School Bullying Council

Is Chevron’s countersuit against Ecuador’s plantiff lawyers legitimate or an act of intimidation? Chevron’s recently filed Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) lawsuit suggests that the oil company may be resorting to threats in a last ditch effort to derail a historic case that has dragged on for nearly 20 years – the original lawsuit was first filed back in 1993.

Chevron’s subsidiary, Texaco Inc. used to run several Ecuadorian oil fields until the 1990′s, when Petroecuador took over. The plaintiff reports that when Chevron operated the oil fields, the company engaged in acts harmful to the local health and environment.

Specifically, the plaintiff claims that Chevron dumped billions of gallons of toxic waste into rivers, spilled thousands of oil barrels, and abandoned 900 toxic waste pits.

Chevron meanwhile has stated that after a $40 million cleanup, any remaining contamination is Petroecuador’s responsibility. R. Hewitt Pate, Chevron’s vice president has stated that the company “has no intention of giving these plaintiffs’ lawyers the payday they seek.”

Now, as judgment nears, Chevron has made some bold moves. This past Tuesday, Chevron filed a countersuit against Ecuador’s lawyers and consultants. Chevron accused the consultants of ghost-writing an expert’s report and fabricating a peer review. With these claims of fraud, Chevron asks the court that any judgment against the company be deemed unenforceable.

Meanwhile, plaintiff spokeswoman Karen Hinton has deemed Chevron’s countersuit an act of “corporate bullying.” A press release from the Amazon Defense Coalition claims that Chevron has also recently threatened the trial judge with criminal liability, sued each of Ecuador’s 47 impoverished indigenous plaintiffs in New York federal court, tried to bar any American lawyer from enforcing a judgment outside of Ecuador (an unprecedented injunction), and may have broken the record for the longest deposition of a lawyer on a sitting case.

According to The New York Times, the recently filed RICO lawsuit makes sense, as it “fits squarely within Chevron’s strategy of seeking to turn U.S. courts against the plaintiffs.”

Coakley chairs a panel that was created under the 2010 law to explore whether additional state laws need to be passed or amended to crack down on school bullying.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/02/06/hearings_to_be_held_on_new_mass_bullying_law/

Anti-bullying crusaders are urging educators to adopt get-tough measures practiced by one Bay State school to battle teen tormentors, including taking away their cell phones and putting classrooms under video surveillance.

“It’s time to consider what will keep our schools healthy and safe,” said Barbara Coloroso, a national expert on bullying.

Out of the 526 anti-bullying plans submitted by Bay State schools in the wake of the suicide of South Hadley’s Phoebe Prince last year, one school reports they are already taking direct action — and they said their extreme case has lessons for all schools.

The Hillcrest Educational Centers in Pittsfield — a private non-profit residential school that serves 150 kids with histories of aggressive behavior — forbids cell phones, monitors classrooms with video cameras and only allows access to the Web under adult supervision, according to their plan.

Kids must attend weekly therapy sessions on bullying and a panel reviews any report of bullying.

“We have a swift response to bullying,” said Hillcrest Vice President Shaun Cusson. “We have to treat bullying immediately.”

Cusson said they maintain oversight of their students 24 hours a day, year-round — an impossible task for public school educators, he admitted. Yet, the anti-bullying plan he wrote may have “nuggets” that public schools could copy, he added.

“Discipline is missing in schools,” Cusson said. “There should be a tight restraint on cell phones and swift response to bullying. Just talking about this is a huge step.”

Banning cell phones — especially smart phones with instant access to Twitter and Facebook — is one idea that could catch on, anti-bullying proponents said.

“That plan is awesome,” said Luke Gelinas of South Hadley, a parent who has been vocal about the need to confront bullying.

Gelinas said if South Hadley had taken similar extreme measures a year ago, Phoebe Prince may not have committed suicide after authorities say a pack of six teens tormented her.

“Bullying is not something you mediate or negotiate. You stop it,” said Gelinas, a friend of Phoebe’s family. “Take away cell phones. It’s a weapon.”

But civil libertarians caution taking away freedoms kids enjoy today won’t be easy.

First Amendment lawyer Harvey Silverglate said clamping down on kids is “not good for teaching them how to be citizens in a free society,” and as a practical matter, it would be difficult to enforce.

“It would take the combination of the FBI and the KGB in order to enforce it,” Silverglate said. “There just aren’t the resources available.”

ACLU staff attorney Sarah Wunsch, a former middle school teacher, called the Hillcrest plan “creepy.”

by Lynn Meredith
ELBURN—This month’s community event, sponsored by the Elburn Lions Club on Jan. 26, featured counselors from The Center for Rural Psychology in Elburn who spoke on the subject of bullying. Lion’s member Chris Halsey put the issue in perspective when he told the audience about his days in the wooden school house in Elburn.

“We hit and got hit,” Halsey said. “We took the hits; we had to defend ourselves.”

Graduate intern Andrea Saul and Dr. Michael Mangus deal with bullying quite frequently in their offices when they counsel parents and children.

“It’s an evolving concept,” Saul said. “It’s not something new, but how we understand it has changed quite a lot.”

