Thirty percent of students are either bullies or victims of bullying, and 160,000 kids stay home from school every day because of fear of bullying, Most schools think they’re  doing enough to prevent bullying but with numbers like these what are schools doing?

Bullying has been a prominent issue in many school systems worldwide and has not been stopped in many schools, so what are teachers and staff doing to stop bullying? In today’s age, bullying has gone beyond harassment on the playground according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention “The current definition (of bullying) acknowledges two modes and four types by which youth can be bullied or can bully others”. The two modes of bullying include direct and indirect, direct is self-explanatory, but indirect means things like spreading rumors and doing things that can hurt your victim without interacting with them yourself. “The four types of bullying include categories of physical, verbal, relational, and damage to property. Bullying can happen in any number of places, contexts, or locations.” Nearly 4,400 students commit suicide every year due to bullying according to the CDC. Bullies battle internal and external conflicts they can’t handle themselves so they’ll just let their anger out on a kid they’re most likely jealous of.

Is there bullying going on at Tahoma High School? As a concerned student, I want to dig deep to find out. When interviewing Tahoma counselor Ms. Lewis this is what she had to say:

How long have you been at Tahoma?: “2 years.“

Have you experienced any cases of bullying? “Yes.”

How often? “Once a month.”

What is being done to around the school to raise awareness of bullying? “Assemblies create a good community and create a good student body.”

What is the protocol when it comes to bullying? “Zero tolerance.”

Do you think our school has low bullying cases? “[the school has a]Positive reputation when it comes to behavior.”

I sat down with a Tahoma junior to get another perspective about bullying.

Have you ever been bullied at Tahoma? “Yes.”

What happened? “Making fun of me.”

Did you report it? “No, because I didn’t want to be a snitch.”

Is the bully still at this school? “Yes.”

When did this happen? “Earlier this school year,”

How often do you get made fun of? “Not often.”

Has anyone else you know at this school been bullied? “No, not that I know of.”

Do you think Tahoma does a good job invoking good character and community through assemblies? “Yes.”

“The prevention of bullying requires constant upkeep in schools with educational programs that stress conflict resolution and respect rather than punishment”. The methods of handling bullying misconduct are outdated and don’t prevent victims from cyberbullying, as suspension or other punishments may temporarily stop bullying in schools, it does nothing in stopping the harassment on the internet. The accessibility to the internet allows for an easy way to release aggression to another user. In an article from bullyingstatistics.org “Over 80 percent of teens use a cell phone regularly, making it the most popular form of technology and a common medium for cyberbullying” and 1 out of 3 teens have received cyber threats, “It is for this reason that the measures we take to prevent bullying through education need to be all the more emphasized” said Kumaran Chanthrakumar . There are many ways to prevent cyberbullying include; Not retaliating, Saving the evidence then show it to someone who can help, block the bully, and remain civil and never sink to the bullies level. Many school districts use the “zero tolerance” policy when it comes to bullying cases.

According to The National Center of Education Statistics bullying has been on a decline, but with 22% of students reporting bullies, are we doing enough? Stopbullying.gov is a good website to go to for those who are bullied, they provide many tips and things you should do to cope with a bully. There are many programs out there to help people deal with bullying, and a lot of people who can help, if you’re getting bullied don’t be afraid to come out of your shell and tell someone who can help you. It’s better to say something now before it’s too late.