Who is Responsible for Preventing Bullying in Schools?

Although forty-seven states in the United States have passed legislations against bullying in schools, many Americans agree that these legislations have not made meaningful contributions to solving the problem. In an effort to provide effective solutions to stop bullying in schools, many people point fingers. Some individuals rightfully claim that students who are bullied at school are denied their right to equal protection under the fourteenth amendment. Some others make a compelling argument that schoolteachers and administrators are not taking firm enough action to stop bullying. However, while a community effort is essential to the solution, preventing bullying is largely the responsibility of parents. Schoolteachers, school administrators, students, and most of all parents need to be educated about bullying and how they should address the behavior appropriately.

Bullying has become a major issue in schools, particularly among adolescents. In the 2011, Dovoe and Murphy reports that, during 2008-2009 academic year, 7,066,000 students ages 8 through 18 years old reported being bullied at school. This is an alarming 28 percent of 25,217,000 students in this survey. In recent years, major television networks have spent significant amounts of airtime broadcasting documentaries about bullying in schools. While most will agree this issue deserves attention, there appears to be a plot of sensationalism on the media’s behalf. Majority of reports highlight the problem repeatedly without any valuable consensus. In reports, some critics blame the evolution of violent film and video games. However, violent videos games and films do not buy themselves; parents and family members purchase them. Viewers will benefit from documentaries that h...

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...ok like, he will threat others that way at school also. Likewise, if he is put-down and mistreated at home he will do the same to others at school. The cycle of behavior begins at home and it is an important factor in preventing bullying in schools. Children rely on their parents to teach them by example how to live and how to respond to situations.

Works Cited

Devoe, Jill, and Christina Murphy. "Reports of Bullying and Cyber-Bullying." Results from the 2009 School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey. Web Tables. U.S. Department of Education -National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Aug. 2011. Web. 7 Nov. 2011.

Olweus, Dan. "What is Bully." Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2011.

Rigby, Ken. New Perspectives on Bullying. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2002. eBook Collection EBSCOhost. Web. 20 Nov. 2011.