February 08, 2012: Ruling that anti-bullying law is unconstitutional is a relief

Posted by Maria Mangicaro
Bullying Prevention Advocate
mangicaro829@aol.com

By Star-Ledger Guest Columnist 
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on February 08, 2012 at 8:21 AM

By Joy Pullmann

It is rather a relief for New Jersey school districts and students that a state panel has ruled a new anti-bullying law unfunded, and therefore unconstitutional, because the law itself would have constituted bullying, largely outsourcing it to schools.

The law would require schools to appoint “safety teams” of parents, teachers and staff. Both schools and districts would have to designate or hire “anti-bullying coordinators.” Schools would be required to investigate, within one day, every single incident that could be considered bullying; convene meetings with all the parents of the children involved; and file district and state paperwork. Imagine the enormity of such requirements for schools with dozens or hundreds of children, when even facial expressions can count as “bullying.”

The law would require administrators, parents and school board members to take yearly bullying or suicide prevention training. It would even make schools responsible for bullying that took place off-campus and outside of school hours. It would provide mechanisms to encourage school kids to report each other anonymously to the police. The law includes 18 pages of similarly frightening “required components.”

New Jersey enacted this law in justified horror as a result of a Rutgers University student committing suicide after a roommate allegedly videotaped him with another man. But legislators curiously did not apply their law to Rutgers, instead imposing it on K-12 public schools. Anyone with a conspiratorial bent might think they co-opted people’s emotions to serve a preconceived agenda. Clearly, the Legislature’s response is absurdly overdone and counterproductive.

Advocates of these legal labyrinths tell us they’re necessary to protect children from bullying. Obviously, no one wants children or anyone else to commit suicide or even to be called “stupid,” but these advocates are so blinded by their tears that they cannot see that the solutions they propose perpetuate the problem.

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Philadelphia Attorney Kenneth Rothweiler Comments on Cyber-Bullying

Uploaded on Oct 6, 2010
Philadelphia Personal Injury Attorney Ken Rothweiler was a guest of Philadelphia Fox 29 News at 10. During his visit, Rothweiler commented on cyberbullying, specifically concerning the recent case at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

CYBERBULLYING: HOLDING GROWNUPS LIABLE FOR NEGLIGENT ENTRUSTMENT

HOUSTON LAW REVIEW 

I. INTRODUCTION

Online bullying is an increasingly prevalent problem, and there is an increasingly limited ability to battle it.2  While there is some disagreement concerning how many children are affected by cyberbullying, most scholars agree that even the lowest numbers are high and are expected to continue rising due to greater access to the Internet and children’s rising dependence on the Internet for communication.3  Exhaustive studies suggest that cyberbullying can be the direct cause of depression, social disorders, scarring psychological disorders, and ultimately, suicide.4

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Cyberbullying and Contributing Factors to Teen Depression and Suicide

Posted by Maria Mangicaro
Bullying Prevention Advocate
mangicaro829@aol.com

Teens who use mobiles after ‘lights out’ may struggle with sleep, depression

AFP RELAXNEWS

PUBLISHED: MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012, 1:11 PM

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/teens-mobiles-lights-struggle-sleep-depression-article-1.1172038#ixzz2rGqJFm97

A new Japanese study finds that teens who use their mobile phones late at night may have an increased risk for not only sleep deprivation but also mental health issues.

Published in the October issue of the Journal of Pediatric Psychology, researchers found a link between teens who used mobile phones after they went to bed and poor mental health and suicidal thoughts compared to those who did not use their phones at this time of night. The researchers controlled for other factors, including alcohol and drug usage.

In the study, researchers investigated nearly 18,000 children in junior high and high schools in Japan, with subjects answering questions about their mental health, in addition to sleep and mobile phone habits.

The study follows prior research that finds poor sleep is associated with mental problems in teens. For example, a study published last year in the Journal of Psychiatric Research found teens who had difficulty sleeping were at an increased risk for suicidal thoughts.