Bullying peaks in middle school, but it doesn’t begin or end there. Surveys suggest that 100,000 to 200,000 kids miss school each year due to bullying. Kids who are bullied often experience depression and low self-esteem.

The misperception remains that the kids who are least socially skilled are the ones being bullied, but in fact that’s not the case. Any child can be bullied, even someone who is popular and well-liked. Also, the abuse may not be physical, although physical aggression is one form of bullying. It can be verbal as in name-calling, relational as in spreading rumors and saying mean words or excluding a child, or cyber as in making unwanted remarks about other kids online.

“The critical role in preventing bullying is the bystander,” Saul said. “We know how to dramatically reduce bullying. One kid can simply say, ‘Stop it.’ This is what we want to happen in our community.”

It’s critical to teach kids to be assertive and not just ignore the bully. They need to learn not to be aggressive back but instead look the bully in the eye and them to stop.

Another solution is to create an atmosphere in the schools where everyone can get excited about the same goals of reducing bullying. Students should be praised for standing up to bullies and be made to feel proud for doing so.

“Kids don’t accidentally know how to handle these situations,” Saul said.

Zero tolerance, blaming the victim, and rushing to solve the situation as the adults in charge are not effective solutions. Asking a child what they did to get themselves bullied is not a good question, nor is it a good idea to confront either the bully or their parents alone. Instead, involve the kids in the solution and ask what they think would be helpful or what would make matters worse.

For parents trying to sort out whether their child was bullied or whether it was just normal peer conflict, they can ask a first question like, “Tell me what happened,” or “What part did you play in the conflict?” The parent can strengthen the child by finding places where that child can shine, like a hobby at home or involvement at a church youth group.

Bullying is not the same as teasing. Bullying is when teasing starts to go from fun to getting feelings hurt, and the bully doesn’t back off. Bullies can see that the other child is getting upset and continues with the behavior.

For kids who feel threatened by bullies, Saul and Mangus’ advice is to not stop telling adults until someone takes it seriously. Also, kids who are bullied during recess or on the bus should try to be near the adults in charge and friends they know will support them. Another way is to find unique ways to put the bully off-guard.

“What if next time a bully calls you names, you come up with a list of even funnier names. You can start laughing at the bully that he couldn’t come up with a better name,” Mangus said.

For more information and resources about bullying, visit bullying.org.

http://elburnherald.com/16090/2011/02/05/take-bullying-seriously/

brianbwb2015 writes: ” All ambassadorships are rewarded to campaign contributors, that is how it has been ever since there were ambassadorships . . . . ”

I’m sick of hearing the 0bama zombies defending this loser with the old “that’s the way it’s always been” line. Is that all you have??

This guy was elected based on one thing, and one thing only . . .CHANGE. He wasn’t elected for his resume, he had none. He wasn’t elected for his accomplishments, you could list those on the back of a cocktail napkin.

He was elected because he would CHANGE the way things were done. That’s how he won states like Indiana, North Carolina, Virginia, Florida, his promise of CHANGE, how he would change the tone in Washington and reach across the aisle, etc.

Instead we got the biggest bait-and-switch in the history of American politics. He was given a huge mandate, a huge reservoir of good will from the American public and he blew it. Congress has never been more polarized. He turned over his presidency to Pelosi and Reid, perhaps the two most dispicable elected officials in Washington, and they destroyed his mandate and nearly wiped out the democrat majority in Congress in 22 months.

Face it, you 0bama defenders. The community organizer in chief is obviously in over his head. You know it, I know it, the Egyptians know it, the Chinese know it, Iran knows it.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8601-503544_162-20030683-1.html?assetTypeId=41&blogId=503544

A 13-year-old Eagles fan named Nadin Khoury was the victim of one of the worst bullying crimes in recent memory last month. Seven students at Philadelphia’s Upper Darby High School’s Opportunity Center attacked Khoury for no apparent reason and one of them captured video of the horrifying scene. Six of those students were arrested and hauled off in a police wagon Monday for all of their classmates to see.

Khoury and his family made an emotional appearance on ABC’s “The View” on Thursday. One of the hosts brought it up that Khoury loved the Philadelphia Eagles, and moments later, DeSean Jackson, Todd Herremans and Jamaal Jackson came walking onto the set. Jackson ripped off his No. 10 jersey and signed it before handing it to Khoury, who was overwhelmed by the gesture. Once he collected himself, Khoury told the audience that Jackson was his favorite player.

Herremans offered the family tickets to a game of their choosing, and Jackson invited them to an anti-bullying event that he’s involved with. Sheil Kapadia of Moving The Chains blog has linked to the touching scene and it’s worth a look.

http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post?id=37026

Atlantic, Ia. - Some parents in Atlantic are upset over a bullying incident and want more action taken against the middle school student who was allegedly involved.

Parents packed the school board meeting Wednesday night to complain about the student, who allegedly stabbed other students with a pencil, including at least one inside the buttocks, according to KCCI-TV. The student received an in-school, two-day suspension.

