The Menace Of Bullying: What Frankfort Parents Are Saying

FRANKFORT, IL — An informal survey of Patch readers in Frankfort whose children attend schools in District 157C and Summit Hill District 161 included personal details of bullying incidents among their children.

When asked about the district's bullying discipline policies, responses from parents varied. District 157C parents said policies were "absolutely fine" and "great." One District 157C parent said the district was responsive, but didn't know if the bully was disciplined.

However, other parents disagreed.

"Lots of talk, but little action when bullying actually happens" a District 157C parent wrote.

Another District 157C parent said policies were "not adequate."

A Summit Hill D161 parent echoed the same sentiment, saying policies "could be better."

When asked what impact they think bullying has had on students in their child's district, these Frankfort parents didn't hold back with their responses. Parents mentioned depression, anxiety, feeling insecure, not feeling safe at school, an impact on grades and self-esteem issues.

"A big impact," one Summit Hill D161 parent wrote. "Kids are growing and changing and they don’t need others to push them down."

"Children are afraid. Fear is not conducive to learning," a District 157C parent said.

However, several District 157C parents wrote that there was no impact from bullying and they had not seen any bullying in the schools.

"There is no bullying," one parent said.

When asked about the kind of bullying prevention they've seen in their child's school district, parents did write that the schools have social-emotional curriculum, anti-bullying projects, District 157C's "Tiger University," assemblies and online reporting. One District 157C parent said teachers do a good job of addressing any issues in real-time.

"The district isn’t perfect and of course there’s always room for improvement, but in my experience, their policies have worked," a District 157C parent wrote.

Other parents disagreed, and one District 157C parent said they saw no prevention, adding, "[The district] could acknowledge that bullying exists. Then they could take action by creating programming specifically targeted for bullying prevention."

"It was a horrible experience that lasted for years, the school district never handled it," a District 157C parent shared.

Another District 157C parent said prevention also needs to start at home.

"I think parents need to step up and teach their kids to be kind. That's not the school's job, yet they do it anyway," the parent said.

A Summit Hill D161 parent also mentioned how parents can be part of the problem.

"Most of the time bullying stems from the parents. Parents should be held accountable," the parent wrote.

The regional parent survey, timed to coincide with National Bullying Prevention Month in October, was posted on dozens of Patch sites in Illinois and in the Midwest. The survey is not scientific, but could be considered a broad indicator of parents' feelings about the seriousness of bullying in their schools and communities.

Bullying: How District 157C Tackles The Issue

As of Oct. 23, more than 460 parents responded to this regional Patch survey. The key findings were:

• Nearly 71 percent of parents said their children had been bullied at least once, and nearly 65 percent had been bullied this school year.
• 36.3 percent of parents said their child has witnessed bullying often at school.
• 48.5 percent of parents said if their child is bullied, it is two or more students bullying them.

These informal findings should be compared to statistics compiled in more scientific surveys, which note that:

• Bullying affects 1 in 3 U.S. schoolchildren (NoBully.org)
• 59 percent of U.S. students experience cyberbullying (Pew Research Center)
• 160,000 kids stay home from school every day to avoid bullies, National Association of School Psychologists

The Menace Of Bullies: Patch Advocacy Reporting Project

As part of a national reporting project, Patch has been looking at society's roles and responsibilities in bullying and a child's unthinkable decision to end their own life in hopes we might offer solutions that save lives.

Do you have a story to tell? Are you concerned about how your local schools handle bullies and their victims?

Email us at bullies@patch.com and share your views in the comments.

Selected Stories From The Project

• Bullied To Death: When Kids Kill With Words
• I Could Have Been Mallory Grossman
• Bullied Over Homemade T-Shirt, Kid Inspires University Of Tennessee Design
• Howell Teen Runs To Save Lives, Change Statistics On Suicide
• America's Shameful Truth About School Shooters And Bullying
• Cyberbullying Most Often Affects Girls; These Women Are Trying To Stop It
• Bullying Kids: Straighten Up, Or Your Parents May Have To Pay Up
• Teen Who Killed Himself Wasn't 'Worthless,' Family Tells Bullies
• Menace Of Bullies: Why This Woman Resigned Her 6-Figure Job
• Survivor Of Bullying And Suicide Writes Frankly About Both
• 'I Will Be Your Friend': First-Grader's Shirt Fights Bullies
• Girl-To-Girl Bullying: Why It's Different, Difficult To Confront
• What Prompts Bullying In This Ohio School
• Cyberbullying In This Michigan City Carries $500 Fine, 3 Months In Jail
• Bully Upstander: Whatever He Said Caused Bullies To Back Down
• Bullying Caused 11-Year-Old To Attempt Suicide, Mother Says
• Bullied 10-Year-Old's Suicide 8th In School District This Year
• The Menace Of Bullies: Most U.S. States Take On Cyberbullying
• Cyberbullying Is Now Against The Law In Michigan
• Shooting Incident Linked To Bullying At School, Mom Says
• Girls More Likely Than Boys To See Bullying As Harmful: Study
• 13-Year-Old Hangs Herself, But Bullying Killed Her
• Teen Tells Bullies In Video: 'Every Day, I Wear Your Words'
• 'The Hero Myth': Why Expecting Kids To Fight Bullies Is Harmful
• 'Mr. Anti-Bully': Reformed Bully, 12, Sets Mistake Right
• Mallory Grossman Bullying Detailed In Wrongful Death Suit
• Malden Schools Were Non-Compliant Through Bullying Saga: DOE
• 'They All Failed And Changed A Child': Malden Bullying Detailed
• Mom Speaks About Bullying Heartbreak: 'I Feel I Failed Him'
• Why These Kindergartners Start Each Day With A Handshake
• The Bully Menace: 'The Hurt Never Goes Away'
• Bullies And Their Targets The Same: Digital Self-Harm Rising
• Williamsburg Poetry Teacher Helps Bullied Kids Open Tortured Minds
• Bullying Tougher To Confront When It's Bias-Based: Researchers
• The Bully Menace: 13 Age-Appropriate Reads
• Teen's 'I Wear Your Words' Video Inspires Nashville Songwriters