School Bullying Council

FLUSHING TOWNSHIP, Michigan — Hours after it was announced to students at Flushing High School that Jarrod Nickell had killed himself Wednesday, Jarrod’s parents started receiving Facebook messages that their son was being bullied.

View full sizeSean Work | The Flint JournalJames Nickell and Michele Nickell discuss their son Jarrod Nickell’s death at their home in Flushing Township today.

His stepmother Michele Nickell said Jarrod had complained of being bullied earlier in the school year but said she thought it had stopped.

“We had no idea this was going on,” Michele Nickell said. “He was always happy, he was laughing.”

Jarrod’s father, James, said he found his son dead Wednesday morning near a wooded area behind their house on West Mt. Morris Road.

James and Michele Nickell said that the note that Jarrod left behind said that people were causing him pain, although he didn’t specifically name anyone.

In the note, Jarrod also apologized for whoever it was that found his body and took responsibility of taking his life on his own, said the Nickells.

A police investigation determined that Jarrod, 18, died of self-inflicted injuries.

Flushing Township Police Chief Dale Stevenson said a police investigation did not indicate that
bullying was a factor in the suicide.

Stevenson said Jarrod’s family has told police that he was bullied, but said that there isn’t anything that supports their claim.

View full sizeSean Work | The Flint JournalJarrod Nickell’s senior photo displayed on a computer screen.

“If there’s something that arises that we need to follow up on, we will,” Stevenson said.

Michele Nickell said Jarrod joined the high school football team in August after moving here from Maryland, but was declared ineligible because of his grades.

Although he couldn’t play, he worked on the sidelines and wore his football jersey to school, Michele Nickell said.

Michele Nickell said a small group of football players started giving him a hard time in the fall for wearing the jersey, calling him names and even sending him a death threat.

Nickell said she stepped in, bringing it to the administration’s attention and said a meeting with all the boys was set at the school.

She said she assumed it had stopped and that Jarrod never mentioned it again after that.

Flushing Superintendent Tim Stein declined comment when asked about the specifics of Michele Nickell’s claims.

“We have always had open lines of communication with the mother,” Stein said.

Stein called the death tragic but said there isn’t any evidence that it was caused by bullying.

The school district sent out a letter to parents today saying that bullying did not lead to Jarrod’s death.

The Nickells say there is a problem with bullying in the district and other schools and say that the problem should not be ignored.

Check back to Mlive tonight for more updates.

http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2012/01/bullying_blamed_by_family_for.html

Public release date: 30-Aug-2011

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Contact: Sarah Hutcheon
shutcheon@srcd.org
202-289-7905
Society for Research in Child Development

Second and third graders who are bullied react in a variety of waysfrom discussing the problem or striking back to seeking emotional support. A new study in the journal Child Development has found that the types of goals children set in their relationships help determine how they respond to being bulliedand whether they choose responses that are effective.

The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

“Bullying has become a significant focus of media attention and public health concern,” according to Karen D. Rudolph, professor of psychology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, who led the study. “Although a primary focus of interventions is to eradicate bullying in the schools, it’s also important to help children cope with peer aggression in ways that resolve rather than exacerbate the situation.

“This research highlights the importance of educational efforts to shift children’s priorities away from focusing on being ‘popular’ or ‘cool’ and toward developing skills and relationships,” notes Rudolph. “Achieving this goal can promote constructive coping strategies, ultimately reducing bullying and lessening its long-term impact on children’s social and mental health.”

The researchers surveyed more than 370 children across the two grades as well as their teachers. Children and teachers filled out surveys on how children typically respond to classmates’ aggression. Children also reported on how often they were bullied (from mild attacks such as verbal insults and teasing to more severe bullying, including exclusion and physical assault).

In addition, the children reported on their social goals; those fell into three categories1) efforts to acquire social skills and develop high-quality relationships, like learning how to be a good friend; 2) efforts to gain positive social judgments and prestige, such as having “cool” friends; and 3) efforts to minimize negative social judgments, such as avoiding being viewed as a “loser.”

Children who worked to acquire social skills and develop solid relationships, the study found, were more likely to engage in thoughtful and constructive responses to bullying that were aimed at addressing or learning from the situation and managing their emotions. These children were less likely to become emotionally upset than their peers.

