Tbenton, I wish there were more parents like you. Unfortunately, too many children are being raised in front of the t.v. with no guidance. Education starts at home, it's not the school's responsibility to raise our children. Such a tragic story, my heart goes out to the family for the loss of their beloved son.

good luck with school and all. I am 50 and this year I will finally get my BS in Nursing. You can do it. Also , I agree with you, maybe it is when we were bought up. We used to "bully" kids but nothing like today. I know that if someones mother heard it our mom's were called and told about it, and they actually would confront us and let us know in no uncertain terms this was not going to be tolerated. The lack of parental input is having an effect on children, and also the video games are making painful images and violence common, and desired. Children grow up without sensitivity toward others. I also have to point out that it is difficult to be working parents which we mostly are, time is limited and we may all want to spend some time talking to our children tonight so we can really know how they feel and what is going on in thier lives. I know I will.

Sometimes the teachers report the incidents of bullying to the administrators. The administrators usually don't do very much, because they think that bullying is just something that eventually will go away when the children grow older. Also, some of them know that doing something would involve having to call the parent of the bully, which usually will be a bully too.

It took the incident at Columbine High School to actually recognize the problem of bullying. There is a lot of bullying still going on that goes unreported because the lazines of the administrators in the schools.

How many children have to die because of bullying before something is done. If this was done in the work place, the bully would be written up and possibly fired. The schools need to have a person/dept where kids can report bulling and action taken. I am not advocating immediate suspension, but a place where the school, families, and the kids can resolve the issue. Only when it continues does there need to be more drastic measures. This problem is just if not more important than sex education, proper nutrition, sports,and grades. After all kids are dying because of it. When will it stop!

If anyone has children that are bullying other kids, then you are a failure as a parent. Why doesn't anyone stand up for the weak anymore? I'm tired of reading and hearing about these stories, and then nothing is done about it. Is it so hard to leave someone alone? It takes a lot of effort and energy to bully someone, and yet zero effort to leave them the f*ck alone.

It all comes down to parenting, which it seems very few people tend to take seriously nowadays. I am only in my late thirties, but even I have been around long enough to have seen the way people have devolved in this country. It is sad. Please learn some compassion for others.

Sigh, another instance of someone who could have improved society being dragged down by people sure to be a detriment to it.

there are millions and millions of kids that handle it very well and probably makes them stronger and wiser.

There are also millions and millions who are scarred for life. It's great if parents can teach their kids how to handle bullying, but it'd be even better if parents teach their kids that bullying is wrong and won't be tolerated.

i still cant comprehend why we tolerate bullying of ANY KIND?

throw the kids out of school who bully.

kids go to school to learn.

not to be harrassed, or to practice their azzhole skills

Bill - what a fine christian specimen you are.

if you arent christian (or religous at all, as I am not) - just try being a better human.

good luck.

I so agree with you Tbenton, So true

How can you have the gall to make light of such a tragedy? You're not funny. Probably a bully yourself! Terrible thing to say in light of this child's death.

If the bullying issue that has become an epidemic here in the US is to finally be settled, we need both the bullies and their parents/guardians charged, with very long sentences for the adults, plus laws that make it easier to allow the victims (or their families, as in the cases of where these children have been pushed to suicide) to sue the parents of the bullies. Only when the adults see that they will be punished, severely with both mandatory jail sentences and monetarily, will they finally do something to reign in their kids. Common sense says it should never have come to this, but it happens all the time, and parents are doing nothing. Make them risk punishment and they will keep better control over their kids (something they should have been doing all along!)

Also schools that fail to properly protect children from bullying should be held accountable along with teachers and administrators. If they turn a blind eye, then they also need to be forced to look again. Many children, with such things as after school programs and sports, spend up to eight hours a day under their care, so if the bullying happens there, they are responsible. Time to make them own up to the fact that they have an obligation to every child, and actually do something when these things occur before a child, who has hormones kicking in and, as the boy in this story, emotional issues as he lost his Father at a young age. These children do not have fully formed brains until their early twenties, and to expect them to deal with such viscous attacks, be they physical, emotional, psychological or a combination of any or all, shows a lack of understanding child/teen physiology and emotional growth. Educators, Nurses and school counselors should certainly know better, as should any parent out there.

However, the sad truth is that even in a day where parent's bully "rivals" of their children via Facebook accounts to the point that the child kills herself, and all the adult got was a slap on the wrist, to expect our legislators to actually do something about it seem doomed from the start. There was an article yesterday about how a "Church" had a four year old boy sing a song during service about how "Homos will be going to Hell", so does anyone think that any legislator with an R after his/her name will do something about bullying, risking the wrath of extremists that now make up their party? Hell no, nor will any Democrats who need cross-over voters to win. So I have little hope anything will be done, even as more children die. This is what the US has become, and it is shameful and sad.

Tbenton: not allowing video games and severely restricting TV has nothing to do with your child's behavior. I do just fine and am a polite individual and guess what? I was allowed to play video games AND watch TV after I finished my homework. Just keeping simple usage rules around the technology is enough. Also to the poster saying video games are why kids are violent, try again. I did my senior thesis on the topic and I'd say 3 out of 5 of the studies always concluded that the video games did nothing to "desensitize" a child to violence. Once again it comes down to the parent knowing their child, though. You have to remember to tell the child child that the games (and even movies/TV shows) are fictional and not the real world. Teach them the difference between virtual and real if they don't already get it themselves.

On to the actual bullying topic, I was bullied all throughout grade school. Going to the teachers and principal netted me absolutely nothing. What I did do that drove the bullies nuts was make fun of myself just as bad as they would try to make fun of me or to deflect back saying they must have some sort of insecurity. As soon as they saw i would laugh at their attempts, they saw their struggle for a fake dominance was failing and left me alone. That is wrong, however. No one should have to do that simply to be left alone and not bullied.

RIP Joel Morales

IRESPOND-2315268 ---

Wrong you are...In NJ there is a new law -- HIB (harassment, intimidation, bullying) ANY incident of HIB in school, out of school, facebook etc MUST be reported and dealt with!!! Yes, bullying is a real issue and real problem, AND it IS being dealt with quickly, and if need be, severely!

Vinegaroon

You have no idea the effect bullying has on the psyche. I was bullied and I am emotionally scarred from it, and I only endured it for a couple of years. On top of that, I had two parents, one of which pushed me to be strong and stand up for myself. I have recovered but not a 100% and I'm in my late 30s.

My mother also made sure that we treated others with respect and stood up for those who couldn't stand up for themselves. She made it clear that bullying other kids and making fun of them was totally unacceptable.

And these days kids can't escape from bullying - it's online, through facebook and email, instant messaging. It's that pervasiveness of the bullying that pushes these kids over the edge.

Vinegaroon, you called that kid stupid for his suicide but he was clearly extremely intelligent and was part of the reason he was bullied. Not having a dad, and being sensitive, those kids cruelly pushed him over the edge.

What kind of POS makes fun of somebody because their father died when they were young? Those kids' parents should be held accountable for not teaching them how to treat others respectfully.

It is horrible that people taunt others. Those that do should be held accountable for their actions. Too many people are morally bankrupt, and that is not good for a nation. While we might laugh at the past, the values in stilled then are lost on today's people and are sorely missed. Northeast Wisconsin brought out such values in me too, TBENTON, and I am thankful that I passed those onto my children as well. My youngest may be bullied for his differences (ASD), but I will be there to support him and stop the nonsense of others with him. Remember - if kids are too quite, something is wrong.

Rayko

the big difference is you hear more about it now. I'm sure it happened back then but there was a stigma attached to your kid committing suicide so nobody talked about it. the other difference is how pervasive the bullying is. When I was a kid you could go home and escape it, but not with today's technology.

I was bullied as a kid and believe me, I thought about suicide. But I had a strong mother who built me up and taught me to stand up for myself. I am a normal functioning adult but there have been situations that take me back to the time I was bullied and I have a hard time handling it. I usually have to leave the room and go recover in the washroom.

Most people aren't aware that I have this issue and the fact is I will be dealing with the emotiional problems that came from bullying for the rest of my life.

I think we shelter our kids now from the truth that death is forever. That hanging yourself takes up to 15 minutes to die, that once you jump you can't change your mind. Telling someone you need help is far better than hurting the ones who love you. They didn't do anything wrong! Why hurt them? The bullies won't care....but your mother and family will never get over it. There is never a good reason to kill yourself.

I think bullying today is a much bigger problem because there are way more kids raising themselves. When I was a kid there was bullying, but it never was anything as seriously ugly as I hear about now and parents got involved then. I just really don't understand why people have children when they don't want to be bothered to care for them. Children do NOT naturally learn the difference between right and wrong. We are not animals with inherited memories. We have to be taught these things. I definitely agree with many of the posters above, parents need to be held more accountable for the behavior of their children.

Bill Billington, when you get bullied or someone you love gets bullied, we'll see how you feel. I don't harp on or focus on the bullying I experienced I get on with my life. But I do sometimes come across a situation that puts me back there emotionally and I have to deal with it.

And stories like this, and the lack of empathy for the victim make me angry. That's why kids are getting meaner and nastier and the bullying is getting worse. Because of people like you who think it's "no big deal".

Put yourself in the child's situation, being introverted I can attest to feelings being deeply rooted but also being deeply withheld. A twelve year old has enough to comprehend and live for let alone trying to protect the ideals that he was taught to live with and being belittled and ridiculed for doing so. Damn the agressors that brought this situation on and may GOD provde the peace and serenity to the child that he was not allowed to have. I was bullied when I was young, had no where to turn and kept my feelings deeply inside. I tolerated the situation but was able to stand up for the cause. It didn't really make me a better person for it, it just acknowledged the fact that idiots are prevalent in a society that likes to teach principles, but does not defend them nor truly protect them when they should.

TBenton, at 7 years old no video games probably isn't a bad idea, but I would reconsider banning video games in general for his whole life. I played video games a responsible amount growing up and I also spent plenty of time outside, playing video games alone does not result in no desire to go outside or anything of the sort.

Granted I am not saying you should just give him an xbox and forget about him like some parents do, I do feel it is bad that many kids these days get home from school and spend the whole night playing video games with their friends over the internet, talking on headsets. At least when I played video games with my friends they came over to my house and we sat on the couch playing, and eventually would go outside and kick a ball around or something active. I am now an adult married with a full time job, but I still try to enjoy a couple of good video games a year, it is a fun hobby, and I think handled responsibly won't negatively effect your kid.

Anyway, not telling you how to run your life, I am glad to hear there are some parents taking reponsibility for their kids in this day and age. I just want you to know that there are people who played video games growing up who don't live in their parent's basement huffing glue and avoiding human contact at 30 years old.

This is very sad. School officials should also be held accountable for this. There is no way they didn't know what was going on. I am the parent of three kids in elementary school and they know everything that happens. We have some issues in the sixth grade with bullying and acting out. I suggested we have a parent meeting so we could all get on the same page. People act differently when they get looked in the eye by other parents. Everyone needs to know that they will be held accountable: parents, teachers, students. Parents had better get their crap together and start putting a stop to this behavior. It doesn't matter if the TV is raising the kids or not. Right is Right and Wrong is Wrong!!! Take away the cell phones and toys. Stop paying the car payments or insurance. Take the keys. Do what you have to do to get through to bullying kids. If you don't think your kid is bully, ask around. People will let you know. Don't burry your head in the sand. You're not a bad parent if your kid is a bully. You are a bad parent if you know it and don't do something about it.

Families need to sit down an discuss this problem. Bullies don't care if you kill yourself unless charges are filed and they probably won't be. Kids need to be told the family would be heart broken and never get over losing them. Never is forever. Talk to your kids, tell them they can never be replaced and they can not change their minds once they do this! I lost a friend when I was 16 who was just playing with a gun and showing off. I was so grief stricken as his friend but watching his parents and grandparents at the funeral was the saddest thing I have ever seen in my life. I really thought his mother was going to collapse at the grave site. I spoke with her last year and it's been 46 years. She thanked me again for being his friend as she wiped away tears...46 years and the grief is still fresh. Who would want that for the people who love them? Tell kids what sucide really is! Hurting those who love you the most.

Check out his background, fine the parents a few thousand dollars or community service if they have no money. Then punish the child. Too many crimes get unpunished in our country, so its a free for all!

This is a horrible tragedy, my prayers go out to the family of this young boy. I know that there are many parents out there that shouldn't be but, to automatically blame the parents and bring charges against them is wrong. There are many parents who raise their kids right but, the kids make their own choices and sometimes there the wrong choices. This would need to be dealt with on a case by case basis.

