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Severna Park
The Severna Park community was shaken a few days ago when a video surfaced, showing a Severna Park High School student bullying a student with special needs by using abusive and threatening language. Like everyone else, we were shocked and horrified by the disturbing video. We condemn that behavior, but that alone is not enough. Sadly, this is not an isolated incident. For the last few days, our staff has been discussing how we can be part of the solution to eliminate bullying in our schools.
Longtime readers of the Voice know that we don’t cover crime or breaking news. Since 1981, our mission has been to unify the community and highlight the people who make it such a special place. Every month, readers can flip through pages of the Voice to find the kind and unselfish acts that make Severna Park, and the world, a better place.
With that in mind, we have spent the last few days discussing what we can do. An old article mentioning the suspended student was removed from our website. That action was taken out of respect to everyone hurt by his actions – not because we are trying to sweep the bullying problem under the rug. We want to open a dialogue with the community so we can fix the problem, not dismiss it. It’s going to take all of us as a community to create change. If you or someone you know was bullied in any of our local schools, we want to hear from you. If you have heard of ways people are helping the victims or ways we can support them, we want to hear from you.
Our January edition was off to the printer before we had a chance to start this dialogue, but we promise to explore the bullying crisis for our February paper. Thank you to everyone who is committed to working with us to make our schools and our community a safer place.
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sarahhopelincoln
While I applaud the Severna Park Voice staffs’ attempt at addressing bullying related concerns in their recent editorial, I am very troubled by the actions they have taken to do so. I no longer live in Annapolis, but having grown up in this community, I feel it important to speak out. First, and foremost, bullying is a significant problem in our schools nationwide. Per the National Center for Educational Statistics in 2019, one out of every five students reports being bullied, and we know that bullying has significant negative consequences on a child’s wellbeing and mental health. These rates are too high and the consequences extreme. Bullying should not be tolerated.
However, in their efforts to draw attention to this concern, the staff have done a disservice to the issue and the children involved. It’s important to remember that we are taking about children. Children who have a right to privacy, safety, and support from their community. Though you state that this is not an isolated incident, by drawing attention to the circumstance, you isolate it further and increase the rates of attention on this specific incident. Moreover, there is little thought to the complicated nature of bullying in this editorial.
I have no knowledge on any of the children involved in this incident. Thus I am only speaking to research done on bullies, victims, and bully-victims. This third category is incredibly important and often forgotten about. It is not uncommon that children who bully, have been bullied, research refers to them as bully-victims. We know that bullies and bully-victims report high rates of problematic behaviors, negative self-thought, difficulties with social interactions, and higher rates of mental health concerns (Cook et al., 2010), including significantly higher rates of self-harm (Myklestad & Straiton, 2021). Perhaps, in the incident you draw attention to, you have found the one rare child who is simply mean. I see that as incredibly unlikely though.
You mention removing a previous article about the suspended student. I am assuming, though I may be wrong, that this article referred to something positive about the suspended student. This action is what bothers me the most. Ultimately this action further punishes this child. A bully should have consequences, but they should be appropriate and delivered by the appropriate people. What you have now ensured is that when someone looks for information on this child, they will no longer see a multifaceted child, but information that deems this child as a bully and only a bully. By this action, you have made the decision that this child’s positive behaviors, whatever they were, no longer matter. As a clinical child psychologist and a psychological scientist, I study the role of exclusion and isolation and how it increases risk for psychopathology. By further excluding this child, you have increased their risk for poor outcomes. In an effort to support one child, you have failed another.
I would be more than happy to talk with anybody about effective ways to decrease bullying in schools and communities. Supporting the school, providing greater resources, educating parents and youth can all be effective methods of deterring bullying behavior. Shaming a child does not help. Please feel free to reach out to me at sarahhope.lincoln@gmail.com if you have questions or concerns.
Sarah Hope Lincoln, Ph.D.
Sunday, January 22, 2023 Report this