Some parents said the punishment wasn’t severe enough. The school board took the parents’ comments under advisement but took no action.

Superintendent Michael Amstein said that the punishment was appropriate, but that officials would take steps to try not to put students in a position where they would be at risk.

In 2009, three girls at Atlantic High School were strip-searched by school officials investigating an apparent theft. A lawsuit filed by the girls is set for trial in federal court in September.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20110204/NEWS/102040343/Bullying-at-school-riles-parents-in-Atlantic?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News

UPPER DARBY, Pa. — The seven teenagers charged this week in a bullying attack in Upper Darby have been ordered held at a juvenile detention center pending further evaluation.

The boys, 13 to 17 in age, are charged with felony counts of aggravated assault and kidnapping along with related offenses for an attack on a 13-year-old boy in mid-January. The attack, caught on video via one suspect’s cell phone, shows the group dragging the victim through the snow, tossing him into a tree, and hanging him by his coat on an iron fence.

The teens are being held at a juvenile detention facility in Lima. They appeared Wednesday for a hearing in Delaware County Court via video.

Before the hearing began, one of the boys, a 14-year-old in a blue polo shirt, wiped tears from his eyes with a tissue and asked an officer of the court to tell his mother that he loves her.

Relatives of one of the boys, 17, declined to talk to reporters outside the courtroom but said he was “a good kid” who may have fallen in with the wrong crowd.

An aunt of another boy charged in the attack took exception with the way police handled the case, specifically mentioning Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood. Police arrested the teens at the Opportunity Center, an alternative education program affiliated with Upper Darby High School. They led the teens away in handcuffs.

“Mr. Chitwood has a rather bulldoggish approach, but we’ll see what happens,” said the woman, who declined to give her name.

“I don’t have any problem with my approach,” Chitwood said later in an interview. “I’m not the one who assaulted and terrorized a 13-year-old.”

Juvenile hearings involving felony charges are open to the public, according to state law. But Delaware County Court Judge Mary Alice Brennan ordered reporters to leave the detention hearing after lawyers for the suspects requested that the hearing be closed.

Lawyers for the teenagers said they wanted to prevent public access to information about possible mental-health issues or previous offenses of the defendants.

http://sentinelsource.com/articles/2011/02/03/news/national/free/id_426628.txt

By MARLENE DiGIACOMO, mdigiacomo@delcotimes.com

Click to enlarge

NADIN KHOURY … Victimized in attack

MEDIA COURTHOUSE – Reporters were kept out in the cold Wednesday after a judge cleared the courtroom for the Right to Detain hearings involving seven juveniles charged with the Jan. 11 Upper Darby bullying incident in which a 13-year-old was allegedly tormented, kidnapped and assaulted.

Judge Mary Alice Brennan, over the objections of the district attorney’s office, ejected reporters and others from the hearing. Officials later confirmed that all seven will remain in the Juvenile Detention Center at Lima pending a Feb. 10 pre-trial hearing.

Reporters stood outside the Fronefield Building in the courthouse complex as relatives and attorneys of the defendants filed out from the closed hearing.

One relative of one of the teenagers commented that “he’s a good kid hanging out with a bad crowd.’’ And another took offense at Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood’s “rather bulldoggish approach.’’

At an earlier press conference Chitwood termed the bullying of the boy as “as probably as heinous a case as I’ve ever seen.’’

Philadelphia Defense Attorney Geoffrey Seay, who represented a 14-year-old, said that he asked for the closure since mental health issues were discussed, which he contended are confidential.

He described the hearing for his client as very brief and confirmed the juvenile was detained pending another hearing.

County Public Defender David DiPasqua said the six he represented were also held pending risk assessment and psychological evaluations. He said during the Feb. 10 hearing it would be determined whether some of the juveniles are low risk and can be released.

The seven are facing charges including kidnapping, assault, unlawful restraint and recklessly endangering another person.

The statute covering such hearings states that the “general public shall not be excluded from any hearing…Pursuant to a petition alleging delinquency where the child was 12 years of age or older at the time of the alleged conduct and where the alleged conduct would have constituted one or more of the following offenses’’ which includes crimes such as kidnapping.

UPPER DARBY — The seventh suspect wanted for his alleged participation in a horrific bullying incident was arrested Tuesday morning at school, police said.

The youth was absent on Monday when Upper Darby police charged into the Opportunity Center on the Upper Darby High School campus around 8:30 a.m. and arrested six suspects, ranging in age from 13 to 17 years old.

All seven are charged with allegedly attacking and pummeling 13-year-old classmate, Nadin Khoury, who was walking home from school 1 p.m. Jan. 11.

Upper Darby School District officials called police to report the 14-year-old boy wanted showed up for school Tuesday morning and became sickened at the prospect of incarceration.

“The kid was crying and throwing up after he was arrested,” police Superintendent Michael Chitwood said. “He was saying he ‘was never involved with anything like this, I was never involved with anything like this.’ When the other six were arrested, they were laughing and thought it was a joke. It’s not a joke. Bullying is a crime and we’re going to treat it like a crime.