Also this story had nothing to do with politics or religion, its a tragedy so quit using it to get on your soap boxes.

Monkeynucleosis ACTUALLY read what Tbenton said. They said they don't want their kids watching tv, playing games, ect because they want their child to actually have a life (which many, MANY children lack these days BECAUSE of video games/tv, the point they were trying to prove since you didn't get it) instead of let those things take it over instead. Never did they say it creates violence. Thanks for your attempt at having 2 cents though. And gold star for you that you got to play after you finished your homework, had a senior thesis, and that you were bullied and new how to handle it. Anything else you want to share with the class?

Bullying needs to be addressed but more than that, the administration needs to be held accountable too. This year my son was assaulted at his school and when he went to the vice principal who watched the entire incident on video tape, The only thing he did was send my son back to class where there was neither a teacher or subsitute looking after those kids in the gym. He sent my son back to that bully that had just put my son into a head lock, lifted him off the ground and then thrown him to the ground like dirt. The vice principle didn't call me, didn't get the school nurse to check out my son, he didn't even report it to the SRO on duty at the school. This kind of behaviour is terrible to say the least. I filed an assault charge and pulled my son out of that school but nothing was done to that vice principle so it will just continue happening there. That was not the first incident there either. He was stabbed a few weeks prior to that, where i had to rush him to the emergency room, again the vice principle did not report this to the SRO or to the principle. He was going to take care of things himself. But I called the county police in and had them file an assault charge. What I would like to see is this people like him should be punished for what they are doing, fired from their jobs but their unions have their backs and they know it so they have nothing to worry about . This is continue as long as they know that there are no consequences to their actions. It should start with punishing them...

There is a big difference between allowing your children to play games and having your children occupy themselves with games while you are occupied with other things. My four children have computers, play video games, and love watching movies. However, I have taught them what it means to truly damage another person's ego and how wrong it is to make others feel unimportant in this world. My son actually got into trouble at school for beating up a school bullying that was hitting another kid. The bully... got nothing.

The problem isn't just absent parents. The school system and the government are basically condoning the activities of these bullies by not stepping in and punishing them. Suspensions, arrests, etc. Should all be done. Look at the kids in the Phoebe Prince case. They were arrested, indicted, and sentenced. Mind you I don't think any of them received actual jail time, but I guarantee they will think twice before calling someone else an "Irish Whore". Let's teach these children they are not running this country yet. Instead of coddling them and saying "children will be children", Let's TEACH them these acts are WRONG! Talk to your local governmental officials. Everyone wants to complain about it.. DO SOMETHING!!!!

Tbenton...Video games and TV do NOT create bullies. Bad (or lack of) parenting does. My son was bullied for almost his entire 5th grade year for his age (2 full years younger than the average 5th grader because of the popularity of holding kids back for sports), his very small size (4'1" and 58lbs current;y, and he's headded to sixth grade). Insead of bringing his two best friends rock climbing for HIS birthday, he invited another kid (who was geting bullied it turns out WORSE than my son because of his family economics) to come. My son's reason for inviting the other kid? "Mom, he can't come on our fifth grade trip because his dad doesn't have the money, and I want him to be able to do something special". I have never been more proud.

A child is the direct product of it's enviornment. A bully is not born. It's created by the parents. Harsh, but true. Blaming it on TV or Video games is just a way to displace the blame from where it should be.

flbikerchick, #1.10............Amen

The parents of bullies, along with school officials who know what's going on and do nothing, are both culpable. Our kids MUST attend school, it's compulsory. So they attend and then are bullied day in and day out and not a single adult there will help them? I, and many parents I know, have been on the administration merry go round of BS, "Kids will be kids", and "I KNOW that family, they wouldn't tolerate that behavior!" Meanwhile, kids are terrorized day in and day out. As an adult in a job, you have a choice to find a new job if you have a jerk of a boss or terrible co-workers. What options do kids have, especially if you live in a small town and there are no other schools in a 20 mile radius??

Every single administrator in the above school that had any line of authority who knew and could've protected this child needs to be fired. Then go after the parents of the bullies. Hit them where it will count, in their wallets.

bullying is a real issue and real problem, AND it IS being dealt with quickly, and if need be, severely!

The first part, I totally agree with, the second, not so much. If it were true, this kid wouldn't be dead, and another worthless bully would be getting what's coming to him.

Heck, the guy who web-cammed his roommate's sex life only got 30 DAYS!

Bullying is tolerated, it is NOT treated as assault, which it should be! Schools are no better than the Catholic Church, which turns a blind eye to pedophilia. Go along to get along, right?

Bob, while we all find Bill to be repugnant, don't death wish him please, rise above it, my friend.

What kind of crappy people are raising these nasty little creeps who bully people to death. Parents, you are to blame. I have raised three children and all three of my children would come to the rescue of the bullied child because that is how I raised them. Jerks raising jerks. That's what it is.

VIBEGAROON- millions of kids are dealing with bullying, but not as well as you think. Kids and teens internalize. How much did you and I tell OUR parents? Everything? Hell NO. My wife and I own and operate apartments, and especially during the summer we see all the youth-on-youth interaction. Bullying HAS gotten worse. You are right, there have always been bullies. In our day they picked on the weaker kids, maybe shoved the school nerd in to the girls bathroom, or even gone so far as a slap in the back of the head. Todays kids can be down right VICIOUS. They learn to be like this at home, and through television and media. Even parents who want to deal with their bullying kids (the aggressors) feel their hands are tied. Many forms of punishment are illegal now, and the average parent, not fully versed in law, thinks even a swat on the rear is illegal. IT IS NOT. Todays American youth are being raised in a more competitive world and at this age don't know how to be properly competitive. They are being raised with few rules and absolutely no knowledge of consequences. When I see a child being bullied I act, and perhaps I am wrong. Perhaps it's none of my business. I can not help myself, I have always rooted for the under dog (a habit developed from being a life long Boston Red Sox fan). I have, on several occasions, grabbed young bullies by the collar and dragged them home to their "parents", and the adults reactions we appalling. I thank GOD I raised my girls with boundaries. This can only stop when parents start being PARENTS again and teaching their kids instead of trying to be their best buddies.

PARENTS! YOU ARE NOT THEIR TO BE YOUR CHILDS FRIEND! YOU ARE THEIR TO BE A PARENT!

My heart goes out to this poor mother who will spend the rest of her life wondering what she could have done. According the the article she raised a kind and very intelligent young man. YOU did it right, Ma'me. Just remember him for who he was.

tizzy327: Maybe if you actually read what I posted you would have caught that I said another poster brought in the violence discussion. And you must have missed the point where it's possible to enjoy those things and still have a life. In high school and college, groups of friends get together and play games and throw LAN parties. Also, they can play together online if that feature and internet connection is available. You just seem to me to be in the anti-tech camp and wanted to just mock me for being in the opposite one.

Also, did I ask for any sympathy/praise for being/getting over being bullied? I don't think so. Just saying I understand the bullying situation. I was one of the "nerds" for my interest in electronics. There shared enough for you?

Thank you for your attempt at saying nothing helpful. Also, I just said where I got my information and opinion from so I don't care about you're little gold star comment. Feel the need to immaturely passive-aggressively attack my comment? that's 2 demerits. Also, it's "knew"; check your spelling before giving out gold stars.

Cameras are needed in all areas of all schools with microphones for the audio. Any kid who tries to bully should be suspended on the first offense and expelled on the second. Let the bully ride the short bus until he learns to behave in a civil manner. This is not just about what happens in school, it includes what a lack of discipline precipitates later in life. Our schools are a disaster and getting worse. Kids need to learn to think for themselves and know how to behave starting in pre-school. Given the massive need for day care, every child should start school at 2 and begin the process of becoming thinking and caring person. Granted that it will take extraordinary teachers and be expensive, so tax professional sports to pay for it.

My heart breaks everytime I read an article like this. How helpless and angry the parents must feel when all their efforts to intervene and to have school administrators intervene fall by the wayside. I realize pretty much every kid who ever walked a school hallway experienced some sort of bullying in his/her young life. I was bullied because of my religion, or at least it was the primary reason; an issue over which I had no control at the time. Most days it made me I physically ill and you better know that impacted my ability to focus and do my very best on many days. The good news is that I had an advocate; another girl my same age who was taller and stronger and, for whatever reason, she always stood up for me and took on the bullies. We weren't "friends", necessarily. She just looked out for me out of the kindness of her good heart, I would surmise. Yes, most children experience bullying in their lives, but that neither makes it right nor acceptable that ANYONE would stand idly by and just let it happen. I thank God for my Everyday Angel who stood up for me on the playground and in the classroom if and when necessary. She was there beside me where no parent and no teacher dared to tread. R.I.P. Precious Child of God. You are safe now and one fine day you'll be united with your loving family. God bless the Morales family and may He grant you the peace that surpasses all understanding when there simply is no understanding to be had.

SoftDude,

Really? Cameras and microphones? So they will be okay when they are adults to have cameras and microphones on them at all times because that is what they are used to? Lets be careful what lines we cross.

@tizzy327

Way to be a classless d*ck. On a story about bullying you come on the comments and bring nothing to the table but to criticize and bully someone who was just trying to give his thoughts on the conversation. I hope you don't have kids because they learn from watching their parents and a kid watching you making fun of someone because you don't agree with them is probably going to be one of the kids that grow up bullying other kids.

bullying should be considered felony assault and treated very seriously. It needs to be treated very seriously starting in elementary school, and if by High School kids are still bullying in any way shape or form just throw their dumb azzes in jail and expel them from school. Seriously there is no reason it needs to be tolerated at all, despite "human nature". We need to take a harsher stance so that in the eyes of future generations, bullying will be 100% akin to physical assault.

JAYDEEKAY

If you think your actions are not being recorded now, you must not get out a lot. Virtually every store in which you shop, every form of public conveyance and every urban open area is subject to camera surveillance. It's unfortunate but true.

Speaking of getting out, I believe that social hibernation has a great deal to do with bullying tactics. Those who spend their formative years in their bedrooms, wired to games and to their computers, have no opportunity to develop social skills, and begin to believe that their limited universe is all there is. Intruders are to be repulsed and those whose views differ from our own are to be vilified, oftentimes in violent language. You can see the evidence for it in threads like this one, where, in the safety of anonymity, we're free to recommend sadistic punishments for those who offend us and otherwise express ourselves in ways that we wouldn't dare to do in social situations.

Outstanding, RTSOB! You nailed it. Thank you!

Bogy Registrar,

I know this is a very emotional subject but, lets think rationally here. Throw kids in jail for what they say? Where do you draw the line? So if a kid tells another kid he is ugly then that would be bullying and he would get jail time? And who determines what speech is OK and what would get you thrown in jail?

There is still freedom of speech in this country. However nasty some of it can be.

We are on a very slippery slope with this kind of thinking.

I agree, parents of the bullies should be held responsible. We work really hard to teach our kids to be respectful, to not join in when kids are taunting others, and if they can, stand up for the one being taunted. I'm pleased to say, my son has done this a couple of times, and even stood up for a "friend" who more recently has become my son's bully. When my son asked this other boy's mother if he could stop being mean to him, she responded with, well you're being mean to him, so no, I won't tell him. When in fact, this other boy taunts my son, and turns around and plays the victim. Just this week we spoke with the principal to set the record straight and finally this other boy has been told to leave my son alone. The point is, the parent behaved deplorably and she truly thinks her child is a victim. She'll get all into another child's face to defend her son (she used to tell me how she did this a couple of times, before all this recent stuff happened). She even sent me an email telling me how her son was wronged by my son, and that she wants her son to be a leader and choose who his friends are (I'd suggested they take a break from each other because of arising conflicts). Yeah, I pretty much think parents are just as much bullies as their kids are.

I pretty much agree with most of the above posts...Im in my 50's and things were different when we were younger...most of our parents cared...they had no choice because society would look down on them if they didnt. It has nothing to do with both parents working, single mothers, etc...those are all excuses. As a society, we stripped away all authority from people who deserved respect because some parent didnt like their spoiled brat disciplined...i.e. by teachers, etc. Its a shame this child resorted to suicide, and my heart goes out to the situation, but where were HIS parents ? Couldnt they tell there was a problem with their child ? Again, it goes back to parents who dont care...on both sides. Everyone today is too quick to point the finger at everyone else when something happens instead of taking responsibility for their part in each situation.

