BULLYING IN THE KATY ISD SCHOOLS:

This article was written a few years ago for the Katy Watchdog$ web site in "Mary's Corner." 

Bullying
September 7, 2005

By Mary McGarr

One of the things one can do to help his child as well as perhaps other children is to read the article printed in the Houston Chronicle on August 29, 2005 regarding bullying. It was written by January W. Payne, for the Washington Post. This is an excellent article explaining what bullying is and gives some resources for dealing with it. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/22/AR2005082201162.html

Bullying is one of those things that has always been a part of growing up, but it need not be if parents are observant. When bullying occurs, one can be the parent of the bully or the parent of the child being bullied. Both parents have a problem on their hands that needs to be addressed. Unfortunately too many adults believe that living through a bullying episode builds character. Anyone holding that opinion is not very smart.

The bully is usually a child who has not had proper parental restraints in his life. He (and girls can be bullies too) probably has not received the necessary attention that he needs, and in order to get it, he abuses, mentally or physically, someone weaker than he. The bullying probably starts with younger siblings or kids in the neighborhood. When school starts, it continues. The bully is most active in middle school/junior high, but the attitude and the actions can continue into adulthood. The child being the bully can often be overweight, lacking in intelligence, unpopular, or any number of other conditions that make the bully unlikable to others. His failure to have a sense of self-worth manifests itself in his taking out his frustrations on others.

The child who is bullied is often physically small or weak or just plain too nice. He may be a Special Education student. Any target is fair game for the bully. Acts include nasty remarks, pulling at clothes, being stuffed in a trash can, sexually explicit comments and so on. Everyone knows the routine.

If your child is being bullied, you as a parent need to stop it. Go to whatever lengths are necessary to stop it. This is one of those situations where a father, if available, needs to come to the rescue. Start with the teacher and give him one day to stop it. If that doesn’t work, go to the principal. If that doesn’t work, call one of your elected school board members, and don’t let them off the hook until they do something to help you. Go to the news media or police if you have to.

If you are the child being bullied, there is nothing in your life or your child's life that is worse. If you haven’t been there, you cannot imagine how awful it is. DO NOT let bullying happen to your child.

In the a recent session of the Texas Legislature, there was legislation passed that added to the existing law regarding bullying by students. The policy change was one of a few addressed at the July 2005 Work/Study Session of the School Board.

Assistant Superintendent Bonnie Holland noted the changes. There were a few questions from the Board members, but not one, nor did the superintendent, comment on the skewed position that the State has taken on this issue. Those of us in the audience were stunned at their inability to perceive the problem.

Apparently, in Katy ISD if a child is the subject of bullying, HE can move to another school. The logical approach to the matter would be for the BULLY to be moved to another school! Why should the bullied child and his family be the ones to have to change schools, provide transportation to that school, and disrupt their family life? The insanity of it is just mind boggling!

The bully’s family ought to have to endure the hardship of having to get the bully to a new school. If the bully continues his habits, then he should get to move again and again and again, until someone somewhere, stops him. A record of the bully’s actions needs to follow him from the minute he is first accused. One accusation can be allowed to pass if there is just one witness. If there is a record, the school will know of the past, and two accusations constitute grounds for removal.

I have to wonder about the intelligence of everyone from the legislator who created the legislation, to the legislators who voted for it, to the school boards that choose to mindlessly implement it without creating local policy that fixes it.