Wednesday, July 6, 2011

A Mother Speaks Out Against Bullying

“It’s a tragedy that shouldn’t happen to anyone,” said Wendy Walsh whose 13 year-old son committed suicide last fall after being brutally bullied for being gay.

To prevent this tragedy from happening to any other child, Wendy Walsh filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education. The Federal Justice Department investigated her complaint and discovered that Seth was a sensitive boy who, “for more than two years, was teased for looking like a girl, inappropriately touched, had food and water bottles thrown at him, became the subject of false sexual rumors and eventually stopped changing into his gym clothes because he felt threatened in the locker room.” They found the school district's lack of effective action to stop the bullying a violation of Seth's civil rights.

The Justice Department and the Federal Education Department censured Seth’s school district and demanded that they make immediate changes to stop the bullying. For full details read my Examiner article, “An Anti-bullying Victory.”

“It took my son’s life to make this change,“ said Wendy Walsh. She advises other parents not to stand still if their child is being bullied. “Know your rights, then make it stop.”

If your child is being bullied and you’ve tried to make it stop, but nothing’s worked, find out what you can do in the highly informative Bully Action Guide by Dr. Edward F. Dragan.

Wendy Walsh with a photo of Seth. Photo by Casey Christie

What Do You Think? To comment e-mail Naomi@LearningPeace.com or click on the word “comments” below. Write your comment in the box, then click on “Select profile . . .” If the top group of options doesn’t apply to you, select “Name/URL” to comment with your name (you can leave the URL part blank), or select “Anonymous.”

Friday, July 1, 2011

The No Bullying Pledge

Introduce your kids to the No Bullying Pledge. Be they at home, at camp, in school, or any other place where kids gather, this needs to be the standard. Ending bullying starts with each of us, and the time to act is now. Please pass this on to every parent, teacher, or group leader you know:



                     The No Bullying Pledge

  • I will not take part in any actions  that purposely hurt another person.                                         


  • I will join with friends to stand up for kids who are being picked on. 

                                                   





To comment e-mail Naomi@LearningPeace.com, or click on the word “comments.". Write your comment in the box, then click on “Select profile . . .” If the top group of options doesn’t apply to you, select “Name/URL” to comment with your name (you can leave the URL part blank), or select “Anonymous.”