Bullying's a problem. Could this proposed Minnesota law be a solution?

Pioneer Press ^ | 2-9-14 | Christopher Magan

[TurboZamboni]

It's expected to be the most passionately debated piece of education policy for the legislative session that begins Feb. 25.

Supporters say that Minnesota's current law, at 37 words, doesn't do enough to prevent bullying and that sweeping change is needed.

"Nobody should be OK with the fact that all we have to protect students and make schools safe from bullying is 37 words," Kurzer-Zlotnick said. "To me, that's ridiculous."

Opponents argue that the 20-page bill goes too far by taking away local control and imposing costly new layers of bureaucracy on schools.

"I think it's a bad bill," said Crystal Crocker. The Mendota Heights mother of four worries the "one-size fits-all" legislation will degrade parents' and teachers' ability to resolve disputes between students and impose a system of anonymous reports with limited parental involvement.

"I'm in total agreement we need to address this," Crocker said. "We can do so much better for our kids."

[TurboZamboni]

State Sen. Roger Chamberlain, R-Lino Lakes, the assistant minority leader, says the bill is an unnecessary burden on Minnesota schools. He calls the law a "$25 million unfunded mandate" that will undermine local educators and drag many students through an unnecessary bureaucracy.

"There is no reason something Johnny does in fourth grade when he's 8 or 9 should follow him through high school or college," Chamberlain said. "This is the most destructive piece of K-12 legislation in 40 years."

[Mr Rogers]

We talked about bullying last night with a couple of teens. Both teens agreed the best way to stop bullying is to allow the other kids to fight back.

Perhaps the bill should say, “No child will be automatically expelled for defending himself or someone in need”.

[Howie66]

The most effective solution for dealing with a bully is very simple.

Beat the snot out of them.

I have never seen it fail.

[Viennacon]

This will no doubt be used to attack Christians

[shove_it]

Parents should stop whining about their kids being bullied and enroll them in karate class instead.

[Mr. K]

you are 100% correct, because when you don’t do that then child bullies grow up to be adult bullies.

I think these new laws are design the help them FIND such bullies so they can put them in charge of their new gestapo.

Hitle needed those types to run the SS.

[Bob]

The increase in the severity of school bullying coincides with the increase in school zero-tolerance policies regarding violence prevention. While there may or may not be a provable cause-and-effect relationship, school policies have clearly not helped in preventing bullying.

[skeeter]

This anti-bullying stuff is just a backdoor way to promote LGBT issues in schools.

[ClearCase_guy]

This is pretty much 100% about making homosexuals totally protected. If any student does not actively support their lifestyle choice, then that is bullying.

The nerd getting beat up in the stairway? [shrug] That's not so important.

[Senator_Blutarski]

So we need more than 37 words? I understand the folks that wrote the Affordable Care Act are available and are willing to write a bill no less than 2500 pages long. Of course, the new bullying bill will then involve the IRS, redistribute wealth, close the school your child attends, and eliminate jobs. —But that is a small price to pay for safety from bullies. Did I mention there will be “Bully Free Zone” signs?

[P.O.E.]

Why not just enact the Marquis of Queensbury (sp) rules?

[miliantnutcase]

Bullying became an epidemic years ago after teachers were prevented from giving out a beating.

[Leaning Right]

Both teens agreed the best way to stop bullying is to allow the other kids to fight back.

Sounds good, but it usually won't work. I'm an urban high school teacher, and I've seen many examples of bullying. And the huge majority of them fall into one of two categories: Little kid against a huge bully, or any kid against a gang. So you either fight back and get beat repeatedly, or you just endure the bullying. Or you transfer schools.

I'm sure it happens, but I've never ever seen a case - in urban schools, anyway - where the little kid fights back and ultimately wins. This isn't the movies. And this isn't Leave It To Beaver's America anymore.

What works is criminal prosecutions. And if that gives the bully a record, too bad.

The problem is that most schools - urban schools, anyway - are too gutless to go in that direction. They'd rather just put anti-bullying posters up in the hallways, and then pretend that there's no more problem.

[yldstrk]

I feel sorry for the majority of us who do not have a happy family like God intended: A mom and a dad, male and female, who hold each other up and who don’t drink, drug, hit, gamble, commit infidelity or molest the children. Parents who encourage and provide for the children and each other.

[yldstrk]

You have to bully a bully

[SZonian]

Some parents don’t give a crap about what’s happening to their children...or will tell them to “man-up” but offer no training on how to.

Karate class, boxing, MMA training, should all be options for any child who wants it or who has been the victim of a bully...

Kicking a bully’s a$$ is about the only way I know of to get them to stop...I know this from personal experience...had to deal with a couple during my childhood.

And trust me, to this day, 35+ years later, those cruel, despicable bastards, if I ever crossed paths with them, would be wise to disappear.

[FrdmLvr]

Bullying will only get worse. Kids get a steady diet of rivalry and conflict, revenge, bickering, squabbling, mouthing off and trash talking in popular cultured aimed at them. It’s the central theme in their movies, television shows, books, and video games. It’s really not tempered with other genres. The pervasiveness and relentlessness of it has to warp their psyches.

[UCANSEE2]

Creating a hostile environment.

Four words.

[RedMDer]

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[Leaning Right]

The pervasiveness and relentlessness of it has to warp their psyches.

You are entirely correct. As I mentioned in an earlier post (#13), I am an urban school teacher. When the kids walk down the hallway, sometimes they'll be singing to themselves. It's almost always a song about shooting someone, or beating up someone. It's very disturbing.