They need to treat bullies like criminals. That is what will happen to them if they act the same way when they hit 17. If someone 17+ threatens you they can be charged with assault. If they physically touch you that is battery. If you can prove they have been harassing you that is a whole other criminal charge. One guy I knew in High School, who was a bully, ended up in trouble with the law within a year of graduating. He was acting the same way he did in High School, pushing a smaller guy around and punching him, but now he was an adult. The guy ended up calling the cops and the ex-bully was arrested, charged, convicted, and became a felon.
Why should someone in High School be treated any different? By letting them get away with their bullying in Elementary, Middle, and High School we are giving kids the wrong message. And I am not just talking about the victims. The bullies get the idea that they CAN act like that pretty much with impunity.
Then you have the way they are dealt with in school. I know when I was in school bullying was pretty much ignored. If you complained about it you just got a bigger target on you. A lot of the time you were simply told that it would "build character" if you were the victim. From talking with people about it the situation hasn't improved all that much since then.
I like a measure South Korea took. If you can prove the Public School knew about the bullying of your child they can be held responsible. The school and teachers. A High School a friend worked at was in the middle of being sued for ignoring bullying when I left.
We should hold the schools responsible for not reacting properly to bullying and hold the bullies criminal responsible if they are repeat offenders.
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