by Aundrea Cline-Thomas
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Bullying has changed the dynamic in schools that has left teachers and administrators questioning the difference between child's play and destructive behavior.
"Bullying is a form of abuse," said Rodger Dinwiddie, CEO of STARS Nashville. "Whereas conflict can happen between two kids who are equally balanced in strength, bullying happens where that scale is imbalanced."
Those scales were tilted for two Mid-state teens who family and friends said committed suicide as a result of bullying. In another instance, after repeated pleas to school leaders by his mother, Jacob Gentry was blinded in one eye after being attacked by a bully.
"There's not a magic formula to prevent bullying," said U.S. Attorney Jerry Martin. "It's really just common sense things that administrators and teachers need to do."
All school districts have been required by law to have a bullying policy, but not everyone enforces it the same way.
"It's one thing to have something on a piece of paper in a notebook filed somewhere," said Dinwiddie. "The other piece is what do you really do? How do you implement the procedures to address this issue for both kids and adults?"
Officials with Metro Nashville Public Schools have been working to revise the district policy by requiring training and providing a strict timeline on how complaints are addressed.
"Bullying, harassment and intimidation – [we're] putting stronger language in there to clearly define what these are and the actions to take when the situation arises," said Jonathan Orr, Metro Schools' Program Manager for Safe Schools.
Without proper enforcement, it's an issue that can easily fall through the cracks. So what should you do if your child is being bullied?
"Document what's going on so you have a record of those instances where you have observed your child being bullied and also where you've talked to the school about it," Dinwiddie advises. "So you can show these are the things we've talked to you about."
Experts suggest, if possible, parents should also keep evidence of the bullying. By law schools are required to provide a safe learning environment. If the school isn't responsive you can call Metro's Human Relations Commission or the US Attorney's office.
Dinwiddie stressed that parents should not give up.
Email: ACline-Thomas@newschannel5.com
