When It Comes to Bullying, Some Safety Nets Have Gaping Holes
When It Comes to Bullying, Some Safety Nets Have Gaping Holes
As much as we try to protect kids from the effects of bullying, some still fall through the safety nets we place underneath them. The latest illustration is Bethany Thompson, an 11-year-old cancer survivor from Ohio.
At the age of 3, doctors discovered that Bethany had a brain tumor. They removed it and treated her with radiation that left her cancer-free, but the resulting nerve damage left her with a “crooked” smile. Because of the smile and her curly red hair, she was bullied by her school-mates. After school two weeks ago, she told her best friend she was going to kill herself, and before the friend could get help, Bethany had found a gun and pulled the trigger.
Bethany had several safety nets: parents who helped her survive cancer, teachers and school administrators and counselors who she met with regularly, and close friends who she confided in. None, however, were able to come to her aid when she needed them most.
Her father was asleep with a loaded pistol in his house. The day before her death, after a bullying incident, school officials refused to let Bethany put up anti-bullying posters on campus. When she told her friend what she had planned to do later that afternoon, help couldn’t be summoned in time.
At Triad Middle School, Superintendent Chris Piper, said in an interview that he plans to “…re-evaluate our anti-bullying educational side so that we are able to determine when things go from normal misbehavior to a pattern of bullying and to deter and stop misbehavior.”
But those plans aren’t in place in time to save Bethany, and even a reassessment of school policy may not be enough. Parents, teachers, counselors, and friends need to be aware of bullying behavior and not be afraid to take action. If you see bullying, get involved. If you know that someone is being bullied, do what it takes to help them or get them help.
Don’t know what to do? There are many anti-bullying sites on the Internet. Read up, and be ready. There are many Bethanys out there.