“The boy arrested (Tuesday) received the same treatment as the other six,” Chitwood said. “We took him out of school in handcuffs to send a message loud and clear that any type of bullying will not be tolerated.”

The alleged attack against the 13-year-old was recorded on the cell phone of one of the assailants with the intention to air it on YouTube.

“We got the video before it went out on YouTube,” Chitwood said. “They beat this kid, kicked him, drug him through the snow and stuffed him in a tree, upside down, and hung him on a fence. It was seven on one.”

According to Chitwood, several of the youths involved have been harassing the victim inside and outside of school for some time.

“He’s claiming the day after the incident he’s back in school on Jan. 12 and one of the guys in the group comes up and shows him the video,” Chitwood said. “He threatened him and says, ‘If you tell anyone, we’re going to get you.’ They’ve been harassing him. Apparently, this has been going on for a long period of time.”

The school district’s public information coordinator Dana Spino said the district has a specific bullying policy in place, which is described in detail on the district’s website, and declined to comment further on the incident.

Spino said the district had no knowledge or report from the victim about being approached by the others in school after the Jan. 11 attack.

The victim’s sister said her brother received a phone call from the principal of the Opportunity Center to stay home from school for his safety.

The Opportunity Center is an alternative learning center for students with behavioral issues attending either morning or afternoon sessions to complete their education. Currently four eighth-graders and 69 students in ninth through 12th grade are enrolled.

“The student was told not to come to school for reasons not related to his safety,” Spino said.

She did not reveal the reason, citing the district’s privacy code involving students.

Two of the seven students arrested have criminal records and all seven are facing charges of kidnapping, unlawful restraint, reckless endangerment, false imprisonment and assault and are detained at the Juvenile Detention Center in Lima.

The seven students will have a right-to-detain hearing at 10 a.m. today in Media.

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http://delcotimes.com/articles/2011/02/02/news/doc4d48de1c655ac719914872.txt

UPPER DARBY — Police arrested the seventh teen wanted in connection with a bullying incident in which a 13-year-old was kicked and beaten, hung upside down in a tree and finally left hanging from a fence.

Six other teens, all students at Upper Darby High School, were taken into custody Monday.

Upper Darby Police Superintendent Mike Chitwood said the seventh teen was arrested when he showed up for school Tuesday morning. All seven are now being held at the county juvenile detention center in Lima.

A 13-year-old, two 14-year-olds and three 17-year-olds were taken out of the Opportunity Center at Upper Darby High School in handcuffs after being identified as the assailants who allegedly attacked a 13-year-old student on his way home from school on Jan. 11.

Information from the Delaware County Daily Times, www.delcotimes.com

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http://pottstownmercury.com/articles/2011/02/01/news/doc4d4858f51d198613760671.txt

Click thumbnails to enlarge

By LINDA REILLY
Times Correspondent

Click to enlarge

Teenagers hung a 13-year-old boy by his jacket on this fence in the Park Lane East apartment complex in Upper Darby. The teens were arrested Monday.
(Times staff photo/Julia Wilkinson)

UPPER DARBY – Police this morning arrested a group of Upper Darby High School students in connection with a bullying incident that involved the kidnap and assault on a 13-year-old student.

Police rushed into Upper Darby High School Monday morning and arrested seven students in connection with the incident, which occured Jan. 11 at the Park Lane East Apartments parking lot on  Garrett Road. At one point the victim was hung upside down from a tree as he screamed for help. He was later hung by his coat from a  fence post, according to township police Superintendent Mike Chitwood. The student did not sustain serious injuries.

The suspects videotaped the encounter, Chitwood said as he played the video at an early afternoon press conference. At least one woman is seen walking by and doing nothing to help the youth, Chitwood pointed out.

“We’re dragging them out in handcuffs,” said Chitwood . “We want to send home a message that this type of behavior will absolutely not be tolerated. They hanged this kid from a steel fence. We have the video of them actually hanging this kid from the fence. We’re working with the cooperation of school officials and school security.”

According to Chitwood, the student defendants, ages 16 and 17, attend the Opportunity Center at the high school.

Chitwood was relieved to report the victim did not sustain any serious physical injuries but did suffer “extreme mental anquish” from the assault.

The superintendent displayed the video and provided more details at a 1 p.m. press conference today.

Police arrived at the high school first thing this morning and took a group of students into custody, officials said.

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http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2011/01/31/news/doc4d46cb7c629eb576398325.txt?viewmode=default

The fourth branch of state government, the University of Connecticut, endured a January storm of its own last week at the hands of irate, bossy benefactor Robert G. Burton of Greenwich. Furtive elements of UConn labor in the shadows to avoid the kind of barracking Burton gave them in a Jan.19 letter that become public last week.

Mercy, the printing mogul and one-time professional football draft pick thought his millions in donations to the UConn football program made him a shareholder, not merely a prominent booster. Burton’s five-page screed practically left a trail of spittle on the screen if you read it online. The Unabomber wrote more coherent letters.

