School Bullying Council

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) – 9 On Your Side has taken a stand against it for awhile now. Thousands of children are bullied every day.

But instead of doing nothing about the issue, some photographers in the East are taking a stand themselves. Dyal Photography Studio in Jacksonville is tackling the issue one snapshot at a time.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words and there’s no doubt these children have something to say. You’d never know it but they’ve all been bullied.

“Mostly they just called me names, one person said that they would run me over with a train,” said Paige Jamison.

They’re just 10, 12, and 15 years old but last year Paige, Mackenzie and Ryne were ready to give up.

“It was non-stop, I’d get on the bus, get a text, go home, get a facebook message…I turned to drugs because that’s who i was accepted with,” said Ryne Reece.

“Once, this kid said he wanted to strangle me just to watch me die. That was it. I went home. My mom could not touch me I was crying so bad and I told her I wanted to end my life,” said Mackenzie Davis.

That is until they met photographer Tricia Dyal. She was so touched by the story of a 10-year-old girl who took her own life, she knew she had to take a stand.

“My mom called me and said for me to hug my girls and tell them how powerful their words are,” said Dyal.

That’s why she designed the “Inside Out” program. Several times a month Dyal and her team connect with local schools. Teachers, parents, and other students can nominate kids who have been affected by bullying. 10 students from each school get a free photo shoot at Dyal Photography, complete with hair and makeup.

“Bullying is a lot different from when we were children. The more awareness you have, the more likely you are going to be successful at intervening,” said Leslie Seas, with Inside Out.

Ryne, Mackenzie and Paige were some of the first to get the experience.

Since the photo shoot, the kids say they have a new attitude. Words may be powerful, but a smile – that’s invincible.

If you’d like more information on the “Inside Out” program or want to nominate a school, visit: http://www.theinsideoutproject.org

http://www2.wnct.com/news/2012/sep/26/photographers-tackle-bullying-one-snapshot-time-ar-2641708/

BLOOMER, Wis. (WEAU) — It’s been almost six months since a local 12-year-old girl took her own life, shooting herself at her grandparents’ home in Rusk County.

On Sunday the girl’s mother and scores of friends and family came together to keep her memory alive and continue to fight against the bullying that they say led to her suicide.

In the mix of all the summer traditions at the Bloomer Community Parade there was something new this year, more than a dozen kids marching in solidarity to put a stop to bullying.

They were there for Payton Ruth Ann Richardson.

“I’ve created an anti-bully float with my ice race car on it that we race in Payton’s honor. Keep the word out there that we need to keep working in the stop the bullying campaign so our students are safe,” said Payton’s mom Melissa Richardson.

Richardson said it was bullying by classmates at Chetek-Weyerhaeuser Middle School that lead her daughter to take her own life back in February.

Richardson said since then she’s refused to stay silent and wants to open eyes to the bullying that’s hurting so many of our kids.

“In January I’m going to go back to the senate floor with Senator Cullen so we can try to pass that cyber bully law. I want to hand out a scholarship to a student. Can be nominated or write me a letter and tell me what you did to stand up against bullying and help your peers,” Richardson said.

Payton’s mom said the school district is starting to get involved in bully prevention after saying taunting by classmates wasn’t a factor in the suicide.

Richardson says the school will kick off the year with an anti-bullying concert partially funded by the organization set up in Payton’s memory.

While bullying has gone down since Payton’s death, her friends said there’s still a long way to go.

“And if they try to talk about it and think it’s a joke, it’s not because can hurt themselves,” said Seka Rasmussen, Payton’s cousin.

Richardson said raising awareness about bullying has helped heal some of the pain of losing a child.

“This keeps me busy. This keeps my mind focused. And it makes me feel like I still have to something to do in life. This is my drive,” Richardson said.

http://www.weau.com/news/headlines/Paytons-parade-Friends-family-raise-bullying-awareness-six-months-after-suicide-of-12-year-old-girl--165086856.html

amzn.to Hello & welcome to 77 Ways to Parent — a series of books and workbooks designed to help you find solutions to every day challenges in life. My name is Judy H. Wright aka Auntie Artichoke, I am a life educator and word with families just like yours all over the world. If you find you want more coaching and encouragement, please go to and sign up for m newsletter — The Artichoke — Finding the heart of the story in the journey of life. This book is Text Bullyi

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The filmmakers and studio behind the documentary “Bully” are fighting back against a rating that they say will keep away the young moviegoers who need to see it the most.

Directed by Lee Hirsch, the film focuses on five young victims of bullying as a snapshot of the ordeals faced by more than 13 million American kids this year alone, according to U.S. Department of Education estimates.

Originally meant as a wakeup call to American middle school and high school students and their families, the movie’s reach is jeopardized by the MPAA’s decision to give the film an R rating, closing the multiplex doors to younger audiences.

