Many dissatisfied with Mass. anti-bullying law

Its difficult to put in words of how DISGUSTED (once again) at the over legislation this country is now. Nanny State. Police state. Call it whatever but it makes me depressed. See I thought people have the right of free speech. Now the govt has gone far beyond and said if someone makes your lard-assed kid sad..... its criminal. :roll: We should make a NEW state and call it Poosay.


BOSTON -- After years of legislative wrangling it took a tragedy to get a tough new anti-bullying law approved on Beacon Hill this year.
But not all are happy with the law that was passed after the suicide of 15-year-old Phoebe Prince, a South Hadley High School student bullied by classmates, made international headlines.
Some school principals say they must rewrite successful anti-bullying programs that were in effect before the Legislature passed the new law in May. Anti-bullying advocates say the law doesn't go far enough. One legal expert warns that vague language could open the door to many cases that fall short of real bullying.
Sean Varano, a criminal justice professor at Roger Williams University, says the law allows any student to file a complaint of bullying if he or she considers any kind of problem with a fellow student as emotionally harmful.
Varano said under the definition, a kindergartner telling a classmate she wouldn't be invited to his birthday party could be charged with causing emotional harm.

Read more: Many dissatisfied with Mass. anti-bullying law - Sentinel & Enterprise

Its a bull**** law, kids need to toughen up. However I also take issue with stupid ass parents who dont whack their kids.

I'll save the Mass. SJC some time:

"The statute is void for vagueness. Accordingly, the petitioner's conviction is REVERSED."

I think more should be done for serious cases of bullying, but this seems too vague to enforce.

I am conflicted... I think something should have happened to the woman that bullied Phoebe Prince.

I also don't think this is an issue of some kids not being tougher than others... How many kids on average could deal with the amount of bulling the other children put up with on a daily basis?

I wasn't a bully nor was I bullied, but I know a few people who were bullied really bad... and the schools typically did nothing and did not intervene. I think that is BS. I think the schools should step up and do something, instead of ignoring it. Sometimes this stuff can be really serious given, the fact that some kids have committed suicide over it. Who wants a kid to commit suicide... who wants to be the bully to live with that forever?

So I think it's an issue that something should be done about...

* Another daily reminded as to why I am so thankful I don't have kids and won't have to personally deal with this s**t.

Why is it the more... Gov't we have to solve problems, the worse the problems get?

When my Dad was a kid, you manned up and punched the Bully in the shnozz.

When I was a wee whelpling, we were told to talk, be nice, discuss the issue. THEN we punched said Bully in the schnozz.

Now... OMG HE SAID MEAN THINGS ABOUT ME ON FACEBOOK!!! /Wrist

THE HELLS people.

I'm conflicted with this entire issue.

I have 4 kids - my oldest two have developmental disorders and they are picked on because of this (they're 12 and 10) - from my 2nd son a telling of various events have sounded like it was the end of the world. However, from my oldest - things don't seem quite so dramatic. Though sometimes he, himself, has come home crying. . . it all depends on what it is, who said what, where and when it happened.

They've both asked to be removed from the bus route and for me to just drive them all the time. Yet when I talk to people at school they seem very supportive of my kids - active in all the situations that have happened and quick to act.

Othertimes, though - I've heard them explain situations and I end up really upset and bothered when they're not bothered at all.

What things come down to is often there's just no way of knowing *what* was said or *what* was done - and there's certainly no way of seeing the future and how things will effect your kids or punishing someone else's children.

All you can do is try to raise your children right and teach them self-sufficiency to protect their selves, remove their self from dangerous situations, encourage them to have good friends and avoid hanging out near the wrong kids. . . and so on.

But is that enough sometimes? There will always be kids who are fat, short, too tall, too skinny, or who have developmental learning and physical disorders - and there will always be some jerk other kids who focus on them and put them down to make them feel good.

So I'm conflicted on the things that should be done when it comes to these situations. I can try to deal with my children - but I can't force other people to deal with their children and raise them right.

Yet my kids will suffer for that inability of mine. . . it's infuriating and frustrating.

What if my kid's aren't telling me everything that's gone at at their schools? What if there's more that I just don't know about?
What if one day my kids decide they've had enough from *everyone* and kill their selves?

I've realized more and more lately that this is possible - especially from my oldest son - I have serious concerns for him and we've already had him in therapy.

But what's going to happen to all the kids who pick on him all the time?
Likely nothing - 1) their parents aren't aware, or 2) they don't know what to do either but would do something if they could figure our a solution - or 3) they do know and they don't give a ****.

From the responses I read from other's about "kids need to toughen up" - sadly I think the later of those 3 is highly likely. Instead of being mature parents and punishing a child who's done wrong I now see it plausible that the other parents simply turn a blind eye to said wrong behavior and actions rather than trying to stop or prevent it.

Instead of my kids having to "toughen up" and deal with everyone else's bully bull**** perhaps the other heckler children at their schools need to lay off and grow up just a tad?

*afterthought*

Right now I'm dealing with a lack of response from school-officials over $5.00 that was stolen from my oldest son on the bus just before Christmas break. . . I think nothing out of the ordinary with this - kids do stuff like this all the time, it's normal. It's what I expect to have happen in the routine course of a child's school year at some point.

However - 2 months ago my 2nd son stole $1.00 from a kid - and I immediately received a phone call.
I grounded my son and make him do extra chores to earn off the money - and promptly paid the child back.

However - I've yet to even speak *with* an individual about the bus-money issue though I'd called numerous times to discuss it with the transportation department who is suppose to deal with these situations.

So - right now my son's still out $5.00 while at the same time he brother was just put through the ringer for stealing $1.00.

I can't control what other people do to their children - but I would expect the schools to handle all situations equally when they happen, at least.

What does this, here - teach my kids?
That it's ok for another kid to steal money from them - but it's not ok for them to steal money from other kids?

Aunt Spiker said:

*afterthought*


What does this, here - teach my kids?
That it's ok for another kid to steal money from them - but it's not ok for them to steal money from other kids?

Click to expand...

Hey! Sounds like when local gov't steals MY money for things but I get nothing in return! :roll:

The matter of bullying isn't something that should be dealt with by the government, rather the responsibility of such things rests of the burden of the schools. Schools need to enforce better enforecemnt against bullying with punishments that can be proven to be effective; a specific punihsment designed for bullies whos actions are severe towards others. For example, even under the current school system a bully might recieve detention, but such a punishment is 1. non-sensical, 2. not a strong punishment, and 3. does nothing to change the mentality of the punished individual. Rather there needs to be new policies in place that punish bullies in proportion to how much they've bullies, while conditioning the bully to change their behaviors.

In regards to the idea that people should "man up": while people should at least attempt to grow some thick skin in the presence of criticism and joking insults, no one should be expected to just put up with out right harassment of any sort; school is primarily about learning and anything that infringes on a student's ability to learn while harming them emotionally should not be accepted in any way shape or form. I've witnesses before in high school, students who would make fun of those with mental disablities as though they were objects of sadistic amusement, and such actions were incredibly damaging to the well being of those individuals.