Dive Brief:
- A Florida mom is suing the Polk County School Board over the suicide of her 12-year old daughter.
- The mother alleges the school board didn't do enough to stop another student who was allegedly bullying and stalking her daughter.
- In addition to suing the school board, the mom is suing the construction company responsible for the site where the daughter jumped to her death and the teenager she believes bullied her daughter.
Dive Insight:
While this is an incredibly unique situation, it does speak to the ever-prevalent reality of bullying in schools. Too often, we read stories about schools that ignored signs of bullying, failing to intervene until it's too late. Much of the failure to intervene comes from a lack of knowledge for how to deal with bullying situations. While teachers often get a fair share of classroom management professional development opportunities, workshops focused on actual bullying mediation are few and far between. And what happens when the techniques fail? Students are people, and everyone reacts differently. Figuring out protocols for teachers to deal with bullying, as well as a plan B for when that doesn't work, is key.