By now you've surely heard the story of Phoebe Prince, the South Hadley, Massachusetts high school freshman who hanged herself in January after months of out-of-control bullying by other students. This week, the local district attorney brought criminal charges against these students -- nine teenagers who hounded Phoebe repeatedly with insults, threats, and physical harassment. Many people are calling this "justice" and are happy to see the legal system providing such a strong response to the problem of bullying...a problem that, as you know, exists at every school. Was it the right thing to do? Without knowing the full details of the case, we can't make a call on that. What do you think? Will it make other tweens and teens think twice about bullying someone like that?
The thing that really makes us go ugh and breaks our hearts a little is that clearly, teachers and other school staff witnessed or were aware of what was happening to Phoebe. If you take a look at our sections on Bullying and Gossip & Rumors, as well as our Advice section about Getting Picked On, you'll see that telling a trusted adult about this stuff is one of the first things a bullying victim should do. But how can we keep suggesting that when adults can keep silent like they did in South Hadley?
We will keep suggesting that. Because if one person does not listen or respond to you, you need to keep trying until somebody does. Bullying should never be ignored or lived with (or not lived with, in some tragic cases). We can only hope that the South Hadley situation is the exception and not the rule, and that in your community there is someone who will help if you need it.
We can also hope that somehow, some way, something good comes out of Phoebe's death. Maybe more anti-bullying programs in schools. Maybe more awareness by students, school staff, parents, and community members about how to deal with the issue before it gets out of hand. Or maybe even just more students reaching out to help when they see someone in trouble, unafraid to stand up to people who are doing wrong.
We have faith that as hard as it can be at times, everyone has the power to do that.
