Jill Sharp’s bullying started in middle school and continued consistently into high school. Sharp felt that she could ignore her bullies and they would grow out of it but when years went by with no change Sharp approached her principal with a binder full of evidence in hopes that something would be done. Her principal recommended that Sharp take legal action but her home state of Montana doesn’t have any anti-bullying legislation at all. Every other state has such laws in place.
23% of Montana high school students and 38% of their middle school students report being bullied at school. Victims of bullying are at much higher risk for anxiety, depression, and substance abuse and Montana already has the third highest rate of suicide for both adults and youth in the country.
One representative recently tried to pass a bill that would make threatening or harassing messages an offense but another representative voted against it because he had been bullied in his youth but had just “coped” with it. Some feel that bullying can and should be handled on a local level because the response can then be tailored to each individual school. The Board of Public Instruction has attempted to fill the anti-bullying legislation gap by requiring that school have anti-bullying policies in order to maintain accreditation.
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Thanks for your comment! And your blog is great! Bullying is a serious issue that needs to be seriously handled. I use my blog to spread the word about bullying. Could you help me spread the word? Again, thank you for commenting. Have a great afternoon.
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