Burton, who devotes much of the “Personal Confidential” letter that he distributed to several public officials to an encomium to his bruised self, comes across as an epic bully. If he had spent his life in a coal mine, as Burton believes was his fate absent a football scholarship to college, he’d be just another loudmouth on the sidelines harassing coaches and players until escorted away. Burton, however, possesses a fortune and he has spread some of it around at UConn, so his is a voice that merits deference from the people whose misfortune it is to have to solicit and manage big donors.

When Burton sneers, administrators and others pay attention. Gov. Don’t-Call-Me-Dan Malloy phoned Burton after he received his copy of the notorious letter and tried to sooth the savage breast. Surely, humility took a furlough during that conversation.

Burton became accustomed to being consulted on small and big decisions in UConn’s football program. The university has some explaining to do. For example, Burton writes that he paid former Athletic Director Lew Perkins’ airfare to recruit former football coach Randy Edsall. No wonder the NCAA has to devote so much time to monitoring big businesses, I mean institutions of higher learning, and their excessive entitlements. We may find out what the NCAA thinks about the details of the UConn/Burton axis once it reviews the remarkable missive.

Amid the sea of insults directed at conniving UConn Athletic Director Jeffrey Hathaway, there are some rich islands of revelation. Burton expected Hathaway, for whom his contempt is boundless, to contact Burton’s son, Joe, before UConn hired Paul Pasqualoni of Syracuse University as its new football coach. Joe Burton, you see, was a lineman at Syracuse from 1997-2001. One suspects their royal highnesses the Burtons bear some ill-will toward Coach Pasqualoni. He probably felt the sting of the Burton lash during those four years.

The Burton brouhaha raises many issues about the concessions UConn makes to donors. Certainly it shows no such deference to taxpayers or members of state government. A few years ago, a sincere legislator suggested that state auditors ought to be able to take a look at the mysterious University of Connecticut Foundation. They kicked the stuffing out her.

Burton, who says he learned about the power of truth “from my personal friend Dr. Billy Graham,” (the letter is pregnant with delicious revelations), possesses an honorary degree from UConn in, I’m not kidding, humane letters. He wrote, “We want our money and respect back.” He’ll probably get neither. The money they can fight over. He’s “already secured legal counsel from several law firms.” The respect he probably never possessed. What UConn wanted was his money. We ought to find ought how university officials prostituted themselves to get it.

We do owe honorary Dr. Burton a debt. He reminds us that enforced civility in discourse is a mask. We are better off knowing what Burton’s ugly letter reveals about him and UConn than we would have been if one of those law firms he’s consulted sent a carefully worded letter seeking a return of his contributions and the removal of his name from a campus building. University officials would have danced around the controversy, pooh-poohing and minimizing it, feigning dismay.

The Rev. Billy Graham, who confessed last week that he’d wished he’d stayed out of politics in the course of his long ministry, must have whispered a word or two about humility and forgiveness to Brother Burton during their friendship. Graham’s spirit appears to have made no lasting impression on Burton, and we are wiser for it.

Kevin Rennie is a lawyer and a former Republican state legislator. He can be reached at kfrennie@yahoo.com.

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http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/hc-rennie-uconn-burton-0130-20110130,0,5177276.column?track=rss

Mentor High School students took the stage Friday night for a
special pre-prom fashion show to honor the memory and the
foundation created for classmate Brandon Shima who passed away
suddenly last fall.

Brandon Shima was a junior at Mentor High School, football player
and a beloved friend. He was a real special person.

“He was a special soul, he was nothing but good.” say his father
Keith Shima.

Two local businesses come out to help make this show possible.
Expressions Bridal Formal provided dresses and tuxes.
Jenniffer Co. helped with hair extensions and nails.

Jenniffer, owner of Jenniffer Co. knew Brandon, “He saw
everybody for who they were, he was a genuine person, everybody
was his friend.”

His father Keith started a foundation to honor Brandon’s love and
kindness to others. It has the mission to connect and protect
against bullying. To get the word out to local schools and
someday take the message nationally.

His father explains, “He didn’t like bullying, he was kind of the
one that treated others as equals and kind of looked out for the
weak.”

The Friday night show brought out friends, family and classmates
who came together for the fashion show to help fund the
foundation. Brandon’s classmates danced and modeled the latest
prom dresses and tuxes for this year’s prom. Organizer and owner
of Expressions Bridal Formal, Marcy Hudson, sees this
helping many people.

“It’s a great thing to do to benefit the Shima family, to benefit
Brandon’s memory, and it’s fun for the high school kids.”

Brandon’s father has a simple message, “We want these kids to
stay connected and protect the ones that have a hard time
protecting themselves.”

There was a Midnight Madness sale at Expressions Bridal
Formal after the fashion show as well.

A portion of the sales of dresses and tux rentals will go to
Brandon’s foundation.

Donations can be made at any Key Bank to the Brandon A. Shima
Memorial Fund. All monies will benefit the foundation and its
work against bullying.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41322696

COLLIERCOUNTY: Investigators say 14-year-old Jorge Saavedra killed a classmate Monday after a bus stop brawl. Students we spoke to point to bullying. Now anti-bullying activists are working to prevent similar tragedies.