To attend an R-rated film, those under 17 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

The rating was imposed over six F-bombs that are uttered during a bullying incident that was caught on film by the director.

“The intention of the film in its original version is to be viewed by audiences of all appropriate ages,” Stephen Bruno, president of marketing, told The News. “What we have found is that when kids see the movie, their reaction seems to be — there are documented cases of this — they say, ‘I stood up to a bully’ or ‘I intervened in a bullying situation where I wouldn’t have done before.’ ”

Bruno says the studio is weighing its options, even as the film’s New York opening of March 30 is getting uncomfortably close. The National Association of Theater Owners has already warned the Weinstein Co. that if they choose to release the film without a rating, “Bully” will be treated as an NC-17 film, completely shutting out viewers under the age of 17.

There’s been one side effect, though, of all the controversy: free publicity.

Harvey Weinstein himself has called on celebrities like Lady Gaga to put pressure on the MPAA to reverse its decision — though the studio got a second strike in a Feb. 23 appeals hearing.

Inspired by the film, a 17-year-old Michigan high school student delivered an online petition of 225,000 signatures to the MPAA’s Los Angeles headquarters Wednesday.

That same day, Katy Butler got a national stage to make her case on Ellen DeGeneres‘ show.

“After seeing it, I can tell you that the lessons that the kids learn from this movie are more important than any words that they might hear,” DeGeneres said on her show. “And they are words they already know, anyway.”

“For us, it’s just been this amazing ‘grass-roots miracle’ attention, as Lee Hirsch has said, around the film,” says Bruno. “The attention is welcome. Brings to light a very important issue.”

Eric Mohat

CLEVELAND, Ohio — A federal judge has thrown out one of two bullying lawsuits involving student suicides at Mentor High School.

U.S. District Judge Donald Nugent dismissed a lawsuit brought against school officials by the parents of Eric Mohat, 17, who shot himself in 2007 after enduring what his parents described as months of harassment by classmates.

But Nugent continues to preside over a second case filed last year by the parents of Sladjana Vidovic, 16, a Mentor High student who hung herself in 2008. Sladjana’s parents contend their daughter was persistently tormented by classmates.

Attorney Kenneth Myers filed both cases in federal court, asserting violations of the parents’ 14th Amendment right to “the companionship, care, custody and management of their child, including the right to control his education.”

But Myers said the cases involve different legal issues and Nugent’s decision to dismiss the Mohat case shouldn’t have an impact on the Vidovic case.

In the Mohat case, Myers was unable to provide evidence that school officials had been made aware of the bullying that was going on, he said. But not so in the Vidovic

case.

“In the Vidovic case, we have a lot more evidence that the parents had repeatedly complained about the bullying to the school,” Myers said. “And the suicides occurred a year apart, so the school district was on notice as a result of Eric’s death.”

Myers said he plans to meet with Eric’s parents, Bill and Janis, to discuss whether they want to refile the case in Lake County Common Pleas Court, or to appeal Nugent’s ruling.

In a prepared statement, the school district said: “This decision will not end our ongoing commitment to train our staff and students with anti-bullying and mental health education initiatives. Our deepest sympathy remains with the Mohat family grieving the loss of their son.”

The Mohats’ lawsuit accused the Mentor School District and school officials of failing to intercede on behalf of Eric against the bullies, and that this failure contributed to his decision to commit suicide.

But Nugent wrote in his order that the school had no constitutional duty to protect Eric from harm, nor could it have prevented his suicide.

“Consequently, however tragic and unfair this may seem,” Nugent wrote, the Mohats “have not established that the school’s failure to stop the bullying Eric suffered, or its failure to prevent his ultimate suicide,” was a constitutional violation.

Although the Mohats lost their lawsuit, they succeeded in making school officials aware of bullying problems at the high school, Myers said.

“One of their main goals was to bring this to people’s attention, and they certainly did that,” Myers said. “Their other goal was to hold people accountable for their failure to act. That, to some extent, is being done through the Vidovic case.”

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: jmccarty@plaind.com, 216-999-4153

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/06/federal_judge_throws_out_one_m.html

Palmer – Staff photo by Michael S. Gordon – Palmer High School guidance counselor Frederick G. Dileone, right, and students who worked on anti-bullying video from left: Nicole C. Prosperi, Troy R. Remillard, Grant E. Farr, Joseph H. Roberts and Lily G. Ghrear.

PALMER – “If it’s mean, intervene.”

That’s the title and the key message of the latest anti-bullying video produced by a group from Palmer High School’s “Students as Technology Leaders” class with help from guidance counselor Frederick C. Dileone.

With more than 100 hits so far on YouTube, the students hope their message continues to spread, and that their video will encourage other teens to take a stand against bullying.

“The more people that see this, the better,” said sophomore Joseph H. Roberts.

