California Family Given 1 Million After 12 Year Olds Suicide - Polidicks

[Quote]he family of a 12-year-old boy who committed suicide after years of bullying, mostly over gender-related issues, have reached a $1 million settlement with the suburban Sacramento school district where the harassment occurred. Ronin Shimizu took his own life last year after enduring what his family said were years of abuse that began when he was in the first grade in the Folsom Cordova Unified School District. "He was taunted for being 'gay,' 'girlie,' 'a fag,' pushed out of the boys’ bathroom and told to use the girls’ bathroom, pushed down into the mud, doused with fruit cup in the cafeteria, and made to suffer other indignities," his parents said in a mediation brief filed in the case. Subsequent meetings with teachers and administrators yielded little if any action, the family said in the brief, which was provided by their attorney, Mark Meron. The first-grade teacher told Shimizu's parents, Danielle and Brandon Shimizu, that they should stop allowing him to use girls' clothes for dress-up, the brief said. In the second grade, he was pushed into a bathroom sink and split his lip, and in fifth grade, he was bullied over a decision to join the school's cheerleading club, among other things. Ronin was diagnosed with anxiety, depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder, but the school district did not respond to his parents' request to establish a support program for him at school. A year before he committed suicide, they enrolled him in a home-schooling program offered by the district. After his death, the school district implemented an anti-bullying program and set up a Character Education and Bullying Prevention Task Force.[/Quote] [url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/04/us-usa-bullying-idUSKCN0R400920150904]Reuters[/url] I don't really cry that often but I teared up a little at this, kids are cruel

[quote]After his death, the school district implemented an anti-bullying program and set up a Character Education and Bullying Prevention Task Force.[/quote] A bit too late you pieces of shit. A lot of these people that work at these schools and school districts are great for telling parents nothing more than, "we can't do anything". If you elevate anything further up to the administration outside of the school, they say the same things. And then when stuff like this happens, [I]then[/I] they bother doing stuff, but it's for PR and not because they care. Watch the movie Bully if you want to see more about how stupid and depressing this situation gets.

I know people who have gone through severe bullying in school and regardless of how much they preach that it's "a serious issue and no joke" and all the other bullshit, they [I]still[/I] won't do SHIT. It's such a horrible thing and the worst part is that nobody in the school districts seem to genuinely care at all

I can honestly say, If this was my kid, I would personally go down to that school, and kick the shit out of those kids (i wouldn't go as far as killing them, cuz that would be dumb) But Ièd be damn sure to make sure they never tried to bully anyone again. If I have a kid that gets bullied for something like this and teachers do what they do, which is nothing, I would just tell him to slug the fucker in the face for teasing him.

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[QUOTE=Kylel999;48610774]I know people who have gone through severe bullying in school and regardless of how much they preach that it's "a serious issue and no joke" and all the other bullshit, they [I]still[/I] won't do SHIT. It's such a horrible thing and the worst part is that nobody in the school districts seem to genuinely care at all[/QUOTE] The escape for me was through magnet schools. The GPA requirement and extra classes you had to take kept certain people away. It's not perfect, and it has to be a magnet school that doesn't included zoned non-magnet kids, but it definitely helps get most of that awfulness out of the picture.

[QUOTE=wauterboi;48610736]A bit too late you pieces of shit. A lot of these people that work at these schools and school districts are great for telling parents nothing more than, "we can't do anything". If you elevate anything further up to the administration outside of the school, they say the same things. And then when stuff like this happens, [I]then[/I] they bother doing stuff, but it's for PR and not because they care. Watch the movie Bully if you want to see more about how stupid and depressing this situation gets.[/QUOTE] There's also the fact that if you try and punish a student, even rightfully so, that student's parents come in and they make a scene, say you don't have the right, etc etc. I think people who get in trouble for bullying more than once should be punished with a paddle and some in school suspension. None of that wimpy tap bullshit either. Talking to people doesn't do shit, they'll just keep doing it. If being talked to is the only consequence then who gives a shit about being punished. You want to crack down on this stuff you have to make the punishment bad enough to be a deterrent. And you have to do it without some dumb zero tolerance blanket policy

[QUOTE=TheTalon;48610825]There's also the fact that if you try and punish a student, even rightfully so, that student's parents come in and they make a scene, say you don't have the right, etc etc. I think people who get in trouble for bullying more than once should be punished with a paddle and some in school suspension. None of that wimpy tap bullshit either. Talking to people doesn't do shit, they'll just keep doing it. If being talked to is the only consequence then who gives a shit about being punished[/QUOTE] If they had a backbone, stuff like this wouldn't happen.