It's been many years since I was in school and about 20 years since my kids were and yes, there was always cliques and to some degree,teasing and bullying. From what I am reading bullying has gotten much,much more vicious. The schools seem to be helpless in stopping it aand we can see why..They are not allowed to dicipline kids anymore without the little brat's parents threatening to sue, so they tend to do nothing. I can't help but think that if I had a child who was so badly bullied that his life was miserable, I would pull him out of school and either find a better school or home school the child. Frankly the school district should help the parent in transfering a child to a better school, it is the least they can do. A parent has to be more pro active in protecting their children against this kind of torture.

Wow, Be Accountable, I'm not sure you know what you're talking about. Being teased here and there is one thing. Having crap thrown at you and being followed and taunted incessantly is a whole other ball game. While I do think this child probably had other emotional issues, I think most people will agree that being harassed can lead to depression, and a desire to escape. Escape for some unfortunately means following through. This isn't about taking responsibility, this about pushing the vulnerable to the edge. If you saw a sick and limping dog, would you kick it and then say it's the dog's fault if it got worse? People who pick on the weak and vulnerable are not in the class of 'just teasing'. They are malicious people. They need to be stopped while they're young. Why is it the victim's responsibility to be accountable?

When my son was getting bullied in school he didn't want to say anything because he would be bullied further for being a tattletale or wus. All he needed was enough confidence to punch the offender in the mouth. Then the bullying stopped. I'm not condoning violence, but sometimes kids just need to stand up for themselves.

With all due respect, CelticPagan, I was in a school district that was heavily Democrat. My life was horrible for seven years, with a few bright spots. I thank God the social network didn't exist when I was a child. Otherwise, I might've been dead in the fifth grade.

Since the anti-bullying campaign is not working, how about focusing on mental health awareness. And NBC "happy"............. kids dont kill themselves. Mentally ill kids do.

Bullying did not kid this kid. Everyone has been bullied. Mental illness killed this kid

@Moderate Anarchist - What a horrid thing to say about this innocent child! You are so horrible to say those things in light of this tragedy. You sound no better than the pathetic bullies that pushed this kid over the edge. SEEK MENTAL HELP!

MODERATORS - "Moderate Anarchist's" comment is PURE HATE SPEECH! It should not be tolerated!

I am sorry for the loss of this young boy, BUT I am afraid that this will not go away.

Doesn't matter what you do to the bullies or their parents. We have prisons full of people from all walks of life that knew what they did would land them in jail and they do it anway!! It has been that way since there were more than two people in one place.

I certainly am at a loss on this. A friend on mine was talking the other day and said something I found interesting though. It was a question actuall. He asked if these kids have enough brass to take their lives, why do they not defend themselves? The pain of one versus the pain of the other. Of course we know what hapapened at Columbine and others as well. MSN is trying to make him appear small and week, but he was 12 years old, nearly 5 feet tall and in the fifth grade, not junior high.

Just a real tragedy and I see no end in sight!!

My eyes are filled with tears for this young boy and all the others who have to endure the meanness of thoughtless others. Why are we continuing to pay these do-nothing administrators high salaries to turn their heads the other way when our children need them the most? God bless his family and may he rest now in peace...

I am so so tired of kids killing themselves over being bullied, Why don't our justice system do something. Put these kids in juvenille jail and let them stay for awhile or finish school there. Example the college student that video taped his roommate in a sexual act and the roommate killed himself when he found out, 30 days in jail is all he got for this terrible thing he did and that's the cost of a life. I too am against violence but when I hear these things I just want to scream. LEAVE OUR KIDS ALONE JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE DIFFERENT. These stupid low-self esteem kids doing the teasing should be punished harshly.

To bad he wasn't big enough in size to whoop somebodies ass. That would have stopped it. His mother should consider a civil law suit if she can identify who they are.

For all those who say "parents should parent" so their kids will know how to act: I think the biggest problem with that is parents aren't allowed to parent anymore. Children scream and cry and act up in public and their parents do nothing because they aren't ALLOWED to do anything. If I acted up in public when I was a kid, I got a swat on the butt. If it happened again, I got another until I learned that I didn't do things like that in public. If I was with a friend and we did something wrong, I got it from my friend's mom AND AGAIN from my own when I got home because a parent was a parent even if they weren't your own. For those who turn their noses at corporal punishment: There is a reason why God made my hand concave and my child's butt convex and wrote the words "spare the rod and spoil the child". They fit quite nicely together and yet you don't have to beat a child to death to get your point across. That IS wrong. They learn rather quickly and one or two good swats depending on the age of the child and the severity of the behavior and they will soon learn not to do that. Yes, toddlers should be dealt with on a lesser level than say a child who is in school but I guarantee if you are consistent in your response to inappropriate behavior, by the time the child is school age, you will find that you no longer NEED to do it because they will know what is appropriate and what is not. I know it didn't take long for me to learn and when I did something wrong in public, all mom had to do was show me the palm of her hand and I stopped whatever it was immediatly and knew not to do it again or it would connect with my backside and right in front of "God and everybody", which kids do NOT want to happen.

Kids nowadays are not afraid of what will happen when they act up because they know their parents will have social services called on them in a heartbeat if they so much as scold their child in public and God forbid you should even slap a hand! "Timeout" is an effing JOKE because who cares that you had to sit on a chair for an hour but I guarantee they would think twice after the first time they were not able to sit for several. Yes, there were gangs in my school days but when you raise a generation of kids and don't set specific limits AND ENFORCE THEM, you end up with a bunch of kids who don't know how to act and have no concern for how their actions will affect others. This is why, in my day, kids killed each other for sneakers. Now it's ipods, ipads and whatever else the latest technology is. They don't care about the behavior, they just know they have to have the "cool stuff" and if they can't afford it, don't bother getting a job or saving your chore money to pay for it, just kill someone and take thiers. If you're under 18, you will get let out once you are and with a clean record... something else that needs to stop too.

The hypocrisy in this thread is amazing. Depending on your definition of Bullying, EVERYONE has bullied and been bullied- including everyone on this thread that is calling for severe punishment.

As much as I dislike bullying, it is sad to say that it will probably never stop. It's horrible how cruel kids can be these days. It's worse that there are kids who felt the need to end their young lives because they could no longer tolerate things that were being said/done to them. How kids can feel the need to put down another simply because of their height, or intelligence, looks etc. What exactly about that makes them feel better about themselves as a person? Bullying this boy because he was smarter then them = jealousy obviously, probably kids who were failing class themselves. Bullying for smarts, or looks, or intelligence in itself is wrong, but to tease this boy about his deceased father takes it to a whole new level & just plain went overboard!! What kind of heartless kids would do such a thing to another, sad that they are just kids & they took things to that level. True bullying has always been around & will continue to be, & yes you could talk to your kids about how to handle it. But, even if you teach your kids how to "respond positively" to bullying, it doesnt mean that it won't hurt/effect them in some way. Being bullied always bugs a kid even if they don't admit or if they handle it better then another would. It's pathetic that we as parents should even have to tell our children how to handle being picked on for being who they are. What more parents should be doing is teaching their children that harrassing another because they are different then them is wrong. Part of the problem is, that IF a child gets caught bullying, they lie & the parents believe them or the parents just don't believe that their precious little "angel" would ever do such a thing & get upset with the school or other parent/child who told. So then the bully then picks on the kid more for "tattling" & then the kid will never tell again & just takes it thinking noone will ever believe them anyway so why bother trying to tell. Or, once made aware of the problem the school or parents don't believe the child or just don't bother doing anything to stop it. Parents also need to take more time to talk to their child about what is happening in their lives & take the time to listen, not very many seem to do that anymore these days, kudos to those who do tho. Hate that young kids think that killing themselves is the only thing left that they can do to stop the hurt/bullying, tho some probably won't talk about it even if you try, make them talk to you about what is bothering them. They are your child, you should be able to tell when something is bothering them even if they don't tell you, its better for them in the long run to let it out & not hold it in. Sometimes all they need is someone to talk too & someone who will just sit & listen to what they have to say. Bullying is just going way beyond what it use to be, if we can't stop it completely, I would at least hope that for future generations we can at least put out enough awareness to where it wouldn't be as horrible as it is becoming now. sorry for my rant, lastly, I offer my sincere condolences to the family of this young man. I could not imagine the hurt/grief his mother is going thru right now. As for the bullies, I hope they live with the guilt of this young man's death for the rest of their lives & have learned a lesson from this horrible thing their actions caused. They should be ashamed of themselves, & perhaps their parents should be too.

@NCC74656

You are the biggest bully on here. Mods please ban this person. Cops throw her in jail for bulling posters.

Thank you

First of all we, the ones over 50, were raised differently than the kids of today and boy is that a fact. Mind you not all kids of today are raised badly. 9 out 10 victims of bullying will get punished before the bully and why because the victim will try and defend themselves. The system has taken away the right of the parent to punish the child. Don't believe me, try to punish your like you were punished and see how fast someone turns you into the Child Protection Services, I have been there and it is not a nice thing to go though. The school officials are afraid to do anything because of the fall out if not from the parents of the bully but from the district admin. When a child can get away with hitting on Mom, see this in stores, they think they can get away with it anywhere, school included. There is nothing so sad as to see a child hitting a parent because they did not get their way. You don't need to beat a child to get them to behave but you need to set and enforce some rules. Yes when I was growing up there was bullying but it did not last long, a call from the school and than a call to parents and than the punishment either days from school or the paddle or both. Today what happens almost nothing. You rip what you sou.

You can't have everything PC and no discipline at home or in school and stop this from happening. Kids have no respect for authority of any kind these days. When I went to school the principal would have taken care of the bullies in short order up to and including smacking them. When my kids went to school the dean would have had the parents down at the school post haste and either they would have straightened thier kid up or the kid would have been expelled. No panzy treatment involved.

We must address this aggressively. These bullies are no different than an adult murderer, an adult torturer. Legislation must be passed, that bullies are submitted to tough laws. These three bullies or more, all should be charged with homicide. An additional charge of "torture" should be added.

These are not, "children, just being children". I cannot comprehend, they tortured this beautiful boy because his father was deceased. These bullies are psychopaths and should be locked up, just like an adult, who tortures and murders another adult.

The parents of these human monsters should also be charged with complicity to commit murder. Schools that permit human torture and torment should be sued.

Schools should begin to teach basic, human ethics; no excuse for torturing and tormenting another human being because they believe, they have the inherent right to force another to commit suicide.

We must begin, and we must begin now. Perhaps, parents of bullied children should unit and come together as a force to pass legislation to end bullies. Let's begin, "Parents of Bullied Children", and I'll be the first at the door to sign up to stop this brutal insanity.

rdonham, what are you talking about? Must be related to Moderate Anarchist because you all sound ignorant as hell. You guys all need to grow your hair back and stop having those private meetings out in the boonies.

@michael72?

Nice comment. I just posted something you disagree with , and you start with the insults. Who's the real bully here?

Lousy parenting produces bullies. Great job by the permissive parenting crowd.

Did you see that micheal72?

skor154 just said "These bullies are no different than an adult murderer, an adult torturer."

if she ran things you'd be in jail for murder

rdonham......you are amusing and really make no sense but keep posting.

@michael72

Yes , I make no sense. I realize I might be above your level of reading comprehension. Do You want me to type slower? Would that help?

rdonham, How is your bullying any different than that which you are writing about??

I'm not bullying I'm defending myself from bullies. Of course, your definition of bullying might be different than mine , so in that case I am a bully and we should all be in jail. Hopefully nobody kills themselves after reading this, of course, they wouldn't have any issues or anything. It would be all my fault and michael72's.

I guess we should all be locked up for years. society is going to hell with evil bullies like michael and myself roaming the streets.

How about , since I'm upset about your comment, I can kill myself , then get you arrested for bulling, then my family can sue you.

I remember my years in school like this. If a bully started punching me, or hitting me, then nothing would be done. If I hit back, suddenly it was a fight and I'd get in trouble. The school system seems to be run by the folks that enjoy watching these sorts of things, and do all they can to punish or even ignore the victim. I do have to agree with a few of the posts here... there are several kids that get over it, and lead fine lives. But I still think the schoolboard should be held responsible for what goes on under their roof.

I have a feeling if the schools got threatened with a loss of funds, possibly even shut down, those crazy parents that think they're musclebound arsehole is a perfect angel would have to shut the heck up and start raising that kid better, and the teachers would actually have to do their job and listen. It's just the job of the school to teach and create an atmosphere where kids can be taught, and they are not doing their job. Start sending out some pink slips, let them know if they won't fulfill their jobs, they lose that job.

I was a victim - at age 12, right after i got glasses and acne...

and I tried to kill myself a few times *seems somebody Up there wants me around for a bit longer.