Sophomore Grant E. Farr, freshmen Lily G. Ghrear and Troy R. Remillard, and junior Nicole Prosperi also worked on the three-month project, using a Flip video and still cameras to film life at Palmer High. Troy and Nicole were the actors in the 4-minute video, enduring staged “bullying” by their peers.

Acting was something new for Troy, but not Nicole, who is active in drama. The scenes depict what a bullying victim could experience – a garbage-filled locker, isolation in the cafeteria, hair pulling, a nasty text message, being thrown up against a wall.

The students said it was time consuming to piece together the footage, but Dileone said Joseph, who also was involved in last year’s video, “Bullying is a Worldwide Problem,” proved to be indispensable with his computer skills.

Word about the video is spreading in the Palmer High community, and Dileone hopes it will be shown to students in seventh- through ninth- grades. The younger grades typically have the most problems with bullying, he said, although the students agreed that they don’t think Palmer has as many issues with bullying as other school districts.

The district started the anti-bullying initiative before the death of Phoebe Prince in South Hadley. The freshman from Ireland hanged herself last year after intense bullying by a group of students, who were charged in connection with tormenting her. Their cases were resolved last week in court proceedings in Hampshire County.

Dileone said the Palmer High videos are part of superintendent Gerald A. Fournier’s commitment to anti-bullying efforts in the district. These efforts helped the district receive a grant for security cameras at the high school. They should be in place for next school year.

The first video highlighted the back stairwell, with ominous shots of it, where bullying was said to occur by the students. That will be one of the places the security cameras will be installed.

While the first video focused on the definitions of bullying, this video focused on the responsibility of the bystander, Dileone said. “We tried a different approach,” he said.

Lily said working on the project was a lot of fun, and that she learned a lot in the process. Dileone said they used statistics from the 2009 I-Safe Foundation about bullying, such as: 20 percent have been made fun of, 6 percent were threatened with violence, 4 percent had items stolen, 160,000 students miss school daily because of bullying, and 18 percent have had rumors spread about them.

The statistics are interspersed with scenes from Palmer High – Nicole cornered in the rest room, Troy being threatened with a volleyball.

The eighth-grade poster contest winners also were highlighted in the video. They included: Marilyn Mahan’s “No bulls, just peas!,” showing peas in a peace sign; Julia Waite’s “Why bully when you can be friends” showing a handshake; and Larissa Giard’s “Bullies are animals,” depicting a bull. They all received amazon.com gift certificates.

Viewers are told who they can turn to if they are being bullied – friends, teachers, staff, parents, guidance counselors, nurses.

And, it ends with the message: “How can you help someone today? Don’t be a bystander, intervene.”

Said Dileone, “It may not be seen by some students as a popular role to assume when responding to bullying, but Palmer High School is committed to changing that thought process.”

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2011/05/palmer_high_school_students_cr.html

CLEVELAND — About 400 Cleveland high school students argued the fictional case of a bullied student in this year’s ‘Mock Trial’ competition at the Justice Center Friday.

It’s the 15th year for the competition, and this time students from 11 high schools in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District were taking part.

They argued a case involving a bullied student who brought a weapon to school for self-defense. The theme was developed by Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Lauren C. Moore.

She talked to the students about one of the most important issues in their lives and at their schools.

“It is bullying. It is insensitivity. It is incivility to each other and we’ve got to stop it,” the judge said.

At the mock trial, teams from the various schools debated whether a fictional student who had been bullied should be convicted of bringing a knife to school to defend himself, should the bully attack him again.

Several Cleveland Municipal Court judges judged the competition, as did Jan Mohat, the mother of a 17-year-old Mentor High School student who took his own life in 2007 after being constantly bullied.

“He was so abused that, on the day he killed himself,” Jan Mohat told the students, ”the bully went up to him and said, ‘Eric why don’t you go home and shoot yourself, it’s not like anyone would care.’ And he did. And his sister found him.”

The students listened in silence to Mohat’s description of the abuse her son endured day after day before he ended his own life.

“People that bully, they need to look inside themselves and see what they are doing is wrong,” said John Hay High School sophomore Autumn Jefferson. ”That’s just a terrible thing to do.”

Glenville High School tenth grader Desmond Barrett agreed. He admitted to having been bullied since the fifth grade.

Barrett, who acted as an assistant prosecutor on one of the student teams at the competition, told WKYC, “I’m not going to lie to you. You try to deal with it, you try to shove it off, but you can’t. It’s a problem and you can face it sometimes, but sometimes you can’t.”

Barrett thoughtfully reflected on the story of Eric Mohat.

“That’s very sad and I don’t know how anybody could do through anything like that,” he said softly. “And I don’t think anybody should ever be bullied at any time in their life. My heart goes out to his famiy.”

The students who took part in the mock trial also signed an Anti-Bullying Pledge that encourages them, among other things, to report bullying immediately any time they see it.

Winners of the trial competition for 2011 were members of team Alpha, from the Cleveland School of the Arts.

WKYC-TV

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