Children who sought to be cool tended to disengage from the situation by denying that it had happened or doing nothing, rather than trying to solve the problem at hand. These children were more likely to retaliate against the bullies.

And children whose goals were to avoid being seen as uncool or “losers” were more likely to ignore bullies and less likely to retaliate, perhaps in an effort to pacify the bullies and deflect attention from themselves. These children and those who sought to be cool were less effective in their responses to bullies than the children who managed their emotions and tried to learn from the situation.

“Our findings suggest that by working to develop social competence and relationships, children orient themselves toward efforts to solve problems with their peers, handle their emotions, and think positively when relationships go awry,” according to Rudolph.

The study was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and a University of Illinois Arnold O. Beckman Award.

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Bullying – Cyber Bullying, school bullying, etc. This video was necessary after yesterday’s news article about a 3rd grader bringing a gun to school to protect himself from a bully. 3rd Grader Brings Gun to School: goo.gl CyberBullying Article: goo.gl TUMBLR About Me/Equipment: wilsontech1.tumblr.com DAILY iPHONE VLOG Channel: youtube.com LIKE me on Facebook: facebook.com FOLLOW me on Twitter: twitter.com AUDIO Podcast: lifepluggedin.com OUTRO performed by Charlie Puth Music: Bas

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Bullying is rife among teens in some areas, the survey shows.
Source: Supplied

MORE than half of all teenagers in some suburbs and country areas have reported being bullied, according to a major survey of youth wellbeing.

High numbers of young people have also admitted trying alcohol, cigarettes and marijuana.

Released yesterday, the 2010 Adolescent Community Profiles gives a snapshot of youth health and social issues for each Victorian municipality.

Bullying was a big problem in Melton, with 54 per cent saying they had experienced recent incidents.

In southeastern suburbs such as Clayton and Oakleigh the figure was around 51 per cent. The City of Bayside, which includes Brighton and Sandringham, had the lowest incidence, with less than one in three reporting recent bullying.

Smoking was popular in Whittlesea, with 53 per cent of 15-17 year olds saying they had tried it.

Teenagers in Moonee Valley, Richmond and Collingwood also had high rates of having tried smoking.

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Quit Victoria executive director Fiona Sharkie said smoking rates in lower socio-economic areas were likely to be higher and children of parents who smoked were more likely to try smoking or be a smoker.

A big proportion of inner-suburban youth had tried marijuana, reaching 43 per cent in the City of Yarra.

Almost one in three 15-17-year-olds in Wodonga had also experienced the drug. More than half of 12-14-year-olds in Frankston and regional areas such as Geelong and the Central Goldfields said they had tried alcohol.

The percentage of 15-17-year-olds who had had sexual intercourse varied considerably, from around 10 per cent in Greater Dandenong to almost 40 per cent in the Geelong region.

In Latrobe City Council’s region, which includes Moe and Morwell, there was the highest rate of teenagers having babies – 28.3 babies for every 1000 people.

State Higher Education and Skills Minister Peter Hall said the profiles identified areas of strengths and weaknesses.

“They are designed to guide decision-making across government so we can more effectively set priorities and allocate resources,” he said.

The Adolescent Community Profiles include data from the Victorian Adolescent Health and Wellbeing survey of more than 10,000 students.

Netlink: education.vic.gov.au

For more on the half of Australian youth who are being bullied go to the Herald Sun.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/most-teens-bullied-study-shows/story-e6frf7l6-1226055700790

The Children studying in the schools located in Massachusetts have been facing major bullying problems. In a new study, it has been confirmed that more than one-fourth of the total middle school children and around 16% of the children in the High School are regularly bullied.

The federal report has caused major concerns for the authorities, parents and children. During the study, the health authorities in Massachusetts for the first time ever included questions regarding the problems faced by children because of bullying. The main conclusion of the study was that there are behavioral and health damages done to the child. The violence at home and constant bullying makes the child more violent and destructive.

The Governor, Deval Patrick has introduced a law. According to the law, the bullying in schools has to be reported and investigated. The schools will be required to follow strict procedures to stop the bullying in their premises.

The authorities at the schools in the Massachusetts have assured that they will make sure that the bullying in the schools is immediately stopped. They also confirmed that they will work with the government officials to invent new preventive procedures for bullying. Hopefully the changes in the law will provide the required relief from bullying for the children, parents and authorities.

http://topnews.us/content/238957-bullying-schools-causes-concern