These scars from those episodes NEVER leave you, and you never forget them either.

Even 30 years later, the memory of having a bully spit in my face - while i did "the right thing *aka nothing" - still sometimes rears its ugly head. CBT works wonders for childhood ptsd btw.

I am lucky to be alive, and reading this article breaks my heart.

Those Trolls in here ... I bet that kid is sitting right next to an Archangel, and they're just gonna wait for You to die... *hey Mike! Can I play with the flaming sword?

"No".... well, not yet anyways...

Ok first of all for all the people who argue they got bullied and it wasn’t a big deal there are varying degrees of bullying. I was bullied as a kid pretty bad and granted I survived but mine was nothing compared to a kid I went to school with who was mercilessly bullied every day for being poor and dirty. Boys would throw rocks at him, shove him into things, and hit him on a daily basis and what is worse is I lived by him and I know why he looked like he did because his parents also abused him. Now imagine living with that EVERYDAY. For him there was no refuge. That’s is how it is for kids now, your bullied at school and then thanks to technology our get texts and FB messages continuing the bullying. Plus suicide can be contagious, they happen in clusters oand so these kids read stories of other bullied kids who killed themselves and probably see that afterwards their pain was finally acknowledged and think it is a good idea. I know some people think that they were bullied and since they toughed it out so should others but you never know how bad someone else has it and it shouldn’t be tolerated at all and that mentality diverts blame from the bully to the victim. Bullies need to learn it is NOT acceptable ANYMORE. I am an adult and I am still haunted by the fact that I didnt do more to help that boy. I was just so afraid they would turn on me and I have to live with my cowardice the rest of my.

do glad that we have a person like billbillingham to add such a highly intelligent post. Jerk.

@dillegence

You certainly know how to bully back ( thanks to the internet). disgusting. I bet there are many people that hold scars because of the things you have done.

Nowadays bullied = hurting someones feelings

If you have never hurt someones feelings, then I guess you can agree with severe punishment and jailtime.

If not, stop being a dramatic hypocrite.

It's always been my understanding that children up to the age of 18, are morally, financially, and the up most responsibility of the parents on every level.

My son's were taught that at an early age, never pick on anyone for any reason. They were allowed to defend them selves but not initiate anything. They were also taught to respect others and respect themselves. Those parents and bullies should be held responsible. And harsher laws of accountability for both the bullies and their parents. Apparently the parents and those type of children need to learn about decent and acceptable behavor towards others.

In otherwords: Accountability and Consequences for one's actions. The parents tolerate it, so they are equally at fault.

There is something seriously wrong within the household of a young person who bullies others to feel better about themselves. And it appears their parents are responsible for that too....

Too many adults STILL believe that bullying is all apart of childhood, but for too many young people it becomes so brutal, so incessant that they feel the only way to make it stop is to end their lives. And too often, telling an adult what is happening can make matters worse, since the friends of any kids who get in trouble, will then continue the torment. I went through this with my daughter. I had no idea how bad things were because she didn't tell me. Instead she began to cut herself, even once doing so at school. When I got a call about this, my daughter finally told me what was happening, and I immediately pulled her out of school. It is better to lose a few months of education, then to lose my child forever. After some counseling, online schooling for a semester, and two different schools, my daughter is now feeling better about herself, and indeed thriving.

Please, stop believeing that "kids will be kids", and provide a safe place for kids to go who are in trouble. Not talking is indicative of something wrong. Please. Let's not lose another child, as the kids that are doing the bullying often have their own issues that are causing them to act out. Let the children in your life know that you care, and keep an eye out for young people you are not related to, as they also need to know that there is someone who will help. God bless this child's mother, and please let this be the last child to take his life for this horrible reason!

@kimberly

Wow. you got it all figured out. EVERY parent teaches kids those values. And EVERY kid doesnt always listen to their parents 100% of the time. It's called being a kid.

Get out of fantasyland.

Happy children don't kill themselfs. Seems someone missed the hint in his life.

I was bullied because I was a runt. As a junior in high school there were a lot of freshman girls bigger than me. I learned to fight and to fight dirty. I sometimes had to take on 2 or 3 and a couple of times 4 bullies at a time. I got my butt kicked but, it cost them too, sometimes with permanent injury. Eventually the bullying eased off but continued at a lesser degree until my senior year when I grew nearly 6 inches, almost overnight. It also helped when I got a full time job (at 16 with a fake draft card) carrying 100# sacks and got as strong as an ox within a few months.

Now? I will not hesitate to interfere when I see someone being bullied.

I am sad this this young boy took his own life. I wish there was a simple answer to solve bullying but there isn't. I think most people have been bullied and have bullied. Most people grow up to regret some of their behavior as kids because so much of it is pushing the limits and sometimes that is at a cost to others. I wish this boy could have reached out to people who could have protected him or shown him how good life could be.

Outside of technology I would have to say, no, bullying is not worse now than before...but how society views it has changed. Instead of kids getting into a scuffle...now it is kids assaulting one another. I am not saying which view is more correct...but how we look at children's behavior has definitely changed. We look at it with the seriousness of adult violence which I think goes too far ( depends on the age), but we have to look at each case.

Blaming parents may be on point in some cases, sometimes it is just the way the kid is. Applying one size fits all mentality/justice here helps few and punishes many.

Again, I wish this little boy was still with us and could enjoy his life as kids should. I hope his mother will be able to focus on her wonderful memories of her child. I can not imagine what she is going through.

rdonham,

You sound like a lazy parent, who doesn't teach their children values and decency. You sound like you were/are a bully yourself, or you've raised your children to be one.

Shame on you for making excuses for lazy parenting and a dysfunctional homelife of a bully. The mental illness you mentioned to bsbfankaren, seems to be that of the bully. Only someone with a form of mental illness would feel the need to taunt others for their own gradification.

Oh, that's right, your pitiful excuse is, "it's called being a kid". You have a nice day, you clueless individual.

My deepest condolences to the family who lost their child.....

@Kimberely

Nice attacks on my parenting. Way to be a bully. I thought you taught your kids "never pick on anyone for any reason".

I'm a great parent and discipline my children when needed because kids don't listen to their parents 100% of the time. Kids make mistakes- you seem ignorant to that fact, so much so, your "little angels" are probably the biggest bullies at there school.

stop being a hypocrite and stop being ignorant

If I had a kid and caught them bullying it they would learn a very hard lesson from me and never bully again. Bullying cannot be tolerated. Those of you who act like bullying wasn't an issue when we were younger is full of it. Bullies were just as big of a problem in the 70s and 80s. They just couldn't reach into the kid's home via social networking. If you were bullied in school in say 1984 at least it would end when you got home. Now kids can be bullied and harassed 24/7 via the internet so the problem is much more pervasive today. Get with the times.

why do adults constantly think that things were much better "back in their day?" Music was better, tv was better, schools were better? Never fails.

Providing housing, food, clothing, medical care and electronics does NOT make you a good parent, "parents" need to pull their heads out of their butts and pay attention to their children. Too many are obsessed with their careers, boyfriends/girlfriends, etc....... just about everything and anything except their children. Taking your kid to soccer practice desn't qualify you as attentive either.

Teaching your children manners and morals is a great way to help them turn out to be decent individuals. Talk to your children, and keep talking to them, if the school says your child is a bully or being bullied find out why, and then take action.

Who proclaims this was a happy kid?

Suicide is becoming much too prevalent with our young children.

What has happened?---Bullying is only part of the problem.

How do they know how to kill themselves?---It is Epidemic in this Country---Something is terribly wrong with school Counselors, parents, and the mental state of children, even if they are bullied.

There is no way to wipe out this bad, repulsive behavior. Kids should be taught in school how to deal with Bullies.

I am so sorry his own father took his life. Maybe this is where he got the idea. It is not unusual for one family member to end their life, and others in the same family following suit.

Just tragic, just tragic. There could have been negligence on the part of his only parent, as well.

It has to end. These children need to know they are loved, and adored at all times by their own parents.

rdonham

No I am definitely not at your level and don't want to be. It is very obvious you are a know it all because you been attacking everyone on this subject with the same ol crap!!! You most definitely must have really bullied someone down the line because you are way over explaining this........but keep posting as I said.

Suicide is so sad. I liked it better when kids would shoot the bullies. I've taught my grandson to stand up to bullies, and defend himself. Also, I've instilled in him a sense of helping others and not too be the bully.

R.I.P. Joel Morales, of East Harlem.

Any children out there getting bullied? Are you tired of it? It won't go away? You need to speak up about it. Do not be tricked into thinking that is wrong to tell on these stupid bullies. There is no shame. You need the courage to speak up. Do it for the USA.

Show your courage. Speak up and be heard. Don't give in and keep speaking up. If you love your parents. You want to be loved. You need to love yourself. No excuses.

Id like the administrators of the school to come out and say this to children. The Administrator at the school needs to be fired. His teachers need to be fired.

No excuses for this. I am sure they knew something was up. He had nothing. He lost everything. Who was going to help him? S.O.B. teachers.

Unfortunately, there are adults who have never grown up, and they still act like school yard bullies. So much for maturity.

I am 22 years old. As a kid I grew up in poverty, I never had expensive toys or gaming systems and shared everything with my 3 sisters. I am not perfect, I am not saying that kids who have nice things are spoiled rotten, believe it or not I am just greatful for my childhood. I am greatful that my parents made us go play outside when we fought over the 1 barbie we had and I am greatful that *GASP* my parents spanked us when we where really bad (and I don't need people getting pissy because they have different views on parenting. I'm not claiming this is the only way you should raise kids.)

Most of all, I am greatful that my parents taught us to be accepting of everyone. I remember the first day of school in 1st grade (in not the greatest neighborhood...), after telling me to have fun, he reminded me that there would be a lot of other kids there and that if I had any problems to tell a teacher and him and my mom. Also that if I was ever mean to any kids at school and they found out I would be in trouble. My dad being the macho man that he is reminded me that sometimes people are too scared or unable to protect themselves and if I see something and do nothing to help that I am just as bad as one of the bullies. There were many times in elementary, middle school and high school that I was scared to get involved, but the fear is nothing compared to the guilt you feel when you do nothing.

I can't imagine how heartbroken this mother is...

We need legislation that requires every classroom and hallway to have cameras and penalizes schools that can't produce the recordings due to deleting them or not running them at all. That way parents that have bullied children have the proof they need and schools have the proof they need for parents who think their child is pure as the driven snow. Teachers would also be watched and have to actually do their job and of course it would be easier to spot pedophile teachers. Cameras would protect the tax payers from millions dollars in various types of lawsuits every year. I would even pay monthly for a live feed to my daughters classrooms.

Schools create the bullying atmosphere. The emphasis on football teaches violence. In the forward of his book "I Never Played the Game" Howard Cosell commented.

"I am writing this book because I am convinced that sports are out of whack in the American society; that the emphasis placed upon sports distorts the real values of life and often produces mass behavior patterns that are downright frightening; and that the frequently touted uplifting benefits of sports have become a murky blur in the morass of hypocrisy and contradiction that I call the Sports Syndrome.”

Certainly some kids come from homes where there is abuse and/or neglect. But then they enter a world of institutionalized violence and status without values at school. The result is smart kids, or kids that don't fit into the institutionalized social status quo, get picked on. Or at least labeled geeks and nerds.

Then people wonder why American schools lag behind the rest of the world academically.

Sadly Jenny, there is a Catch-22 here. The same school administrators and board members you'd like to see take action are the very same type of socially competitive people that clawed their way to the top as social bullies acting in self interest.

Another issue is perception. Some kids think it's okay to tease/be teased because of newer societal norms based on television, movies, video games, etc. Calling someone a name can be considered bullying, even if it's your friend and you are just joking around. Schools have a difficult time with this issue because the definition of bullying seems to be rather fluid. If every kid is suspended/expelled for teasing or name calling, even with a best friend as kids do, attendance would be cut in half and many innocent kids will have to live with the stigma of being a bully for saying to their friend "you're stupid" or the old your momma jokes, and cause schools to lose many millions of dollars more than already cut. This follows them throughout their school careers and impacts the opportunities they have. Can there be a concrete definition of what bullying is? I don't know. Many victims of teasing/bullying deny it happened, saying instead that the other kid(s) were just playing/joking. The he said/she said argument has confounded schools for years. Schools have to have enough evidence of bullying to suspend/expel, and without clear language concerning what bullying is, it is difficult at best. Do parents need to step in and set the example and expectations for their kids? Most definitietly. The problem seems to be that many of the parents of bullies are more their child's friend than parent and use the same behaviors thinking this is okay because we have to prove we are better, stronger, smarter, than others in this competitive society we live in.