[QUOTE=TheTalon;48610825]There's also the fact that if you try and punish a student, even rightfully so, that student's parents come in and they make a scene, say you don't have the right, etc etc. I think people who get in trouble for bullying more than once should be punished with a paddle and some in school suspension.[/QUOTE] Bullying didn't suddenly appear in the 70s after they started getting rid of corporeal punishment. Knowing the south they'd probably abuse this new right to hit kids on the very kids that need protection the most, gays, mentally ill,trans, non-christians etc.

Bullying is no joke. Even more so, I'd argue, when it comes to gender related things. THe bullying in middle school and up got so bad that after multiple suicide attempts and subsequent hospitalizations I ended up having to attend a school for people with "behavioral issues" (Which is a lovely way of saying the place they send all the people they don't want to deal with). So in other words they stuck me with kids that had severe bipolar disorder or kids with severe autism just because I had depression and suicidal thoughts.

[QUOTE=TheTalon;48610825]There's also the fact that if you try and punish a student, even rightfully so, that student's parents come in and they make a scene, say you don't have the right, etc etc. I think people who get in trouble for bullying more than once should be punished with a paddle and some in school suspension. None of that wimpy tap bullshit either. Talking to people doesn't do shit, they'll just keep doing it. If being talked to is the only consequence then who gives a shit about being punished. You want to crack down on this stuff you have to make the punishment bad enough to be a deterrent. And you have to do it without some dumb zero tolerance blanket policy[/QUOTE] Except that's completely retarded. In all my time of me being in my district, not once has corporal punishment ever been used, and we've had next to no problem with bullying. It's a good system too, it's not just trying to guilt people into not doing things, it's actively going out and calling their parents and let their parents, the ones who seriously care about their child, and telling them about the situation. There are other punishments, like in-school suspension, but actively telling their parents what's happening and letting them deal with it because they actually care about their kid is helping tremendously. Plus whatever else bullying prevention and awareness programs the schools put on, it really helps with bullying. Besides, the idea of whacking kids with big sticks is stupid anyways. It didn't work in the 50s, and it sure as hell won't work now.

I remember being a kid and getting bullied on the bus a lot, when I finally brought it up to the bus driver I can remember the exact words she told me "If you stopped putting your neck out they'd stop picking on you". Man fuck that bus driver

This reminds me of when I was in elementary school, my great grandmother had cancer, as a result of the treatment they were giving her her hair was falling out. I learned you could donate hair so for an entire year I ended up growing mine out as long as it could go to donate it, I was mocked and bullied each day once it got longer then shoulder length, saying I looked like a girl and was becoming one, on top of the insults they were already giving me before this for having ADD, towards the end I had to cut it just before it was long enough to donate because I couldn't take the bullying any longer and the teachers didn't give a shit and do anything about it.

[QUOTE=RudeMcRude;48610802]I can honestly say, If this was my kid, I would personally go down to that school, and kick the shit out of those kids (i wouldn't go as far as killing them, cuz that would be dumb) But Ièd be damn sure to make sure they never tried to bully anyone again. If I have a kid that gets bullied for something like this and teachers do what they do, which is nothing, I would just tell him to slug the fucker in the face for teasing him.[/QUOTE] Yeah no you wouldn't, you'd really do that so you can get in a lot of shit for assaulting a minor? Doubt it.

If I have a child and I'm not living in a really nice school district, I'll probably try and home school him, because of all the retarded school politics.

[QUOTE=wauterboi;48610838]If they had a backbone, stuff like this wouldn't happen.[/QUOTE] as mean as it sounds your right. I only had to rumble with this kid one time after school for people to see I wasn't a coward and they found lower hanging fruit.

Bullying in schools is extremely serious as it seriously harms development of the people on both ends of it - the ones who are targeted by it as well as the ones who get away with it. The problem is that you can't expect the teachers who are severally underpaid, often economically and socially insecure, to also expand their common mode of operation to include being also basically all-time counsellors and therapists. This is why much more resources and money should be dedicated to the teachers, mainly on the lower levels of education where kids often behave as little vile bastards like this.

[QUOTE=Awesomecaek;48612355]Bullying in schools is extremely serious as it seriously harms development of the people on both ends of it - the ones who are targeted by it as well as the ones who get away with it. The problem is that you can't expect the teachers who are severally underpaid, often economically and socially insecure, to also expand their common mode of operation to include being also basically all-time counsellors and therapists. This is why much more resources and money should be dedicated to the teachers, mainly on the lower levels of education where kids often behave as little vile bastards like this.[/QUOTE] My father's girlfriend is a teacher, and I think she spread herself thin sometimes. She'd be a better teacher if she could have more control, but anything she does will come back tenfold with parents screaming at her - especially machismo father who care nothing about education. The rest of the administration has no excuse, though. My high school had some great involved administration, imo. Everyone loved the dean and all of the people in the office.

