It's ironic. The State Board of Education is, in a way, "bullying" schools into addressing the problem of bullies if they want to keep their slice of the $1.5 million federal "drug and violence prevention" pie.

Ironic, but perfectly understandable and appropriate.

Not that long ago, teachers listed their main concerns as "students chewing gum in class" and "students talking with their neighbors." Today, those concerns have morphed into heart-thumping fears about "drug abuse," "suicide," "guns" and "violence." And traditionally, the public school has been one of the best places to teach social responsibility. Children seldom have the chance to interact on so many levels with so many peers. And bullying is nothing but ugly abuse.

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff says bullying in schools is at "epidemic proportions." In the nation, 160,000 American students avoid school every day for fear of being bullied. In fact, one of every six students gets bullied at some point, with 93 percent of Utah's students between fourth and ninth grade listing bullies as the top problem — far ahead of drugs and gangs.

View Comments

Of course — like the poor — school bullies will always be with us. Stamping out bullies would be akin to stamping out shyness. People have personality traits that will always surface in social situations. Still, any program that highlights cruelty as negative behavior and offers victims a sense of solidarity should be enhanced and pursued.

Approaches to the problem vary. Some schools — such as Box Elder Middle School — use slogans (BULLies are COWards) and student artwork to spotlight the issue. Other schools hold assemblies, offer special training for counselors and try to encourage peer pressure to curb young toughs. In the Jordan District, bullying can bring down as much wrath as bringing a weapon to school, and the Provo District is now enlisting psychologists and social workers to help.

We applaud all their efforts and encourage others.

As anyone who's gone through the system knows, bullies have been asking for it for some time.

Join the Conversation
Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.