RevSpinnaker, you hit the nail on the head. So right!! (Yet, so sad.)

We can talk all day long about how to handle this problem but the fact is people on a whole are f'ed up and they are raising these little monsters. Its the way its always been and always will.

What a heartbreaking scenario. Doesn't say much for us as a culture that anyone would even think to come to a public board to joke about something so tragic, does it.

Bullshyt the Clown is doing real well these days because BS is his favorite thing and there's no bigger form of BS than bullying and those who don't do anything about it.

When my little 8 year old girl was being mercilessly bullied - including death threats on Facebooks - I went down to the school. I told the principal it had to stop. It said he would look into it. The bullying persisted. My little girl was miserable. She just wanted to be left alone. She cried everyday after school and hated going every morning.

Soooo... having served in the Marines for 6-year I took a different tact. Apparently bullies have the 'advantage' in these schools so I decided to become one for a day. I went back to see the principal. I showed him the 2 death threats the bullies had put on my little girls Facebook page. He nodded, pretended to give a shyt. I got about six inches from his face, looked directly in his eye and said...

"I spent six years of my life defending this country and was willing to die for the privilege. If you think I'm not willing to take the six minutes required to beat you to a bloody pulp to defend my daughter, you're mistaken. Call the police, take out a restraining order, do whatever you like. This stops now."

It stopped. We have become a nation of whining, wussy, keyboard pissers and moaners. City, county, state and even federal officials are more afraid of what the minority of "politically correct and civilized" irate dickheads are going to do rather than what SHOULD be done. If we don't change it, it won't change.

So, either sit back and enjoy stories like these for the shock and entertainment value or get out from behind that freakin keyboard, get on the phone, scream, yell, threaten, dare to venture outside of your well-ordered "civilized" box and let these officials know that the price they have to pay if they let this continue may exceed any they might face in a "civil" court of law.

Jim Reality

"Sadly Jenny, there is a Catch-22 here. The same school administrators and board members you'd like to see take action are the very same type of socially competitive people that clawed their way to the top as social bullies acting in self interest"

Maybe true in some cases, but, there is a MAJOR problem with parents not holding their kids responsible and going so far as to accuse administrators and teachers of lying just to get their kids in trouble. It is crazy. No one is held accountabe anymore, it is always the "other guy"....

My heart goes out to the mother of this child, I cannot begin to imagine her pain....

The hypocrisy in this thread is amazing. Depending on your definition of Bullying, EVERYONE has bullied and been bullied- including everyone on this thread that is calling for severe punishment.

Jenny - you have no idea what you're talking about. You most likely are not a parent and have never worked at a school. You live in fantasyland. What you are saying is not real world and its flat out ignorant.

Wanna stop suicide? Treat mental illness. That's the real problem

I agree totally with Jenny-2549412, the school administration needs to pay attention to this type of activity and as she said stop turning a blind eye. And the parents are definitely where I point the finger because it is up them to raise their kids to be respectful towards others. I feel very sad for the family and send my prayers.

As for the two morons Bill Billington and Moderate Anarchist.......It is obvious you both are very racist and judgemental. Not to mention have probably caused a suicide or two. You were them guys that walked down the hall in school and punched or kicked a kid for no reason......and I bet being older you didn't change one bit. You guys probably are the bullies at your work site.......you should feel very proud!!!

@micheal72

Moron?????Racist???? Caused a suicide or two??? You bet they were ...this and that.....

How did you come up with that BS and Who's the bully here?

Clwon,

I agree with much of what you say because most bullies are cowards. However, the school systems do not own Facebook, nor do they control it. We don't want them to punish kids for what is done on Facebook and then hold them accountable.

Why is an 8 year old on Facebook? Take her off of Facebook and one thread is stopped. I have two teenage boys. All of there freinds have been on Facebook for years, mine were not until they were in the 7th grade. 13 years old. We were friends on their accounts and monitored it daily!!

Why is the Principal responsible? Why not a civil conversation with a couple of parents revealing what there little angels are up to?? Then proceed as neccessary if they don't take care of it.

I'm with you part, but not all the way!

@ Admin.'s Wife:

"My heart goes out to the mother of this child, I cannot begin to imagine her pain...."

First her husband, then her boy. It's heartbreaking.

NO JENNY!!

It won't work. Our prisons are full........!! They are letting mild offenders out for good behavior since they have no room!!

The truth is, I have no idea what will work other than having the courage to defend yourself!!

Young kids are dying all over America all day everyday from gang related violence and we don't see that on here. We just see these few kids that commit suicide.

Bull, I am so sorry your daughter was bullied. Threaten to sue the principal too. Parents of today, do not teach their children basic human ethics and pass on values. It's the parents' responsibility to teach their children values and ethics. I was taught very early, that it was terribly wrong to make fun of another for something they cannot help.

When I was 15, I witnessed another boy making fun of a retarded boy that was a friend of mine. I raced up to the bully, got in his face, and chewed him out. I'm female, and the bully never said a word when I was in his face, but just looked at me, saying nothing! I never witnessed him bullying anyone else.

As we are having an epidemic of bullying in our schools, the schools must pass on values and ethics because, apparently, parents are not up to the job.

I would throw the parent in jail for not treating this kid's mental illness. The other kids at the school should also sue the parent for having to go through this emotional distress.

rdonham, stop pretending your rdonham and go back to using moderate antichrist......

But......I guess your right I am a big time bully!!! And they are not.....they have words or wisdom!!!

Clown, that is what more parents should do when the school does not want to do anything to stop it. My father also served in the marines, & when I was in school & was "bullied" by my varsity volleyball coach, & nothing was said to her the first few times, he finally got fed up & went to the school himself & approached the principal getting up in his face as well. Sure enough, my coach had a different attitude after she knew my dad hunted down the prinicipal & was looking for her. Parents shouldn't have to take things to that level, you would think schools would automatically do something on their own w/o having to be "threatened." I found that a small percentage of the time, some school admin. won't do anything to a bully b/c of favoritism like a "star" athlete on a team, or "favorite" employee, & so do not want to make that person "look bad" by having to punish them somehow. We found, the reason the principal never wanted to say anything to the vb coach was because they were having an affair, in the coaches room after school before football prac. (he was also the fb coach) & vb prac. would start. Apparently then, him getting some "cooka" was more important then the students he apparently cared for. I would have done the same thing had I been in your position, you did what you had to do as a parent whose child was being harrassed. Also, thank you for serving this country, many people may not show it, but it is greatly appreciated.

Wow, everyone that has a different opinion than you must be the same person!! What a strange little ignorant box you live in. Let me guess- self centered liberal? Sociopath? sounds depressing.

The good new is, You'd make a great Nazi

why do so called educated school officials know what to do with a 6 year old that shoots with his finger but don't know what to do with older "BULLIES" when it's common knowledge in the school and also told to them??

My heart goes out to the 12 year old boys family.I know how much pain youare in right now.People say it is your sons fault by being mentally ill.My son lost his dad to cancer at age 12 years old.My son Andrew William Kliner was bullied from 2nd Grade to high school.Andrew would come home & say ,( they tell me I talk like a baby .He was in the 10th Grade.Andrew was also bullied by the neighbors children.I 4 years after my son Andrew William Kliner hung himself in the basement with a Military Belt.Andrew took 3 military entrance Exam to go into National Guard .He failed the math last time by 2 point.The National Guard Sargent told my son Andrew take the test again on your 18TH Birth day.Andrew dropped out of school account of being bullied.The neighbor across the street 17 year old boy.His parents had my son arrest for shooting his son with a Bee Bee Gun.My son was in the Hardware store with me.It has been 4 years since Andrew commited suicide onGood Friday March 21-2008.I last talked to Andrew was 12AM asking him to go to bed upstairs.I spent 60 day in Gracy Square Hospital account of me being found in Coney Island Hospital 5 minites away from death.I until this day blame myself for Andrew's suicide.I have been seeing a Psycholigist for 34 years now.I was not even allowed to go to Andrew's Funeral.My step son had to Video Tape the whole Funeral.I was told 300 people said good -bye to my son.So I know the pain you are feeling right now.My God give you the Strength your whole family needs to try & cope with your great loss of an innocent child.AT least my son left a suicide note on his lab top computer.I know you feel that should of know he was very depressed from be bullied in & out of school.Please except my condolences going out to your whole family.I until today wish on March 21-2008 had told my son .How much I love him.There needs to be strick laws against school children bulling other student for being ADT /Dyslerxia .My son always played with his friends in my house.They buried my son with Wrestling Team give Andrew Gold Champion Belt.They told my sister & brother & older son.Andrew would have won the belt if had not killed himself.

Hey Bob just ask rdonham, he knows the answer to everything. It's mental illness......we need to treat mental illness.....

To those who say "hurting someone's feelings" is not bullying, you are wrong. Now, if it is rare or occasional that feelings are hurt, not so bad. It is the cumulative effect of every day, facing gauntlets of tormentors in school. The pain and desparation builds. I experienced it, but told no-one, as it was too shameful. It is hard to find the words that you are hated and no-one likes you. Not any easier to deny the pain of course, just easier, less humiliating than admitting out loud no-one likes you. It is easier to just wish it would stop.

Today there are tests that measure cortisol levels, which rise due to anxiety. If kids are tested and they have high cortisol levels AND they wish to name names of tormentors (which as I said would have been just one more humiliation for me to bear)--that would help in pressing definitive charges if the victim is up for it.

There are countless numbers of us out there, who had PTSD as kids thanks to our peers--and we did not know it. We just thought we were losers and failures in the endless comparison/competition school provides. You bullies were free to get a jump-start on your career portfolios, while we victims were distracted by bottomless depression that is truly "the 'gift' that keeps giving" over the years. And, onre more time because it bears repeating, we victims were alone in this because we DO NOT, CANNOT want to admit we were viciously HATED and TORMENTED more so than other kids. We were young and innocent, incapable of owning that fact. However, that is what it will take to stop bullying. And that fact I could not and child victims today cannot own that is why it continues.

Of course, mean kids could step in and stop bullying by quitting being mean scum.

Tbenton and all others that agree with him.

I too am in my 50's. While when we were growing up, the whole neighborhood parents would discipline us as needed. We were everyone's child.

What's going on now has NOTHING do do with video games, tv or any other electronic item you wish to put blame on. Bullying was going on then and it's still going on now.

It is our children that are not bringing up their kids to 'know better'. So who is to blame??? US!!!!!! Plain and simple. We must not have done such a great job, eh?

(((((Mary Kliner)))))) I am very sorry to learn of your son's death by suicide. My heart goes out to you and the Mother of this 12 year old. I too lost my son and know what it's like to try to survive this traumatic loss. I try to ignore some of these other comments blaming the Mother. They have no idea what they're talking about. They don't know her, or her son but they're all ready to shout out that it would never happen to their child.

Then again none of us thought it would be our sons, did we? Ignorance is bliss. They think love is enough to save their child. It isn't. Depression knows no bounds; not economic, race or age.

I love Bullshyt The Clown!! I don't get to hear very often someone actually taking responsibility for everything in their world, even the things we didn't create. This father actually cares about his kid to get in the face of that Principal who (may be overworked in other areas BUT) has obviously lost sight of his 1ST responsibility: making his school safe for it's students. Sometimes when folks think bullying "isn't such a big deal" or that "He/She killed him/her self because he/she wasn't strong enough, end story" they need a righteous beating, or at least a credible threat thereof, in order to regain their humanity and do their job as an adult in a position of responsibility. Strength is often something a child learns in time but constant bullying can stunt that growth if the bully isn't "stunted" in time, All of you "not such a big deal" ers are usually the bullies or the apathetic (pathetic) people doing it or allowing it to continue. Y'all need a nice blanket party with Bullshyt The Clown.

The issue being, how exactly do you stop bullying? You really can't. You can pass all the anti-bullying laws you want, but at the end of the day, some people are still jerks and that won't stop them.

Why do people only care about child bullies? It's not really the bullies fault.. a child should be taught to value human life above all else.. and should never resort to killing themselves. Bullying is apart of human nature... it happens every day to everyone.. If someone doesn't like what i say in here.. someone will probably post calling me an idiot.. aka bullying...

A perfect example is Casey Anthony.. everyone has their own opinion.. and everyone seems to think she's guilty.. But the fact is that everyone bullies her.. and people encourage it.