In 2005 Debbie Johnston’s 15-year-old son Jeffrey killed himself after years of being taunted by a school bully. His story lead to the passage of Florida’s anti bullying law in 2008.

“He wrote in his suicide note that’s the world cant change no matter how hard you try,” she said. “The law requires schools to have programs in place.”

According to Collier County’s school website, the district does have an anti bullying policy.

While no one will ever know if those rules would have prevented the death of 16-year-old Dylan Nuno, students say he and other students harassed Saavedra on the school bus and that school officials were aware of it.

“This shows a well established pattern of abuse,” Johnston said.

Under the anti bullying law, schools are required to document and report bullying cases. The federal government gives schools funding to prevent and train against bullying.

Joe Whitehead is a retired Naples Police officer and has been trained on school violence.

He says if Collier County school officials knew about the bullying, they should have followed procedures required by state law.

“If that was known and policy and procedures were not followed – yeah, the system dropped the ball and look what it costs,” said Whitehead.

Johnston says dismissing the talked about taunting and spit ball throwing may have cost Dylan Nuno his life and Jorge Saavedra his freedom.

“Once the investigation started, the school should have done a psychological evaluation and taken steps to change the behavior,” said Johnston.

By Travell Eiland – bio | email

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41285646

COLLIERCOUNTY: Investigators say 14-year-old Jorge Saavedra killed a classmate Monday after a bus stop brawl. Students we spoke to point to bullying. Now anti-bullying activists are working to prevent similar tragedies.

In 2005 Debbie Johnston’s 15-year-old son Jeffrey killed himself after years of being taunted by a school bully. His story lead to the passage of Florida’s anti bullying law in 2008.

“He wrote in his suicide note that’s the world cant change no matter how hard you try,” she said. “The law requires schools to have programs in place.”

According to Collier County’s school website, the district does have an anti bullying policy.

While no one will ever know if those rules would have prevented the death of 16-year-old Dylan Nuno, students say he and other students harassed Saavedra on the school bus and that school officials were aware of it.

“This shows a well established pattern of abuse,” Johnston said.

Under the anti bullying law, schools are required to document and report bullying cases. The federal government gives schools funding to prevent and train against bullying.

Joe Whitehead is a retired Naples Police officer and has been trained on school violence.

He says if Collier County school officials knew about the bullying, they should have followed procedures required by state law.

“If that was known and policy and procedures were not followed – yeah, the system dropped the ball and look what it costs,” said Whitehead.

Johnston says dismissing the talked about taunting and spit ball throwing may have cost Dylan Nuno his life and Jorge Saavedra his freedom.

“Once the investigation started, the school should have done a psychological evaluation and taken steps to change the behavior,” said Johnston.

By Travell Eiland – bio | email

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41285646

Bullying in schools is a constant focus of discussion, debate and concern. Not a week goes by, it seems, when there isn’t a news article about some aspect: cyber bullying, text-bullying, bullying on playgrounds, classrooms and sports fields. What has been largely missing from the uproar are accounts of the widespread bullying of children with disabilities by both students and teachers.

The recent stories in Toronto in The Sun about William Lau, the young student with cerebral palsy who was being bullied in school, are the exception. These articles show that while progress has been made, students with disabilities still experience isolation and punishment. Thanks to The Sun’s intervention and spotlight on the issue, William is now being given the support and protection he needs.

Unfortunately such public awareness and support of disabled students is rare, as too little is being done to ensure that children with disabilities are valued, respected and included. As Michelle Obama has pointed out, adults first need to evaluate their own attitudes and behavior before questioning the cause of their children’s intolerance.

Often, though, it is not only adult attitudes reflected in children that threaten students with disabilities. It is school policies. In August 2009, Human Rights Watch published a shocking report on the use of corporal punishment in schools in the United States. Twenty one states still permit corporal punishment in their schools, and their research found that corporal punishment is used on children with disabilities at higher rates than on other children.

The report documents the experiences of autistic children who have been slammed face down on the floor while teachers sit on them, a process known as “face down restraint,” or the first grader who was repeatedly spanked because of outbursts brought on by his Tourette’s Syndrome.

Not only are these ineffective disciplinary techniques for any child with a disability, but because fear can exacerbate punishable behavior, these techniques also make the child’s behavior worse. Can we really allow teachers to engage in this sort of violence, while we debate how to reduce bullying in schools? Both techniques attempt to exercise authority through fear.

In the case of my own disabled brother, who, after considerable effort by my parents, is able to attend his local school in British Columbia, I have witnessed the positive results of inclusive schools. My brother’s own education and socialization skills have improved and he has been able to teach his classmates about disabilities and the acceptance of those who are different.

However, his experience has not always been positive. My brother was recently sent to sit at a desk outside the classroom for certain lessons. He was not disturbing the class; his teacher simply thought it was necessary so the class could proceed with their “normal” lesson. Allowing those in power to define what is “normal” and what is not is perhaps the most pervasive form of bullying.