Bullying is bad, but I cannot stand the schools that can sit there and say "We've successfully eradicated bullying with our X program" and it still happens a lot this day. My school pushed an "anti-bullying" agenda for news popularity, such as enforcing dress codes to ensure kids wouldn't be bullied for what they looked like, but bullying still occurs. Counselors here don't even care either, kids will get beat down and the most they can tell them is to fill out a piece of paper and have it looked at over the course of a semester, and nothing will be done. It's unfortunate because these kind of schools become bully or be bullied environments. Honestly, I think it comes down to the faculties attitude. I don't think counselors won't effectively do their job when they're paid like dirt. Hell, I know they won't. Having to sit in guidance a lot for schedule changes, I've heard a lot about what they think about their school and pay, and it sounds like the only motivation they have is the next paycheck rather than their job.

This is what happens when you don't crack down hard on bullies. Either you get a tragedy, or you get the shit I ended up doing. Why the fuck aren't bullies the ones who get thrown out of school? Why did I have to take a bully hostage at knifepoint for the school administration to even take the issue seriously? What the fuck is up with people just letting bullies do their shit? Is it apathy? Is it "i dont want to have a bunch of rabid terrible parents on my butt"? What the fuck causes this issue to continue being an issue onwards even today?

[QUOTE=NeverGoWest;48612850]Is it "i dont want to have a bunch of rabid terrible parents on my butt"?[/QUOTE] It's this, and the limitations of the teachers. It's the administration that's awful. There's no way to remove bad kids from the classroom.

This is why I intend to teach any kids I have to fight back against any bullies they have to deal with (mentally or physically) and should the school attempt to discipline them I'll simply head in myself and force them to deal with it one way or another otherwise I'll deal with it myself. From experience it gets results: A while ago a family member had to deal with a similar bunch of idiots at school who kept hassling her, so I tried telling them to knock it off on FB. Obviously that didn't work but it got their attention and they started mouthing off at me (bearing in mind I'm a couple years older than these bitches - they were all year 11) so I decided to put my money where my mouth was and waited outside the school for them on a day I'd finished college early. Cue me throwing back everything they'd said at one of these girls, who kept trying to blame it on her friends (another one of them was there but she slinked away) and by the end of it she'd started crying when I walked away. Admittedly I probably went a little far by threatening to turn her braces into scrap but I had to intimidate her enough to force her to back down. Later on over the next few days the girl's friends messaged me on FB threatening me again and claiming I 'assaulted' her (though I'd only tapped on her shoulder) but they never did anything. In the end they all backed down and justice was served. So yeah, I think being forceful can get results.

[QUOTE=Awesomecaek;48612355]Bullying in schools is extremely serious as it seriously harms development of the people on both ends of it - the ones who are targeted by it as well as the ones who get away with it. [I]The problem is that you can't expect the teachers who are severally underpaid, often economically and socially insecure, to also expand their common mode of operation to include being also basically all-time counsellors and therapists.[/I] This is why much more resources and money should be dedicated to the teachers, mainly on the lower levels of education where kids often behave as little vile bastards like this.[/QUOTE] If it's during your work-time, I don't see why you shouldn't. Teachers have a pretty big impact on children. Anyone who spends a lot of time with them has a big impact on them. They are teachers. I remember in WoW (back when things were different) where certain adult players were joking that the RAID LEADERS may even have more of an impact to the underage players' lives than their parents, [I]and often did[/I], considering they also have to sleep, go to school, be with friends at least sometimes, etc. So anyway, if I was in a teacher's position and caught up to something bad among the children about something apparently outside of anyone's care, then I'd feel like [I]morally[/I] obligated to do something.

[QUOTE=Bat-shit;48613030]If it's during your work-time, I don't see why you shouldn't. Teachers have a pretty big impact on children. Anyone who spends a lot of time with them has a big impact on them. They are teachers. I remember in WoW (back when things were different) where certain adult players were joking that the RAID LEADERS may even have more of an impact to the underage players' lives than their parents, [I]and often did[/I], considering they also have to sleep, go to school, be with friends at least sometimes, etc. So anyway, if I was in a teacher's position and caught up to something bad among the children about something apparently outside of anyone's care, then I'd feel like [I]morally[/I] obligated to do something.[/QUOTE] Well of course they are [I]meant[/I] to do it but it's extremely tiring and demanding to expect somebody to be able to do it daily for decades, while struggling with shit salary that requires you to live a rather stark life. I think teachers deserve more respect and better social standing (pay) if it's meant to be fair to expect them to really invest themselves in the kids.

