School Bullying Council

A young Cincinnati boy, fed up with bullying by other kids for wearing leg braces and being small in stature, took the law into his own hands on Monday by bringing a BB gun to his elementary school, authorities said.

The boy, frustrated after hooligans did things like stuff him into a trash can a year ago, was charged with delinquency after police were called to the Elmwood Place Elementary School, according to this article.

The trash can incident was not reported to police, according to Sgt. Kevin Vanover.

The school’s principal called police Monday at the end of the school day after at least five children told him that they saw the boy carrying the gun.

One child said the boy had said he would shoot him if he told anyone, according to the police report.

Authorities have not released the boy’s name.

He is now in his mother’s custody awaiting a Hamilton County Juvenile Court hearing on the charge.

It’s natural to defend yourself when other people are picking on you. Obviously this child was seriously fed up, but bringing a BB gun to school isn’t the answer.

What other options should the boy have?

While many schools are under-funded, shouldn’t there be ways to keep kids from harassing each other?

Is there a way that schools might be able to help keep a child from becoming a bully?

Some state legislatures are trying to adopt anti-bullying measures.

Louisiana Rep. Patricia Smith, D-Baton Rouge decided to pull an amendment she’d authored, the 2012 Louisiana School Bullying Prevention Act from consideration during a meeting of the House Committee on Education after the committee voted 10-5 to amend the legislation.

Smith said that this would have gutted the amendment, according to this article.

If you’re curious to see if the state you live in has laws on the books regarding this harassment, check this out.

This type of cruel behavior can often be devastating to a child, especially a vulnerable teenager.

Kenneth Weishahn, 14, committed suicide Sunday, April 15th after being harassed at school, receiving threatening phone calls, voice mails and online comments.

The Iowa teenager had told his family and friends that he was gay about a month ago, according to an article in the Huffington Post.

Kenneth hid his pain behind a smile, said his mom Jeannie Chambers. He didn’t talk about it.

If you’re wondering how many kids commit suicide each year due to this cruel behavior and what to do if you suspect this is happening to your kids, this site has information you may want to know about.

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