The sad story isn't about the kids who are bullied and kill themselves... the sad story is the kids that don't kill themselves... But no one seems to care about those people.. The Rutgers case about the web cam and the kid killing himself afterwards..a HUGE deal... his suicide might have had nothing to do with the web cam incident.. but no one cared.. they wanted blood. ..

But some kids endure bullying day in and day out... they get no attention.. because they haven't killed themselves yet.

I totally agree. Even though it is terriable that kids kill themselves I can't help but wonder how many had mental problems to start with. Would it have been any better for them to kill themselves cause their girlfriend left them or whatever. Bullying has been around forever and most kids don't kill themselves over it. School does not last forever. Death is forever!

Maybe this kid saw all the attention and redemption that Tyler Clementi got and wanted the same. Very few blamed Tyler for Tyler's death, they blamed Dharun Ravi. This kid is from New York, so you know the Rutgers story was a huge story in NYC. This kid may have seen how vilified Ravi was and wanted the same for his tormenters.

Mission accomplished.

My prayers for his mom. She'll never be the same. Her life is fuct forever. It's a genuine tragedy.

Because nothing can be done, and shouldn't be. Want some law to dictate what you can say to people? I certainly do not. Being an @!$%# and talking @!$%# is not against the law, and shouldn't be. Those 'bullies' did not hang this kid, he hung himself, end story. One of a persons defining personality traits they develop as the grow up is how did they dealt with bullying. Seriously, kids don't kill themselves over bullying because if that was the case, most of us wouldn't be here now.

How many things do we need to legislate in this world?
This kid was one of billions and we as a society can't save them all. It's impossible. If you like, we can continue the push to have everything outlawed because we don't agree with it and eventually strip the remaining liberties we have in this world away, or we can step back think clearly and see it for what it is. Simply tragic.

Should we pass laws demanding kids not to bully each other? Logically, that goes against the very fabric of what we are as a social society, and criminalizes something that is indeed very natural and innate to whom we are. I suppose you could argue that we have also criminalized other things that are indeed natural to us, but when will we decide that we prefer choice and freedoms to stringent laws and regulations.

Bullying accrues naturally; it is part of the human ego and identity. Even those bullied still suffer from egotistical thoughts and actions regarding others "they rank above in the hierarchy". We do not need to pad the world and the harms it brings from our children, they should be taught to embrace it. It is a part of naturally being alive. Slightly corny yes, but some wisdom in there somewhere.

Unless you would prefer to shuffle our children off to rooms with mattresses on the walls. Then we can all rest easy knowing they're truly "Safe" while we bog down the courts with profiteering law suits.

The predatory "bounty hunting" attitude of the NFL is a big part of the problem. That kind of violence has permeated our schools thanks to the NCAA. Which , by the way, was initially formed to curb deaths on collegiate football fields. Read my previous post.

Rev - you really think that the NFL is a 'big part of the problem'...umm, you realize bullying didn't just start with the NFL or with sports and that there have been bullies around since the start of time, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that most bullies throughout the history of time couldn't tell you crap about the NFL. So, get off your reverend preaching high-horse about sports and realize that bullying has nothing to do with the NFL and sports in general and is mostly due to how kids are brought up in their own household. This kind of bullying and violence by 12 year olds has absolutely nothing to do with the NFL or NCAA. Wake up.

Wow, now we are blaming the NFL and NCAA? Come on people everyone needs to look in the mirror and take responsibility for their own actions and quit trying to find blame for their own actions somewhere else.

I understand that there are kids that come from abusive backgrounds etc.. that shape their life but, to start pointing the finger at sports, really???

American public schools have been completely overtaken by the NFL, a private entertainment industry which is exempt from anti-trust legislation. In conjunction with the NCAA they have effectively turned our schools into government sponsored recruitment and training centers for a sport popular for it's violence. The sheer volume of space and facilities at public schools have established it as a cultural mandate. Nowhere else was I taught that as a result of my behavior, someone else may end up with concussions, paralysis even death. Only at public school.

Just Wrong - "The sad thing is that most of the parents of the bullies are bullies themselves."

Could you please give me the statistics of how many parents of the bullying children are also bullies themselves?

When a child does something wrong the first reaction is to blame the parent. Like I said in a previous post, there are a lot of parents who teach and raise their children right but, the child still makes his/her own choices. This needs to be addressed on a case by case basis. Not just make a blanket statement that its always the parents fault.

RevSpinnaker,

So, I just want to understand are you blaming it all on the NFL?

I would have to guess comparatively that a small population of our public schools even play football.

JAYDEEKAY: First, there is plenty of, at least anecdotal, evidence that children learn bad behavior from parents, going back to the notion of "like father, like son."

Also, you make my point about sports in school. A private industry has hoodwinked our schools into building recruitment and training centers at tax-payer expense, that provide for an incredibly small percentage to actually make it into the professional ranks.

Schools also condition children to be the future audience of pro-sports. Kids were better off playing pick-me-up games in vacant lots than watching pro-sports on TV.

RevSpinnaker,

Anecdotal evidence refers to evidence from anecdotes. Because of the small sample, there is a larger chance that it may be true but unreliable due to cherry-picked or otherwise non-representative samples of typical cases. - Wikipedia

I don't think the problem is sports. One of the problems is people wanting to blame something else for their own actions!

A lot of kids are taught right and wrong but still choose wrong!

My point is, and has been, American public schools institutionalize extreme violence under the guise of education, as well as other blathering about teamwork, values, etc. A private industry has subverted the educational process and exploits student-athletes with false hopes of success in the pros. The number of those who actually make the pros is something like 1 or 2% of collegiate players.

In reality sports create an insular 'us & them' atmosphere of social privilege, which has little to do with teamwork. The term "student athlete" is an oxymoron, and brings down the entire educational process. The most adversely effected are the athletes themselves who often enroll in remedial classes and receive tutoring to keep their grade point average up. I even read of one, in a Chicago Tribune expose', who could not spell his name the same way twice.

Ironically Buzz Bissinger, author of "Friday Night Lights," suggests to "get them [professional athletics] out of the academic setting." Perhaps the NFL and NBA could develop their own vocational trade schools and train athletes to fill the professional ranks of their private industry.

Boy, THAT would cost a ton of money. And why bother when public schools are doing a great job for them anyway, as well as providing a captive audience.

For all these kids' sakes, the ones in charge...from the parents to the school staff, need to do something...this is getting to be the norm, it seems...

Some have been known to mention being bullied yet survivng, or the kids need to "toughen up," but it's obvious that isn't happening.

To know that those you trust aren't doing anything to help you (even KNOWING they won't, so why bother telling?) has got to make it even worse.

While bullying is a problem, I think we need to look at why children are so quick to commit suicide. School was not always easy for me and I am sure that I dealt with bullies but I never considered suicide. This child was in therapy and he still felt alone and he couldn't see any other resolution to being bullied. Dealing with bullies is a part of life and we all have to learn how to handle these type of people. The kids that teased him about his intelligence were simply envious and ignorant. When a girl in my daughters class had negative comments about her shoes and clothes, I asked my daughter why did she think the girl was giving her so much attention and the answer was obvious, envy. A couple of months after commenting on a pair of my daughters shoes, the girl showed up with an identical pair. My daughter was able to see that I was right about the girl and she ignored her. We need to have open communication with our children and give them tools to solve their problems. We also need to force school administrators to deal with bullies. Parents are no longer teaching their children morals and values so, some of them behave horribly. They should also know that suicide is never an option.

So dealing with people throwing things at you and saying terrible hateful and hurtfull things to you, for hours a day and for years is normal. I mean come on, really? Is it? So it is this poor kids fault that he was different and smart. He should just be like everyone else right. cause that is the real problem. He wasn't a sheep.

Karma, I hope it hits you hate-loving people in the butt.

RIP this poor child. I hope he and his family finds peace

How about doing away with Face Book, My Space and text messaging? And, while we're at it, the schools need to do away with clique's. Of course, all of these are an impossibility, so it's up to parents to learn to be parents and not 'buddies' to their kids. Parents need to be held accountable for their kids actions. After all, they are the ones bringing them up.

Condolences to this child's family. May he now get the peace he should have gotten in life.

I doubt his mom was immoral Lynn, she was probably just working to make ends meet. The article states he was a child who put on a happy face and bottled his emotions. And the mom, with children, and a widow? Im sure she had to set that example, because otherwise she would break down from the stress. The article is upsetting but try to find some compassion also.

Blaming everything on video games is a cop out. Yes some parents use the TV as a babysitter, but there have been bullies in school long before the first video game or TV or even radio. "Kids don't know right from wrong?" I am calling BS on that, I wasn't a problem child by any means, but like any kid I did some stupid things growing up, and I knew what I had done was wrong before anyone told me.

For those of you claiming that parents aren't doing enough, just think for a moment why that might be. I'll give you a hint: it has something to do with allowing the government TOO much control, to the point that parents now are afraid to even discipline their own children unless there is a law that says they must do something about it.

Somewhere along the way parents stopped parenting, and started carrying with them a long list of laws that they must check off before they could ... parent.

Such a terrible thing that has happened to this beautiful child with the wonderful smile, I am so sorry for his mom and sister. I cannot imagine the pain they must be experiencing. I hope they find the little monsters that so tortured him in this life and they are made to understand what their actions have caused. The bullies might feel good at making someone feel misreable, but now they need to feel his pain and realize how very wrong they were for doing this to this beautiful child.

OMG.....sad but true. That was my first reaction as wrong as it sounds....I would love to smack one or two of these bullies!!!

What is it with people who always want to put the blame on the victim? How about teaching the little scumbag bullies to have some consideration for others, or at least to keep their friggin' mouths shut?

Jimmy-james is right. I am 63 and was bullied both mentally and physically as a kid and teen but never considered suicide or any violence. I coped through faith and understood that as soon as I got home from school, I didnt have to put up with it. This bullying has been going on forever and it isnt going to stop, but the suicides and other violence caused by the victims can.

Coping is fine to an extent, but how are kids supposed to stand up to and abusive parent their whole child hood? Or they do stand up a bully at school and are still being used as a punching bag. But everyone needs help and can't always do it on their own.

What about students who struggle with their homework? Should we get rid of tutors since students need to figure out the problems on their own with any help?

How about financial aid, scholarships, and loans for low income students? If they can't pay for college out their own pockets, is it though luck and doomed to be a farmer or house maid for life?

I don't know, but without help and resources, a lot of us wouldn't have made it very far in life. Yeah, cope, but you need to learn when enough is enough and put a stop to it, even if it means getting a little help or someone else stepping in when they notice something isn't right. A lot of disabled people aren't able to defend themselves, but should we say whatever and not give a care?

Where on earth do you get this kind of nonsense?

*without any help

Jimmy James & Georgeanna Modlin - your comments show a complete lack of understanding that, while bullying has always existed, the severity and pervasiveness of it has gotten exponentially worse over time. Social media has replaced the nasty whispers and notes/slam books, so the nastiness can spread like wildfire. Also, children who bully are actually encouraged to be more devious and cruel because they see people rewarded for that in so-called reality TV and even in the current political climate in which people still believe the most heinous of lies despite irrefutable evidence to the contrary.

Also, Georgeanna, you seem to assume that all children who are bullied have at least as much emotional support and other stability in their lives as you did. They may not quite have the same sense of self which makes it so much easier for them to become demoralized and feel they deserve the cruelty and punishment they're receiving from a gang of bullies that never let up and seem to escalate over time. Shame on you for basically implying that anyone who's bullied so severely should just "suck it up" and that they're in the wrong for succumbing to the self-loathing and depression that leads to suicidal ideation.

WOW, jimmy james - just wow!

Have you NO compassion for this kid who lost his father and was constantly tormented throughout his short life?

"Mature" coping skills????? This kid was twelve!! Again - just wow, jimmy!

Coping skills are important, however just because something has always happened (bullying) doesn't mean it can't be curbed or stopped!

You are all correct. The bullies do need to be stopped. Throwing sticks is assault and if the school won't do anything, then the parent can file a complaint with police to get the attention that is needed. But on the flip side, the victims themselves also need counseling. This is a kid who changed schools and the bullying didn't have even a small break, which means that he somehow presented himself as a victim (not saying it was right or deserved, just reality). Counseling doesn't just help with coping, but maybe can help with confidence or the social skill(s) missing to help him get along. Unfortunately, that can be expensive. Plus, when kids keep things to themselves, it can be hard to understand just how bad things actually are. The bullies do need punishment, but that isn't usually something you can control; getting counseling to cope and help with social skills is something the victim (and his family) can control.