If we want to eliminate bullying, we need to change the definition of what is “normal” in schools. Let us continue to discuss and work toward ending the acceptance and presence of bullying in our schools. But first we need to expand the dialogue to include the various differences and challenges facing vulnerable students within school communities. The priority for adults should be to set a better example for our children, which includes challenging school policies and attitudes that turn teachers into bullies.

Anastasia Holoboff resides in New York City but is originally from Toronto and has been involved in the disability rights community for many years both in Canada and internationally.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anastasia-holoboff/our-shared-responsibility_b_814450.html?ir=Living

HELENA – Montana’s schools superintendent, attorney general and
many others told lawmakers Monday that state standards are needed
for school bullying policies to help end a problem that afflicts
many students each year.

The proposal to protect students in public schools defines
“bullying, harassment or intimidation” as “any threatening,
insulting or demeaning” behavior, even if done after school hours
over the Internet. The issue has risen in prominence nationally
over the past year after well-publicized suicides of bullied
students.

Opponents argued the policy should not be handed down by the
state and could open up schools to lawsuits for failing to protect
students from bullying.

Supporters of Montana’s bill say it is important that the state
specify that bullying is prohibited and set standards for local
school district policies on bullying. It would guide procedures for
investigation of complaints, notifying parents and protecting
victims from further bullying.

They said bullying is different than teasing, such as by being
repetitive and done with an intent to harm.

Several young students testified that bullying is a real problem
that makes it nearly impossible to attend school and socialize.

“The thought that some children don’t feel safe at school is
something that Montanans can’t allow,” said Sen. Kim Gillan, the
Billings Democrat carrying Senate Bill 141. “This bill is not anti
anything, except it is anti-bullying.”

Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau said recent
national incidents in which students, many of them gay, killed
themselves after being bullied and harassed demonstrate the need
for such a bill.

“Montana is not immune,” she told the Senate Education
Committee. “Bullying does happen in our schools.”

Opponents said they are not in favor of bullying, just the way
the bill deals with the issue.

Several groups representing school districts and administrators
said the bill needed to be changed to avoid creating potential
legal liability problems for local districts, and they argued the
setting of such policy is better done with the Board of Education
rather than at the Legislature.

Some social conservatives also opposed the bill.

They included Tim Ravndal, who was in the news last year after
he was ousted from a tea party group’s leadership over online
anti-gay rhetoric that appeared to joke about the 1998 Wyoming
beating death of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student. He has
since helped start another tea party group.

Even though the bill does not deal with sexual orientation, the
conservatives said it will come up.

“This bill would be a weapon against any anti-homosexual
dissent,” said Harris Himes, a pastor with the Eagle Forum group.
“There is a devil in the details, a true devil.”

http://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/article_224f8354-282f-11e0-a875-001cc4c002e0.html

CHICAGO, Jan. 25, 2011—The American Bar Association will address legal policy issues ranging from cyberbullying, to urging the U.S. Sentencing Commission to assess current federal policy relative to sentences for economic crime, to urging the adoption of the Model State Code of Military Justice and Model Manual for Courts-Martial when the association’s 560-member House of Delegates meets on Feb. 14 at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis.  The association’s policymaking body will meet during its Midyear Meeting, taking place in Atlanta Feb. 9-14.

In light of recent cases in which young people who were identified as gay were bullied, teased and taunted, the association’s Commission on Youth at Risk is bringing Recommendation 107(A) to the House of Delegates.  The recommendation urges federal, state and local officials to prevent and remediate the existence and dangers of bullying, including cyberbullying.  Further, the resolution calls for Internet service providers and social networking platforms to adopt terms of service that define and prohibit cyberbullying, and urges law enforcement agencies to cooperate with the FBI’s data collection program related to hate crimes committed by and against juveniles under the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009.

Recommendation 104(C) calls for the United States Sentencing Commission to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines for high-loss economic crimes to ensure that the guidelines for such crimes are proportional to offense severity, and adequately take into consideration individual culpability in the offense.

As the role of the National Guard has expanded in response to natural disaster and global military crises, there has been an increasing need for harmonization among the applicable state and federal laws governing their operations.  Recommendation 103 seeks to promote uniformity in military discipline for guard units working together domestically, as well as their possible transition from relief mission to active combat mission overseas.  The recommendation does so by urging states and territories to adopt the Model State Code of Military Justice and the Model Manual for Courts-Martial.

Additional proposals include:

• One, 100(A), which reaffirms the principles of law school self-governance, including independence of law school clinical programs.  In recent years, state legislatures have considered bills that have sought to restrict the activities of clinics.
• A proposal, 100(B), through which the House of Delegates would concur with the association’s Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, outlining consumer information law schools must provide and information regarding the law school accreditation approval process.
• Recommendation 104(D), which urges federal, state and other governments to use electronic monitoring and home detention for juvenile offenders who are legally subject to secure detention but whose flight risk is minimal.
• A proposal, recommendation 105, urging Congress to enact legislation to permit the payment of military Survivor Benefit Plan benefits to a special needs trust for a disabled beneficiary.  The bill would allow the benefit without sacrificing the ability of the beneficiary to qualify for Medicaid benefits.
• Recommendation 107(B), urging governments to create and provide support for Youth or Teen Courts that divert youth from formal consequences of juvenile justice sanctions, by promoting community service opportunities, mentorship and civic education that builds respect for the rule of law.
• One [108(B)] that urges the implementation of policies to ensure the humane treatment and disposition of seized animals from a scene of seizure.
• Recommendation 111, supporting uniform standards for evaluating inventions relating to DNA technology.
• A proposal, 115, urging states to establish clearly articulated procedures for judicial disqualification determinations and review of denials of requests to disqualify judges.
• Recommendation 118, which encourages Congress to enact legislation to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act. Supporters of the resolution argue that this is necessary for federal regulators to have the legal authority and resources necessary to ensure a “safe, sustainable and commercially competitive chemical industry.”

