Schools

Patch Poll: What Can be Done to Curb Bullying in School Following Iowa Teen's Suicide?

It's pretty easy to form a consensus against bullying in our schools. But where does the responsibility rest to improve the situation? With parents? With the schools? Or somewhere else?


Kids can be cruel. But how can they be stopped when they go too far, and venture into the realm of bullying?

Bullying has been in the news nationally for some time, but this soul searching about abuse at the hands of fellow students and its after-effects has intensified in Iowa over the last few weeks after the suicide of Kenneth James Weishuhn Jr. Weishuhn, 14, of Primghar, reportedly killed himself after he was harassed relentlessly by classmates, online and in person, after he revealed to his peers that he was gay.

Still, despite the fact that Weishuhn had been bullied for weeks, the administrators at South O'Brien Community Schools said they were oblivious to most of the incidents, saying that Weishuhn had not reported them. 

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So, there was a terrible tragedy, but how could it have been prevented? And how can bullying be prevented from happening to other kids in our schools who still can be helped?


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