This bullying has been going on forever and it isnt going to stop, but the suicides and other violence caused by the victims can.

Really? So if the bullying can't be stopped, how do you suppose the suicides and "other violence by victims" (wow, moronic statement of the year candidate there) can be?

i love how im 16 an im more mature about this subject then anyone in here...people blame video games no its not them..t.v nope...its the parents serously...if you let the kid play those games and etc it screws you up..and thats why you see so many kids that are like 5 standing in line cussing about the line to get call of duty...and this bullying has nothing realy to do with anything...its hard to stop i was one of the kids who got picked on and all and yes its hard and people just donnt do anything about it last year in highschool i got beaten by 3 people after class right outside a classroom door and the teachers stood their watching..so im just saying keep talking about obama and whatever waste more time because the more people wait the worse its gonna get..

I completely agree with S.-1914173. What did the mother of this child do to help her son handle the problem? How about taking him to a martial arts or self defense class a few times a week. Build up his confidence, then give him permission to whip this bully's ass if he assaults him again. Anything to give him the skills needed to face up to his problems, not only bullies but all the ugly stuff life throws out to people . I feel bad for the kid, I really do, I have a child of my own that starts school this year so I feel terrible for the family. Hopefully I've given my daughter the necessary coping skills to handle any situation that she faces at her young age, and if not I'll always be there to help her through it.

Bullying does need to stop in all areas. Just look all around there is bullying, read the comments on pretty much any post on the web. Individuals making comments criticizing others, making accusations without any basis for those accusations. Let's take the unemployment rate for an example, there is a new article out that the unemployment rate has increased in the month of May. Yet read the comments, all the comments are blaming and accusing the president. But the president does now own a business, his job is to run our country. Do I belive that he as well as congress could do something about it such as making it more difficult for employers to outsource jobs overseas? YES!! but you read another article and congress is having their own battle between democrates, and republicans denying bills sent to them by the president. Which is not helpful to the people, yet these same individuals will run for their position again even though they are not doing their job which is looking out for the best intrest of the people. The name calling is outragous! Nonetheless what about the companies and business where is their responsability. Being unemployed and willing to do just about anything, as I believe in learning anything, and doing anything I can and want to work. Everytime I apply for a job and review the requirements they always want someone with experience. When I apply for a job that I do have experience in I hardly ever hear back, and week after week the job is still posted sometimes for months and yet I haven't heard any response back. Of course the employer will say that it is due to the overwhelming response they have received. But having a degree in business how does it really benefit the company to continue to pay for an add if you can not keep up with the responses? Employers use the same old over qualified or under qualfied reasons for not hiring people, if you do get an interview one is asked rediculious questions such as why you would be willing to take a lower position? why would you take a pay cut? I've even seen a job posting stating that a requirement was a "good sense of humor"??? Everyone has their own sense of humor and what exactly is considered a good sense of humer that one could consider if they meet this requirement. Yet in other comments you will read commenters stating that there are jobs people are just not applying themselve, they are lazy, or they just expect too much.

Living in Massachusetts we do have an anti bully law in effect but this only applies to our schools and the students still do not have an understanding as to what is and isn't bullying. An example one of my children along with a friend agreed as a joke to post a FB status stating to do something to the other on a specific day much like a kick me sign but as a joke. The responses my son & his friend received were all bullying accusing them of bullying, making threats of physical harm and so forth. Even though their comments were a kick me sign. Apparently they are not being taught tha bullying does not end bullying.

@let-me-just-say-1-thing, Though Mass has an anti bullying law in schools this does not apply in the workplace. At my last job I was bullied, within one week of attempting to correct this behavior with my supervisor who was the bully and human resources I was laid off "just not a good fit". Meanwhile this supervisor who I witnessed bullying many others is still employed even though the company had a rule against bullying and encouraged employees such as myself to step forward.

We all need to start practicing what we preach, we all need to start being more compassionate towards one another, and we all need to be more empathetic towards each other. I do believe that former presiden Kennedy once said "It is not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country". As a country for ourselves and our children we all need to start pulling together, and stop turning against each other. What kind of world will we be leaving to our children if we don't stop this behavior on all levels now?

Video games... sports... Facebook... parents... anti-bullying laws... come on... when are we going to stop addressing bullshyt with more bullshyt? The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. It's wrong to engage in destructive bullying. There's a reason we, as humans, are built with emotions and natural response mechanisms. We KNOW this behavior is wrong... we empower teachers and school administrators to "educate" our kids... so, let them "educate" the bullies with some lessons regarding the flip side of such behavior. Every action comes with an opposite and equal reaction. Every head has a tail, every yin a yang.

You bully weaker kids then we bully you. Whatever you do to someone else, will be done unto you. If you want it to stop the solution is simple - you stop. As soon as YOU stop, WE stop. WE can get on YOUR Facebook pages, WE can spread ugly stories about you, WE can smack you and make your life a living hell too. Simple. Now, go whimper off into your socially correct, ACLU corner of the world and give us all the reasons why treating bullies with their own medicine is (waaaa-waaaa) cruel.

So then why did you not just tell your daughter to go whip some A$$ at school or where ever and not have to deal with a prinicpal over Facebook. I don't understand??

thewolves,

Interesting comments. One thing I did notice in all this is that it happened at not one, but two different schools. What happened at the second school to get this started?? I'm not sure we are getting all of this story, because they also try to make him appear small while he was 12, nearly 5 feet tall and only in the fifth grade. This was not junior high where there is a huge size disparrity!

???

Tx, in the 6th grade my youngest daughter towered over her classmates, she was almost 6 foot.

When she went into middle school there was one boy that used to tease her unmercifully, one day he hit her in the hallway, she broke out a can of whoopa$$ on him and never had a problem beyond that day.

She was teased for being tall and smart, but she refused to dumb herself down to get them to leave her alone. Her education was more important then their stupidity.

What do you mean by "American" names? What are you implying?

An American DID win the national spelling bee. All of us have ancestors from somewhere else, whether more recent or hundreds of years ago. The girl who won is a full citizen of the U.S. and obviously has the work ethic and pride to belong here.

You mean like "Pocahontas" or "Powhatan"

Maybe you should try posting your pointless and bigoted comment on the correct story, "In Truth."

This is a perfect example of how bullying starts. Why make a comment about the winner's name?? What a crude comment to make. The article had absolutely nothing to do with the National Spelling Bee, yet you fit right in with the subject. . . BULLY!

I have a Irish name so that doesn't make me American..Damn and I thought I was.

darn---I guess my German name and 4th generation American does not make me an American name either---what is an American name? Smith??? nope English and Irish more common there then here. Jones??? No again that is from Wales in Great Britain. Brown??? No Scottish......hmmm so no real American names unless you want Running wolf, black hawk that would be a true American name.

I don't think simply shielding a child from critism by constant adult supervision is going to actually solve any problems, it is just going to delay them. Eventually that kid is going to end up an adult in the real world, and no one is going to follow them around to take care of them their whole life. Eventually everyone has to be prepared for real life. Unfortunately bullying in life doesn't stop just because you walk across a stage and get a diploma, we just call it other names after that.

The parents didn't know the child was being bullied again- why didn't the SCHOOL notify the parents or help this child?

I'm guessing you have never been a teacher. It's not that we are afraid (well maybe some of us are) it is that we have no legal recourse in the face of bullying. Parents of bullies will accuse the school of bullying them and they threaten to sue so are left alone. These bullies have zero respect for authority and yes, it is learned at home always. We need stronger laws. Teachers can't do it alone!

You bought up a good point that there is no end to the bullying now. We could come home in the 70's and be done with it. Now these kids are having to endure comments on the computer, texting, pictures being taken of them at school in awkward moments being passed electronically. Its become sick. I dont thing phones should be allowed at school, or mp3's. Go to school to learn, not collect incriminating pictures and plot torture.

Considering your lack of compassion wilman, yes. Take that header please.

Boo hoo see you later... If everyone took the same tact, there would be no one left alive by the end of the weekend...

Don't jump Wilman. My wife too was very sick last year (triple negative breast cancer). For a year now we both have endured moronic, uneducated, insensitive, nosey, judging and otherwise just plain stupid comments from friends, strangers and family regarding my wife's illness, and her decision as to how she addressed it. We were both raised to deal with the good and the bad of life, and have been doing so our entire lives. The last 29 years of ours lives have been spent together.

We takes no meds for depression or anxiety. We deal with it. We don't sit around wringing our hands and crying in our beer (although there have been tears). We deal with it. We don't attempt to make it someone elses fault. We deal with it.

I'm not sure how I feel about a young child's decision to commit suicide. Perhaps they just aren't mentally strong enough to cope with certain situations. For this I am sad. However, at some point in the maturation process, I think suicide transitions into the cowards way out, with no regard for the people left behind.

Kelson21. You are a dick....................

Don't jump Wilman. My wife too was very sick last year (triple negative breast cancer). For a year now we both have endured moronic, uneducated, insensitive, nosey, judging and otherwise just plain stupid comments from friends, strangers and family regarding my wife's illness

The comments weren't directed at his wife's illness.

Tanks ani4ani. Another person with no compassion. You don't know how to feel about a child committing suicide? Get a clue putz. Sickened. This was a child, not an adult with the knowledge and experience of age behind him to help deal with what was going on. Of course he didn't have the mental strength to cope. My comment to wilman was in response to him comparing his sick wife to a child that killed himself. If that's all the compassion he, and by extention you, can muster then I think we'd all be better off without either of you.

Sorry wilman, you won't be seeing me later. You're taking that header remember?

Tbenton -

"I do not bring my child to a park and have the parkies watch him (In Green Bay, WI they are hired by the city to set up activities for the children), he is my responsibility, so while I let him play, I always keep a eye on him and stop any behavior that is unacceptable on the spot."

As a parkee in Green Bay, I thank you for being one of the few parents left in the city who do not "use" parkees as all-day babysitters. We've had to call the police on quite a few unattended children throughout my five summers as a parkee. As your child gets older, though, it is a very good program. There are always activities going on (both city-wide and at individual parks), and through my experiences at different inner-city parks, the exposure to other kids actually promotes tolerance without regards to race, income, or disability. Check it out! Just don't be one of those parents who drops their kid off in the mornings, rain or shine or 100 degree heat because they don't want the kid around...

I'm a 1st year special education teacher and this year one of my students killed himself and one of the reasons for it (that came out after the fact) was that he was bullied (outside of school). It was terrible. Bullying needs to end.

Mr. Wilman... like all "this happened to me when I was a kid" morons you fail to take into account the changing of the times. Yeah, it happened to me when I was a kid too. Difference is, when I was a kid the bullies in our school had to deal with a vice principal who would literally smack them repeatedly with a stick and a gym teacher who would repeated make them climb the rope and slide down it until the skin on their palms resembled pork sausage.

These days kids can literally get away with murder and the adults sit around with their irresponsible thumbs up their arse out of fear of being sued, suspended or maybe even killed themselves. It's all out of whack. I couldn't, for the life of me, sit back and watch some kid tormented like this and do nothing about it. I dunno... chalk it up to that 'human being' thing in me.

There's a big difference between getting the occassional wedgie (even Atomic Wedgie) and what this kid and so many go through these days. As I said in a previous post, my 8-year old girl's life was threatened. I don't give a rats-arse about your "this is the way it's always been" bullshyt... you threaten my kids life and you're going to be on the shyt end of a very ugly stick.

Wilman: ... kids have been picked on since the beginning of time

Is it your belief that society has always been as it is now - that it hasn't evolved (devolved) at all? There was an age when we depended upon the good will of others and accorded them the respect that was necessary to earn their good will. "Polite society" isn't a fiction - it actually existed once upon a time and, in some parts and pockets of the country, still does.

Don't take a header off a building; head for a building. I suggest a library.

Bullies don't need a rational reason. And please, a single mother should hire a bodyguard for her 12 year old? How is that supposed to work?

My guess is the child was very intelligent, but small in size and painfully shy. And when you're shy, you don't have many friends and are not popular. So you already feel like an outsider.

I can totally understand where this child was coming from. I was not bullied as a child because I was considered "tall" for my age. But when I hit my 40's, I shrunk in size and went back to college and was bullied by teenagers entering college for the first time (freshpeople). There are immature, cruel people -- young and old -- out there who will take advantage of your small size and push, shove, talk down and smack you around if you don't immediately stick up for yourself. This is the sad truth. The only remedy is for the small person to learn to fight back. Unfortunately I've had to fight (yell, push, kick back) every day of my life because we people of short stature just don't get a break. EVER.

