campuses should be done by local officials, not state officials. However, the law passed the Texas House with a 94-41 vote. The bill aims at cracking down on school bullies by defining bullying and requiring school districts to help prevent it, to assist students who are targeted and to protect those who oppose bullying in the school. Cyber bullying is included in the packet. The law requires school districts to post formal policies on bullying, to teach staff how to recognize and react to bullying, and for school officials to protect those who report bullying. The law also allows for the bullies to be transferred to another school. On May 23, 2011, the Texas Senate passed House Bill 1942 unanimously took another step toward protecting children from bullying in the public schools. At this point, the bill is awaiting Governor Perry’s signature. The Texas Civil Rights Project is currently hosting seminars on bullying. The series of seminars is a free in-class for students in the public school system in (ten) 10 counties. They can be divided in two 50 minute class periods. It will discuss stereotypes, homophobic language, and personal accounts from other young people. It is intended to establish a safe environment for all students, preserve students’ rights, and identify possible scenarios in school and how to address them.

For more information on how to host a free Safe Schools Seminar, go online to SafeSchools@TexasCivilRightsProject.org or call (512) 474-5073 ext.102