By Dennis Maloney, plaintiff attorney from Anchorage, Alaska

Reprinted from the July 2004 edition of the Alaska Municipal League Magazine

Remember the kids in your school who always seemed to be at the bottom of the pecking order? You know, the one with the thick glasses, the one whose clothes were out-of-style hand-me downs, the “geek” and the “nerd?” If you happened to be that person, you probably remember all too vividly.

While everyone agrees that physical violence is intolerable in schools, not everyone realizes how pervasive indirect bullying can be in our schools or how deeply it can scar both young children and teens. Experts tell us that when kids are ignored or excluded they can be just as devastated as if they were physically assaulted.

The term “bullying” brings to mind physical and verbal abuse, but we are less likely to think of the subtle indirect bullying that includes intentional exclusion, obscene gestures, and manipulating friendships.

In a recent survey of 15,686 public and private school students, nearly 30 percent of the children reported that they had been involved in bullying (T. Nansel et. al., “Bullying Behaviors Among US Youth: Prevalence and Association With Psychosocial Adjustment,” Journal of the American Medical Association, April 25, 2001). Furthermore, 8 percent reported bullying or being bullied at least once weekly during the current school term.

If you think that bullying is more common in high school, you may be surprised to learn that the same study revealed the frequency of bullying was higher among 6th- through 8th- grade students than among 9th- and 10th-grade students.

Bullying can have profound effects on both the bullies and their targets. Those who did the bullying were more likely to have poor grades and to smoke and drink alcohol. Bullies are four times more likely than non-bullies to be convicted of crimes by age 24 (“Bullying Affects All Our Children,” North Carolina {Parent-Teacher Bulletin, February/March 2000).

Victims of bullying were lonelier than non-victims and reported difficulty making friends. Victims lose self-esteem and become anxious and insecure. Constant self-devaluation may lead to depression and even suicide.

There are pro-active steps that adults can take to prevent bullying. School officials should have a procedure in place to deal with reports of bullying or harassment and ensure that victims who report bullying have their identities protected.

Parents and students should be informed about the school’s bullying or harassment policy. Parents need to know who to contact if they suspect their child has been bullied, as well as what action they can expect school officials to take.

Kids need to know how to handle bullies. While many schools have counselors available to students, keep in mind that victims of bullies may not be willing to seek intervention out of shame or fear of reprisals. Students can instead be educated on what bullying is, how to deal with it, and how to report it through classroom presentations or assemblies. The school must develop a reporting procedure that makes victims feel protected.

For over 20 years, research has been done on preventing bullying. Studies validate that following the implementation of a good anti-bullying program, violence is reduced in the school by 50 percent the following year. Similarly, property damage will be reduced by 50 percent. Thus, not withstanding the social or moral aspects, a school district would be wise to adopt a good anti-bullying program in order to cut costs. The savings in property damage costs alone would more than offset the costs of implementing a program.

Savings are generated not only with respect to property damage, but with respect to lawsuits, to the loss of life, and safe-guarding the self-esteem of children who are put in the trust of the school districts as well as increased time devoted to education.

Adults need to recognize signs of bullying so that immediate intervention is possible. Bullying is not just a phase kids go through and it should not be ignored. The effects are profound, lasting and sometimes, deadly.