Additionally, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Lighting Research Center found that looking at the backlit screen of certain electronic devices can suppress melatonin, a hormone produced during sleep, and cause sleeplessness. This study was published recently in the journal Applied Ergonomics.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/teens-mobiles-lights-struggle-sleep-depression-article-1.1172038#ixzz2rGqVowb0

 

Suicides ‘linked to phone masts’

THE spate of deaths among young people in Britain’s suicide capital could be linked to radio waves from dozens of mobile phone transmitter masts near the victims’ homes.

By: Lucy Johnston

Published: Sun, June 22, 2008

Dr Roger Coghill, who sits on a Government advisory committee on mobile radiation, has discovered that all 22 youngsters who have killed themselves in Bridgend, South Wales, over the past 18 months lived far closer than average to a mast.

He has examined worldwide studies linking proximity of masts to depression. Dr Coghill’s work is likely to trigger alarm and lead to closer scrutiny of the safety of masts, which are frequently sited on public buildings such as schools and hospitals.

It is also likely to fuel more campaigns against placing masts close to public places on health grounds.

New York: 6 Year Old Accused of Bullying Gym Teacher

Posted by Maria Mangicaro
Bullying Prevention Advocate
mangicaro829@aol.com

Published on Oct 6, 2012

October 06, 2012 CNN

NYC gym teacher claims 6-year-old student beat him up

By Eric PfeifferOctober 1, 2012 3:53 PM

At 5-foot-10 and 220 pounds, gym teacher John Webster is not a slight figure. But the former college football player claims a 50-pound, 6-year-old student physically assaulted him and sent him into therapy.

The New York Post reports that Webster fractured his ankle and injured his knee, all at the hands of 4-foot-2 Rodrigo Carpio. Walker says he now has to wear a brace on his right leg.

“It’s sort of like an angel-devil sort of thing,” Webster, 27, said of Rodrigo. The boy “looks like an angel, but then, all of a sudden, that halo turns into horns. It’s been a nightmare. It’s embarrassing. It’s humiliating.”

And there’s reportedly more than just the incident with Webster. Rodrigo, a first-grader at PS 330 in Queens, also allegedly kicked the school principal and pinched several other individuals, including a school security officer.

Webster told the Post that the confrontation started when he was escorting several students to the school cafeteria.

“I tried to hold his wrists, and he began biting me,” Webster said. “I took him to the principal’s office, and he kicked me in the ankle, and one kick landed right on my knee. I felt a pop.”

Lawyer Andrew Siben, who is representing Webster, described Rodrigo as a “tiny terror.”

“It’s sad that teachers like Mr. Webster are not offered protection from someone who can endanger other teachers and students,” Siben told the paper.

However, Rodrigo’s parents say the allegations are ridiculous.

“The lawsuit is totally absurd,” said the boy’s father, Jorge Carpio, 44. “How could my little boy do so much damage?”

“This is a terrible thing to say [about] a child,” said his mom, Josefa Marcia.

Related Stories:

Queens teacher suing city claiming he was beaten up by a first-grader
By Kieran CrowelyOctober 1, 2012

Stopping Bullying. MONTLICK & ASSOCIATES, Georgia Accident Lawyers.

Posted By Maria Mangicaro
Bullying Prevention Advocate
mangicaro829@aol.com

Published on Jun 5, 2013
Montlick & Associates, Georgia Accident Lawyers, is the founding supporter of the a4kclub.org, Ambassadors for Kids Club, an organization dedicated to empowering kids and parents to stop bullying. This web video features the a4kclub national spokespeople Nikki Montlick & Jolie Montlick. Montlick & Associates has a long history of giving back to the community in a really meaningful way The firm has a number of oustanding programs, a large percentage of which are focused on helping families “Prevent Injuries.” For more information about Montlick & Associates visit http://www.montlick.com. For more information on a4K, the ambassadors for kids club, visit a4kclub.org. The a4kclub is a program created by Children Without a Voice USA, and organization that advocates the rights of abused children across the United States