As support for anti-bullying legislation gains momentum in Boston, opponents and naysayers point out that parents or kids who bring bullying to the attention of the schools do so at the risk of subjecting the victims to increased harassment. If you read the comments section of the above article you see stories of parents who have been ignored by administrators or kids who have been ridiculed for being a snitch. The only way to combat this problem is to have an anti-bullying policy that is part of the school culture or climate and is just as prevalent and important as the attendance policy or academic integrity policy. This way, students learn from day one that harassment and bullying are not tolerated and bystanders of bullying are expected to seek out adult intervention. Similarly, teachers and staff receive the message that bully prevention is not an ancillary task but central to the mission of the school.
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"Columbine" David Cullen
Just got through reading “Columbine” by David Cullen and it is a must-read if you work with adolescents/boys. The two biggest take home points from the book in my opinion are:
1) the media completely glossed over the fact that the original plan was to detonate propane tank bombs that would have wiped out almost half the school. The boys then planned to shoot survivors as they fled the school. The original plan was not to go into the school and target individual students to shoot.
2) Eric Harris was a textbook psychopath. He was NOT a member of the trenchcoat mafia, did not like Marilyn Manson and was not a “goth.” His case does NOT prove that any disaffected teen who is bullied for being different can decide to go on a killing rampage. His past actions, personal diaries, website and personality profile are all indicative of a dangerous psychopath.
Overall, the book is very well-written and gripping. My one complaint is that the author switches from providing an analysis of the killers to telling the stories of the survivors, which can impact the continuity. There is much to learn from this book and Mr. Cullen should be congratulated for a job well done.
Youth Violence Prevention in Chicago
Very interesting read here on an innovative youth violence prevention effort in Chicago:
http://bit.ly/1Q5myq
The idea of using statistics and research to target the most at-risk can be controversial; after all, not all youth receive services in this model. However, the approach reminds of the Operation Ceasefire initiative in Boston that was successful in reducing youth gang violence in the early 90′s. Bottom line is that it is always encouraging to see systemic approaches to youth violence prevention that combine research and outside-the-box thinking. Whether it succeeds or fails either way we can learn from it, which is more than I can say about one-shot interventions like “youth violence prevention week.”