These proposals will not constitute ABA policy unless adopted by the House. They are advocated by state and local bar associations, specialty legal groups within the ABA or affiliated with the association, and individual members, and reflect the broad range of issues confronting society.  Other measures may be filed for House consideration, while some on the agenda could be withdrawn or revised leading up to or during the House meeting.

During the Midyear Meeting, a press room for accredited journalists will be located at the Marriott Atlanta Marquis, International 8A, International Level. The room’s phone number will be 404-586-6355.

On-site media registration begins at 8 a.m. on Feb. 10.  Thereafter the press room will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and will close one hour after the adjournment of the House of Delegates on Feb. 14.

Online registration for news reporters is easier than ever. Credential guidelines are at http://www.abanow.org/reporter-resources/media-credentials/.

View results as they happen from the House of Delegates session on Feb. 14 on ABANow.org.

With nearly 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership organization in the world.  As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.

– 30 –

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http://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/index.ssf/2011/01/nationally_recognized_speaker.html

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CHICAGO — When people are forced to think about the issue of bullying either because of a high-profile tragedy or because some form of the practice has hit close to home several blind spots keep us from realizing its pervasiveness.

Perhaps it’s a protective mechanism so as to not overwhelm the student, parent or school administrator who is forced to deal with a topic most of us wish never to confront — or worse, have to confront again.

At a recent Chicago mayoral debate in which the audience was composed of students from the city’s public schools, the issue of bullying came up. Of the four candidates on stage — all of whom had attended a neighborhood public school — three admitted to having been bullied. But it was former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel who shocked viewers watching the debate on TV with his experiences.

Emanuel, the slight former ballet dancer who is considered by many who have dealt with him to be a take-no-prisoners bully, recalled that while attending New Trier Township High School he had been harassed with racially insensitive remarks because of his vacation-tanned skin. He also said he’d been beaten up and had his bike stolen.

Located in a tony suburb, New Trier is an academic and arts powerhouse consistently ranked among the best high schools in America — exactly the kind of place where bullies thrive.

Does that shock you? It probably does, because that’s one of the many blind spots we have to bullying.

In its list of the top 10 bullying myths, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services places the belief that bullying is mostly a problem in urban or poor schools right up there with other common misperceptions such as “most bullying is physical,” “children and youth who bully are mostly loners with few social skills,” and the old saw that bullying is just a matter of “kids being kids.”

“Bullying is predatory behavior, it’s a power struggle involving physically, socially, or emotionally harming somebody who is perceived to be weak and that happens at every socioeconomic level,” said Katherine Cowan, director of communications for the National Association of School Psychologists, a group representing the professionals that frequently address bullying issues. She chuckled when I told her that I’d heard people, including high-profile local commentators, express doubt that Emanuel would have encountered bullies in such an affluent environment. “It just so happens I went to New Trier,” she said. “Believe me, there were bullies there.”

According to a 2010 Josephson Institute of Ethics study, “The Ethics of American Youth,” half of 43,321 students surveyed in public and private high schools across the country admitted they had bullied someone in the past year. And 47 percent said they were bullied, teased or taunted in a way that seriously upset them. Thirty-three percent of these students said that violence is a big problem at their school, and 24 percent said they don’t feel very safe on campus.

“A kid can target another and use their greater power to harm the victim anywhere, in any school,” Cowan said. “I don’t think that because your child goes to an affluent school you should think they’re at lower risk for being bullied.”

Justin Lu, an assistant director at the Josephson Institute, said that in the 20 years since the organization started doing the survey, general awareness of the prevalence of bullying has grown significantly. Nationally recognized incidents in which students have committed suicide after being unable to cope with relentless intimidation have affirmed that bullying can no longer be regarded as a minor childhood trauma best left to kids to sort out on their own. There are now 45 states with laws designed to combat bullying in schools, and several have recently toughened them or proposed to do so. Countless universities and school districts are re-evaluating their policies as well.

But to really get our hands around the problem, we must first get our heads around it. Only honest assessments of the behaviors that our home, community or school environments reinforce in bullies will make the most impact. And for starters, we need to get past the blind spots to see that no school — urban, suburban, rural, private or public — and no income level offers students a respite from bullying.

estherjcepeda@washpost.com

http://www.statesman.com/opinion/cepeda-we-must-learn-to-look-beyond-our-1204956.html?cxtype=rss_opinion