cliques

The purpose of my speech is to persuade that schools do not do enough to prevent harassment of other students.

I. In movies, you always see the big jock shoving the little dorky kid into a locker or pushing their head into a toilet. Unfortunately, this doesn’t just happen in the movies; it can be a reality.

A. Recent statistics show that one out of four kids have been or are being bullied, yet one out of five kids have said they have been a bully to someone. Shockingly, 100,000 students carry a gun to school. It is disappointing that today’s youth feel they have to carry a gun to feel safe. Additionally, it’s not just students getting bullied; teachers are also assaulted, robbed, and more.

B. Bullies know right away who to pick on. They are usually kids with not many friends, also known as loners. Many people who are handicapped, mentally or physically, are chosen to be harassed.

C. Teenage girls belonging to cliques can be very cruel if your appearance isn’t as stylish or trendy as they see fit. The girls will use insults, gossiping, rejection, or even spreading rumors. Unfortunately, the self-esteem of the victims declines, making them think they are inferior.

II. Ronald Stephens, from the National School Safety Center, says, “A lot of administrators don’t want a paper trail; it’s a fear of litigation and a reluctance to look bad.” Some schools just ignore the fact that bullying is going on in the school. Many parents have taken legal action because of the administrators who have done nothing about their harassment issues.

III. In Export, Pennsylvania, Christina, a 7th grader, was riding the bus home from school when two girls tried to light her hair on fire. Christina’s mother contacted the school officials who were made aware of the attack, yet the girls continued to harass Christina and her classmate Jessica. They would shove and hit the girls in the halls, while the school still refused to do anything about the situation. The advice Christina and Jessica got from their Vice Principal was to keep a low profile until the bullies moved on to someone new. Unfortunately, the Vice Principal has underestimated the magnitude of the situation. The harassment didn’t stop there; the two girls had to be sent home because the school said they couldn’t guarantee their safety. Eventually, the school board got the girls a school aide to escort them to their classes.