Bullying in the Virgin Islands

Do you have children, or know someone who does?  Most people will answer this question with a “yes”.  Don’t you want these children to be happy and thrive in life?  The answer to this question is also a strong “yes”.  However, there is something extremely important that can get in the way of this, and it has been around for a while.  This issue is bullying, and, unfortunately, not much is known or being done about bullying in the Virgin Islands.

           Even though bullying appears to be a significant issue, the Virgin Islands does have its own anti-bullying laws and policies (Analysis of State Bullying Laws and Policies, 2011).  All schools in the the Virgin Islands that receive federal funding are required, by federal law, to address discrimination under the anti-bullying laws.  These discriminations include a variety of different personal characteristics that may be the reason behind the issue.  These policies do not, however, include cyber-bullying, which has become an increasing issue in society (Analysis of State Bullying Laws and Policies, 2011).

            The Virgin Islands Daily News posted an article in October 2013 on the issues of bullying, using an interview to help get its message across.  One mother described how it is painful for her to send her son to school everyday because of the constant bullying and sexual harassment he faces (Stokes, M., 2013).  This mother claims that the Department of Education has not addressed the issue with the urgency she believes is needed.  The article goes on to describe the physical and emotional issues her son has dealt with while being bullied, and mentions that the teachers are not helping and the channels available for students who are being bullied are not working.

            Another article in the Virgin Islands Daily News discusses how Tae Kwon Do is used as an outlet for aggression and high-energy behavior in youth (Blake, M., 2011).  The article describes how this may address both sides of the issue of bullying.  For those students who are the ones doing the bullying, Tae Kwon Do may provide an outlet for their aggression (Blake, M.m 2011).  For those who are the victims of bullying, it is said that learning Tae Kwon Do can provide them with confidence to simply walk away from the situation, or skills to stand up for themselves if needed (Blake, M., 2011).  While this is a great opportunity, I have to wonder how effective it really is.  How available is this option to students in the Virgin Islands?  How costly is this option?  While it may provide an outlet for some students, there must be a better way to address bullying.  The Virgin Islands Department of Health website has listings of all of their programs, but it does not include an Anti-Bullying program at this time (Our Programs, 2015). 

            The Virgin Islands Board of Education has a policy regarding the intervention, prevention, and remediation of bullying in Virgin Island school districts (K-12 Bullying Intervention, Prevention, and Remediation Policy, 2011).  This policy discusses how bullying should not be tolerated in any of the schools by any students, including cyber bullying, cyber stalking, sextexting, etc. (K-12 Bullying Intervention, Prevention, and Remediation Policy, 2011).  All administrative persons, employees, and volunteers are to participate in annual training regarding the prevention, intervention, and remediation of bullying (K-12 Bullying Intervention, Prevention, and Remediation Policy, 2011).  Students are also expected to participate in anti-bullying programs during the first quarter of each school year (K-12 Bullying Intervention, Prevention, and Remediation Policy, 2011). 

            Bullying has a tremendously negative effect on a person’s mental health.  According to BullyingStatistics.org (2015), students who are bullied are two to nine times more likely to think about suicide than those who are not bullied.  Nearly 30% of students today are victims of bullying, with many students being too scared to attend school because of bullying (Bullying Statistics, 2015).  This is why it is imperative for schools, teachers, and other adults to be willing to help address this issue when it arises. 

            According to the U.S. Virgin Islands 2010 Disability Status report, 2.3% of children in the Virgin Islands have a disability (2010 Disability Status Report: U.S. Virgin Islands, 2010).  This comes out to approximately 615 out of 26,958 children in the Virgin Islands living with a disability (2010 Disability Status Report: U.S. Virgin Islands, 2010). Children with disabilities are more likely to be bullied than children without a disability (Bullying and Youth with Disabilities and Special Health Needs, 2015).  It is important to raise awareness among these children in order to establish data and prevent the higher risk of disability among children with disabilities.

            There is not much data regarding bullying in the Virgin Islands, therefore, it is unknown how many children are bullied.  Ms. Astia LeBron, of the United States Virgin Islands Department of Health, reports that the chance of youth dying of gun violence before the age of 21 is high.  With the lack of data on bullying and the high rate of deaths due to guns, it is important to determine the bullying rate to determine any connections between the two.

For more information on bullying, visit the Centers for Disease Control website or the United States Virgin Islands Department of Health website.

References

Analysis of State Bullying Laws and Policies. (2011). Retrieved September 9, 2015, from http://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/bullying/state-bullying-laws/state-bullying-laws.pdf

2010 Disability Status Report: U.S. Virgin Islands. (2010). Retrieved September 12, 2015, from https://www.disabilitystatistics.org/reports/2010-StatusReport-USVI/2010-StatusReport-USVI.html#prev-17

Blake, M. (2010, October 8). Bullying poses threats too dangerous to ignore. Retrieved September 14, 2015, from http://virginislandsdailynews.com/op-ed/bullying-poses-threats-too-dangerous-to-ignore-1.1045672

Blake, M. (2011, August 11). The larger effects of bullying. Retrieved September 9, 2015, from http://virginislandsdailynews.com/op-ed/the-larger-effects-of-bullying-1.1193640

Bullying and Youth with Disabilities and Special Health Needs. (2015). Retrieved September 7, 2015, from http://www.stopbullying.gov/at-risk/groups/special-needs/

Bullying Statistics. (2015). Retrieved September 6, 2015, from http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/bullying-and-suicide.html

K-12 Bullying Intervention, Prevention, and Remediation Policy. (2011). Retrieved September 7, 2015, from http://www.myviboe.com/pdf/K-12 Bullying policy final.pdf

Our Programs. (2015). Retrieved September 6, 2015, from http://www.healthvi.org/programs/

Stokes, F. (2013, October 22). Bullying tips Parent finds little help in fighting off school bully Markoe principal mum on incidents. Retrieved September 14, 2015, from http://virginislandsdailynews.com/news/bullying-tips-parent-finds-little-help-in-fighting-off-school-bully-markoe-principal-mum-on-incidents-1.1572311