Bully: A person who is habitually cruel or overbearing, especially to smaller or weaker people.

Bully: A person who is habitually cruel or overbearing, especially to smaller or weaker people.

Become a Follower

BECOME A FOLLOWER:
This blog is designed to help get the word out about bullying. If you or someone you know is being targeted by a bully, become a follower of my blog and share it with friends. I invite everyone to comment and share their story. Together we can stand up against bullying to let those that are hurting by its effects know that they are not alone and they are not to blame.

Special Note:

*All youth names have been changed to protect their privacy.

Contact Me

I would love to hear your stories, answer your questions, and get your feedback. If you wish to contact me, you may do so by emailing me at sistersloveblog@yahoo.com. Thank you for reading, following, and sharing my blog. Find me on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Sisters-Love-An-Inside-Look-at-Bullying/233030516730555?sk=wall

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Letter to Congress

This afternoon my phone rang and it was my grandmother. She was letting me know that there was an episode of Dr. Phil that was just starting that was tackling the topic of Cyberbullying. I flipped to it and saw it was a rerun. Since I was pretty sure I had seen it before, I floated between Dr. Phil and other shows. A little past the halfway mark of the program, Dr. Phil mentioned being able to go on to his website and finding a sample letter to send to legislation to push for them to include technology in bullying laws. The letter is printed below:

Dear Congressman:

I am writing to you to ask for your support of national legislation that will empower schools and educators in their efforts to protect students from bullying and harassment both in school, and through the use of technology. Once considered something of a rite of passage or just kids being kids, bullying is now defined by experts in the fields of mental health and criminology for what it is — an act of abuse and terrorism on our most vulnerable citizens. FBI investigations have determined that bullying has been a contributing factor in over 70 percent of all school shootings, and research has linked bullying to a host of educational concerns including everything from academic failure to depression, substance abuse, delinquency, gang proliferation, self-harm and suicide.

Bullying is often a red flag of more serious psychological problems that escalate over time. Research has determined that one-in-four students identified as pattern bullies by third grade are convicted of a violent crime before the age of twenty-six, and 98 percent of these will go on to abuse their spouse, children, and co-workers.

The good news is that there is a great deal that can be done to change this. Several states have recently passed laws to address bullying both in school, and through the use of technology. Unfortunately, the training and implementation varies greatly from state to state and district to district. Florida has recently passed The Jeffrey Johnston Stand Up for All Students Act. From the beginning, this bill was recognized as the best and most comprehensive in the nation. Jeff's Bill has the "teeth" it takes to not only empower schools to protect our children, but to get help for the thousands of children that slip through the cracks of the education system only to end up in our criminal justice system as violent offenders. Before we demand that our children meet our high standards of academic achievement, we must first ensure the most basic duty of every adult member of society. We must guarantee our children the opportunity to learn in an environment that does not threaten their physical and emotional well-being.

I ask you as my elected official to please give your full support to this legislation, and help make America's schools a safe and nurturing place to learn for ALL children.

Sincerely,

To find a list of senators in your state, please follow this link: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

I submitted the letter using the web form, but you can also print out copies encourage everyone you know to mail in a copy of the letter. All they have to do is address an envelope and sign the letter! Dr. Phil discussed flooding our nation's capitol with correspondence so please spread the word and get the letter into congress anyway you can.



Dr. Phil also has parent and faculty pledge's available to print out and have signed.


No comments:

Post a Comment