What Do These 11-year Olds Have in Common? Suicide

15 April 2009, ABC News reported that 11-year old Carl Joseph Walker-Hover hanged himself in the family home on April 6, 2009 in Springfield, Mass. Carl had been repeatedly bullied at school and called "gay" and "faggot." 22 April 2009, Fox News reported that 11-year old Jaheem Herrera hanged himself in his bedroom closet on 16 April 2009 because he had been severely taunted by class bullies. Tragedies no parent should suffer.

Children driven to suicide because of bullying and depression, bullycide, is a major concern at all levels of education. According to a 2004 report published by Bully Police USA, a watch-dog organization whose mission is to advocate on behalf of bullied children, bullying is most severe in grades seven through nine with grades four through six next.¹ This means abusive behavior starts early in childhood and it is critical for parents, teachers and school administrators to intervene immediately. This is the time for abusive behavior to be corrected, not condoned.

A former coworker said, "Bullying is a part of growing up, they'll grow out of it." This is wrong-headed for many reasons three of which are: children who are bullied are five times more likely to become depressed than children who are not bullied², and therefore suffer psychological and emotional trauma as well as poor academic performance. This mental stress can last well into adulthood causing social and relationship problems. Secondly, some victims of bullying become bullies themselves³ or seek self-medication in the form of illegal substances and excessive alcohol use.

Lastly, "nearly 60 percent of boys classified as bullies were convicted of a crime by the age of 24."⁴ Obviously, they do not "grow out of it."

Not correcting the behavior of bullies could entrench a pattern of bad behavior and signal tacit acceptance. There are long-lasting detrimental effects for victims of bullying, the bullies and society. Early intervention is key to abating psychological and emotional trauma, poor academic performance, and criminal behavior.

Most states have anti-bullying laws but successful intervention needs to be at the school level. Schools and community officials need to have a binding anti-bullying policy. One might ask if a school has a zero tolerance policy, doesn't that cover anti-bullying? Maybe. Zero tolerance policies are binding policies whose aim is to address illegal substance and alcohol use, sexual harassment, and weapons carrying on school property. They may or may not address bullying.

An anti-bullying policy will give a concise definition of bullying and bullying tactics that are not allowed in schools; have a program/process to deal with bullying; and have the appropriate measures for non- compliance. The goal of such a policy is to prevent the self-destructive behavior and revenge motivation of victims of bullying while correcting the bad behavior of bullies. There must be earnest dialog, commitment from the community, parents, teachers and school administrators to achieve this goal.

20 April 2009 marked the 10^th anniversary of the Columbine School Massacre-suicide in Columbine, Co. No one can say if an anti-bullying policy would have prevented the tragedies. If schools have a good anti-bullying policy at the crucial grade levels seven through nine and four through six, then maybe intervention can prevent psychological and emotional trauma for victims of bullying, and be a deterrent of criminal behavior for bullies.

Sources and Work Cited

Bully Police USA, http://www.bullypolice.org/BullyPoliceUSA.pdf

2 Ibid

3 Ibid

4 Ibid

When Words Can Kill: 'That's So Gay'

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/story

Georgia Family Blames 11-Year-Old Boy's Suicide on Severe Bullying

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,517470,00.html

http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/news/Vigil_Held_for_DeKalb_Suicide_Victim_