[QUOTE=GordonZombie;48612976]This is why I intend to teach any kids I have to fight back against any bullies they have to deal with (mentally or physically) and should the school attempt to discipline them I'll simply head in myself and force them to deal with it one way or another otherwise I'll deal with it myself. From experience it gets results: A while ago a family member had to deal with a similar bunch of idiots at school who kept hassling her, so I tried telling them to knock it off on FB. Obviously that didn't work but it got their attention and they started mouthing off at me (bearing in mind I'm a couple years older than these bitches - they were all year 11) so I decided to put my money where my mouth was and waited outside the school for them on a day I'd finished college early. Cue me throwing back everything they'd said at one of these girls, who kept trying to blame it on her friends (another one of them was there but she slinked away) and by the end of it she'd started crying when I walked away. Admittedly I probably went a little far by threatening to turn her braces into scrap but I had to intimidate her enough to force her to back down. Later on over the next few days the girl's friends messaged me on FB threatening me again and claiming I 'assaulted' her (though I'd only tapped on her shoulder) but they never did anything. In the end they all backed down and justice was served. So yeah, I think being forceful can get results.[/QUOTE] Slightly off topic but you did assault her. Assault is just the threat of harm being done to someone. So if she felt threatened by you threatening to turn her braces into scrap then it is an assault. Battery is the actual physical attack. Not that I disagree with you confronting her. It's just a really common misconception. In situations of bullying I really don't think telling kids to take the high road and just bear it is at all productive or the answer. It's just a lazy excuse for solving the problem. I was bullied quite a bit in grade school and I had a friend who was bullied frequently as well. I was lucky enough to hit a growth spurt and suddenly have almost a foot on my bullies so they fucked off. My friend got it way worse though. He went to the administration, his mother went to the administration, he even had his doctor write a letter to the school about how much it was affecting his physical and emotional health. They didn't do shit. My friend's bullies had laid out a plan to jump him on his way home from the bus stop and kill him. Had knives and everything. Then and only then did the administration talk to the bully's parents and suspend the kid for a day. During all that time they never even pulled the bully into the office or talked to his parents. They just ignored it. A week later they jumped him during a field trip and the principal had to drive his bloody ass back to school. She gave him detention for bleeding on her car but nothing for his bullies. His family ended up suing the district and the principal got fired. I hope that caused them to change their antibullying policies. If it were my kid getting bullied without the school doing anything to help I would absolutely advocate they punch that little shit in the dome. It would have solved my bullying problems way sooner and everyone I know who punched back stopped getting bullied. There's probably a life lesson in there about standing up for yourself too, but mostly fuck kids that pick on other kids.

[QUOTE=Awesomecaek;48613208]Well of course they are [I]meant[/I] to do it but it's extremely tiring and demanding to expect somebody to be able to do it daily for decades, while struggling with shit salary that requires you to live a rather stark life. I think teachers deserve more respect and better social standing (pay) if it's meant to be fair to expect them to really invest themselves in the kids.[/QUOTE] Indeed, it must be exhausting, and it would take a real everyday hero and a selfless person to really invest in the kids, and any problems that they might face. Plus the actual teaching of school subjects which is a challenging job as well.

[QUOTE=RudeMcRude;48610802]I can honestly say, If this was my kid, I would personally go down to that school, and kick the shit out of those kids (i wouldn't go as far as killing them, [B]cuz that would be dumb[/B])[/QUOTE] Because bashing the kids is going to get you far and totally isn't dumb either.

School districts won't ever do anything. Mine didn't when I was bullied so when I ever have kids I'll be sure to have them take some form of martial arts class(Perhaps brazilian jiu-jitsu) to use in self-defense and if a bully is ever a problem I'll tell my kids what my father told me, "Don't ever start a fight, but be prepared to finish one." With martial arts on their side they'd be a lot better off then I was as a kid.

[QUOTE=RudeMcRude;48610802]I can honestly say, If this was my kid, I would personally go down to that school, and kick the shit out of those kids (i wouldn't go as far as killing them, cuz that would be dumb) But Ièd be damn sure to make sure they never tried to bully anyone again. If I have a kid that gets bullied for something like this and teachers do what they do, which is nothing, I would just tell him to slug the fucker in the face for teasing him.[/QUOTE] I don't know how it is in other schools, but for the last 3 years of high school for me I think they had a policy in effect to stop fighting where if you punched anyone you basically were escorted out of school in handcuffs, suspended and were sent to an alternative school for a while I think, possibly even going to juvenile jail. I do not know if this covered middle school, doubt it would cover elementary.

[QUOTE=redonkulous;48613612]Slightly off topic but you did assault her. Assault is just the threat of harm being done to someone. So if she felt threatened by you threatening to turn her braces into scrap then it is an assault. Battery is the actual physical attack. Not that I disagree with you confronting her. It's just a really common misconception.[/QUOTE] Yeah I know, but they were claiming I'd physically assaulted her. Quite hilarious actually because one girl said I'd hit her whilst another guy said I'd grabbed her and [URL="http://i.imgur.com/sF1VJrih.jpg"]threatened to come to my house even though he didn't know where I lived[/URL] and kept tossing around baseless accusations. Overall an amusing experience.