Why Is Bullying an Important Issue?
Students learn best in an environment where they feel safe and secure one where they are treated with respect. Unfortunately, school is not a safe and secure place for a significant number of students due to repeated instances of bullying or harassment. Repetitive teasing and bullying can make school a nightmare for victims. According to the National Association of School Psychologists, more than 160,000 children skip school everyday because they feel threatened by another student (Labi 2001, online). Even more alarming is the finding of one study that “70 percent of children believe teachers handle episodes of bullying poorly” (Vail 1999, 38). Bullying: What Do We Know? Dan Olweus, a longtime researcher on bullying and the developer of one of the first anti-bullying programs, says that a student is being bullied or victimized when he or she is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other students. Negative actions can be carried out by physic