Just think, when you are out in public, on a bus/train or even just walking down the sidewalk, whose space would you violate first -- the little short guy/girl or the tall, huge person's? It's like some people think we short/small people don't deserve space or need to breathe.

Bullies - there is karma. Even if you don't get bullied in this lifetime, someone you love will one day be and you will feel as helpless as the victims.

Let's not forget that we have a former bully running for president now and he admits it. His vulture capitalism is a form of bullying even. Are all the bully's successful and all the sheep dead by suicide. Heck no, for these few we read about that can't handle it, there are many millions of kids that do handle it and handle it well, all the people on here that say they were bullied in school are good examples. Maybe we should find out why this small percentage of kids making the news as suicides were not able to handle this age old problem of bullying. Perhaps their backgrounds, their parents, their friends, possibly media and computers, heck, something is causing this very small percentage of the kids being bullied to not be able to handle something that has been around forever. Instead of blaming everything and everyone, we should be trying to find out why these few are failures.

Vinegaroon, you're on the wrong forum. This is a sad story about a childs death. You Obamians must be very desparate to be bad mouthing repub candidates on an off-subject site like this!

Here2Opine are you even reading vineagroon's comments? He's obviously has the same thoughts as you on Obama which, btw, have absolutely nothing to do with a story on teen suicide. Bone up on your reading & comprehension skills.

Like I said before this is a horrible tragedy and it is very low to use this for a political soap box. Try to stay on subject.

Actually, that was a great "teaching" moment that Romney missed. He should have acknowledged how wrong his bullying was and been regretful. He had a moment to put it in the national spotlight, but refused to take ownership of his actions. Which I think is totally relevant to this child's situation. There are consequences to actions, how do we expect these kids to learn anything if we make excuses for ourselves and them?

Opine, you read the first sentence about your favorite politician and that was it, I'd like to have saved this child's life and by finding out why this small percentage of kids that are bullied and kill themselves as opposed to the millions of kids that handle bullying without suicide, we may be able to help other children. Jay, your candidate was a bully, I only made a comparison of bullies and sheep,you supplied the soapbox, I made no political statement, only a statement of fact, he cut some kids hair off because he thought the kid was gay. So now I get my soapbox, if you hate bullies so bad, are you still going to vote for this one? Back to subject, why are these few children and young adults committing suicide over something that has been with us since schools were began and I've no idea, a hundred plus years or more. We do need to have some intelligent people address this growing problem and hopefully save some lives that obviously touch most of us rather deeply. Try being a 12 year old 8th grader and the smallest person in the 8th grade, I had a few rough moments but I'm here to say I never thought once about suicide either.

thenight. Thay HAVE to push the kids through the system if they want to keep their job. Combine that with the fact that teachers cannot even disipline in the class anymore, because the kids have more rights than anybody on the property, and it brings you to " American Schools-2012".

I'm 53, and when I f*%$#d up at school I got paddled and my parents were notified. When I got home there was a repeat. Good incentive to toe the line for me.

Our school has a school police, but I think his job is only to prevent people from breaking in to our building.

Unfortunately, the bullies should be isolated and schooled individually until they can learn to work with the other kids. Putting them together is even worse because they feed off each other.

Goof for you. It's about time someone said it like it is. Stop blaming tv and video games. Also I think mom and dad need to get active a little, instead of wait for a teacher to step in.

@thenight, you are right on point. The Parents should get involved like my Wife and I did. Unfortunately, there are some teachers nowadays who just show up for a paycheck. But it is still the Parents responsibility to put this bullying mess in check.

I agree parents definitely need to get involved. When my daughter was bullied, I contacted the school, got the name and address of each child that was the culprit, had a meeting with the parent and child. Some of the parents were so gotdamn ignorant, it was a shame. But long story short I told them this bull@!$%# has got to stop and after this meeting my daughter better not tell me so and so said or did anything. No more problems!

but when I saw him years later he looked like a ghost of his former self...

Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Cannot tell if you feel like he overcame the situation or not. And, Jesus can't help him, but he can help (i.e. think for) himself. I don't think a cobbled together book and a myth trumps inner strength and resolve. Sorry to all I offend with this comment.

Because we accept it.

You're exactly right. And these "little monsters" are going to grow up to be big monsters. Giant a-holes that can't keep a job because they have no respect for authority and no respect for others. There are 2 problem-type parents that I see. 1) Those who are terribly uninvolved in their children's discipline and the children are allowed to run around like they've been raised by wolves. 2) Those parents who are so blind that their precious little lamb could ever behave badly that they have their heads buried in the sand and completely deny that their child would be involved. When I was young, if my teacher or a neighbor had told my mom that I had been cruel to another child, I would have been swiftly punished. She would have believed them and would have dealt with me immediately. Now, parents either could care less or are in denial and the child is not held accountable.

FYI...most children and teens do not leave notes....SAICS...I coached a girl who at the age of 14 hung herself much like this cute boy. She was beautiful...she was talented...but there were deep underlying issues...so her mom and dad did not know how she felt and she left no note...so trying to insinuate some sort of other circumstance...

To all others who try to say kids need to be taught to be tough by parents...yeah right...that is true ...teach you children to be confident and try to get them to not listen to these fools and haters...but that is hard. My daughter is beautiful, extremely talented, very fair minded (she is straight but is active in her schools LBGT and Straight Alliance Club) and dresses her own style...She has been the target of bullying since middle school. She is now in counseling, suffering from anxiety and depression attacks and on medication. Her high school has worked with us some...but some of her teachers I believe think she is faking it? I want to just go to the school and tell these teachers...when your daughter says she is losing it...she has thought of killing herself numerous times...she is NOT FAKING IT and it needs to be taken seriously. I mean a few of her teachers are so obsessed with school makeup work she owes that they are not listening to us...and offering alternatives for her...This is when school officials need to step in and help...when all teachers and students need to be the school neighborhood watch and report ugly comments and actions toward students...This is time to start charging people with bullying and hate crimes...

As someone who, over 20 years ago during high school, bullied, ridiculed, and teased about my father; in addition to being smart and short for my age I can personally relate to this story. As I have said it many times before and I'll say it again here:

Bullying is nothing more than an outward expression of hatred toward others!

Once I eventually realized that, high school was easier to tolerate and I knew who was true to me and fake to me.

I feel so bad for kids who have been bullied, and for those who bully others too. Bullying, although it is an outward expression of hatred toward others, is also an expression of dissatisfaction of one's self. The bottom line is that all kids have problems dealing with the changes they go through as adolescents. Changes from elementary to middle school, changes to their bodies, changes in attitude, etc. make life almost unbearable at times for these kids. I believe kids need competent, caring adult role models who will step up and tell them that bullying is wrong, and hold them accountable for their actions. That means teachers, administrators, parents, and law enforcement. Administrators cannot afford to be lazy about this issue. There have been way too many child suicides recently to put this issue on the back burner. Figure it out already! I am almost finished with my M.Ed. (at 47) and am transitioning into a teaching career next year. I will be teaching secondary students, middle school - high school -- and I will under no circumstances tolerate bullying by or against any of my students. I believe that as a teacher I have an obligation to the kids I will be working with to keep them safe while they are at school and to do everything I can to protect them then they aren't.

Yet again, another story of a child committing suicide to escape bullying. This beautiful child should never have been another statistic. Bullying did occur when I was in school. One boy was so bullied, he eventually ended up killing his bully at their Graduation party, one of the most popular boys in our High School. One girl I knew, who I thought was gorgeous, many years later told me she was tormented about how ugly she was...I could not conceive how it could be possible because she never was at all ugly.. She ended up on drugs, and works as an exotic dancer. Not sure if it was to prove she was not ugly or just didn't like herself inside. Either way, she was incredibly gifted and beautiful, yet because of others, she thought otherwise. I was fortunate as I was one of those who blended in. I was my own person and did not care what others thought of me (It was a God thing) I knew he loved me. I was neither popular, nor a social outcast so I had a vantage point much different from most. What I noticed was that Cliques' begin early in school, as early as first grade. It is from these little segments of the school population that most of the bullying begins. I have a niece and nephew both in Elementary school who are both being bullied. It angers me because the school and parents think nothing of "elementary" bullying. This however is where it begins and where action should begin as well. I hear you all talking about how we should teach our children to never bully, gossip or harass, as I did my daughter but I also allowed her to have an opinion from an early age(that means really listening to our children whether we want to hear it or not.) She learned what she had to say mattered, she learned she mattered. Of course this didn't stop all forms of bullying, but having someone to talk with helps more than most parents know. She learned to step up for those being bullied and became a target herself sometimes. She is 19 now, beautiful, smart and Loves Jesus..She still gets the rough end sometimes because of that fact alone. However, she is strong, and has friends who love her and a mother who is always in her corner. If you are teaching your children compassion, understanding and tolerance and other parents are not, you have in fact taught your child to be a victim. Who do you think the bullies pick on? Please don't misunderstand me, I am not saying we should not teach them these values, we should. We need to live these values too however. It really does take a village. Those of us who know how wrong it is, obviously need to step up even more, since the parents of the others (bullies) will not. We need to get in the schools early. There are children's stories that have a great impact on a child at an early age, stories that teach the importance of respect of others, the effect of bullying, and how gossip is a form of bullying etc. We should strongly suggest we get into the elementary schools (volunteer to read, role play's etc)and start teaching children how wrong it truly is (no matter who the child belongs too) before it gets to this level. While there is little to do about a child's home life(many bullies are bullied themselves) there are things we can do in one aspect of their lives, if we just try.

I went to many diff school as a boy and was bullied at every one, in my experience if u fatten the lip of the "head" bully and show u wont allow yourself to be a target, people tend to leave you alone if for no other reason that to not get beat up...stand up for yourself or get prepared for a lifetime of being abused/taken advantage of...act as prey get seen as prey

You are so right. More parents should encourage their kids to take up boxing or martial arts. Learn to defend themselves. And it's amazing how people flock to you once you punch a bully in the mouth. For males, and increasingly females, youth is a proving ground where learning to hold your own is a tremendous boost to self-esteem and confidence. Somehow it seems this vital insight has been lost. Instead of killing yourselves, kids, connect your fist to the bully's face.

the pricipal should be fired for not getting these bullies in order

I used to teach and if I saw anything like this, I would tell the kids nicely to leave him alone, I would stick up for him and put the kids in their place and if I saw it again, throw them in the principals office and call their parents. If they continue after an official warning, toss them out of school so they can live their degenerate lives as a high school dropout, its darwinism at its best. If not, send them to scared straight the TV show or boot camp. Everyone is tough in packs or when no one confronts them or has the confidence that this poor kid didnt have (nto hsi fault), he needed someone with confidence to go after these kids, not to ask him how hes doing in a therapy session. Stopping it is more important than therapy Im sure for this poor child who hopefull is in heaven and in peace now.

These bullies and their families should be sued by the deceased families, that is what I would do, make their lives miserable so they learn some kind of lession. This bully may be sorry for a week or 2 because hes in trouble, but teach him a long lesson by winning a setttlement from the family

I like your way. But if you did this you would be fired, and never be able to teach again. Its the upper school officials, who don't give a damn. The school boards Nazi like power, and they do not want to lose it I know what should happen, but will not, the police should look into this and the kids, teachers, and school officials should be prosecuted, for at least Manslaughter. Where are all of the pro choice people, a life is a life. Not just one school but 2 by the fifth grade, a lot of people knew about this and did nothing.

It won't work in court. Though I'd like the school administrators to get fired for this. I want the teachers who taught this child fired. Then I think the teachers will start to care what happens.

Thats the only way to fix this. This poor child had no one. S.O.Bs.

When I was at school the teachers never really liked me but I never liked them. I think of all the teachers I had known. I only ever liked 10%. The rest were not really upto the job. Sad fact. I am not sure where the problems lied. I don't really care. I never liked the bullies but the teachers did. I know the teachers are at fault. Many of the bullies were the most popular children. The teachers loved them. They could do no wrong. If you went up against them. You went up against the whole system. I was the odd child out. I would beat them up. Many of the bullies were the jocks. They thought there sh+t did not stink. It would just irk me. The problem with fighitng bullies is hero worship. I had all this children following me around. I was lucky my Pa was police man and also served in the army. I had strong role models.

From my experience. The teachers who taught this child need to be fired. The Administrators need to go too. No excuses. I can't feel for these folk at all.

This poor child had no chance at all.

R.I.P Joel

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep;
if I die before I wake,
I pray for Lord my soul to take.

Thats right. We need the school administrators fired. F+k'em. This kid no one. Now they get a new job. F+king S.O.Bs.