At recess, a group of sixth-graders is picking on the new kid in your class. You look around the schoolyard. Some kids are ignoring the situation. Others are filming it or taking pictures. What are YOU doing?
Unfortunately, scenes like this one are not uncommon. In a recent study conducted by the U.S. Department of Education, more than 25 percent of middle school students reported that they had been bullied at school.
Judy French works for PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center. The organization works to end bullying. She says it’s important to try to help kids who are pushed around, left out, or gossiped about.
“If it were happening to you, wouldn’t you want someone to help?” French asks.
Supporting someone who is being bullied isn’t always easy, though.
“But even in difficult situations, there are things we can do to make things better,” French says.
Read on as French weighs in about how to handle two bullying situations.
