Remedies/Prevention

• Children be taught that such behavior is harmful and wrong and that it is important to tell an adult immediately if they are a victim or witness of bullying. If that doesn't get action, they need to know alternatives.
• Educators be trained to recognize behavior and symptoms, understand their responsibility and know what to do as a victim, witness, or bully.

• Parents be taught to recognize bullying, the damage it causes and what help is available for them and their children.

• Business executives be taught the impact on business of lost time, depression, danger to employees from disgruntled persons and the responsibility of key leaders for addressing the issues.

• Parents receive adequate training before and during child-raising years.
• All areas of society recognize and honor values such as respect and honesty.
• Children and adults receive training in communications and anger control.
• Practice sessions be held to teach how to not overreact, which can undermine trust.
• Youth issues be settled, when possible, through peer mediation.
• Persons of all ages recognize the responsibility of observers/bystanders to counteract bullying.
• Make it "politically correct" to seek help for difficult circumstances.
• Educators and parents work in a cooperative partnership to help each other address the problems of children, recognizing that each (child, educator, and parent) has a need that requires creative and nonadversarial remedy.

• Recognize that placing "blame" may be counterproductive. Instead, focus on solutions and moving forward toward a positive outcome.

• The emergency system, i.e. social workers, agencies and organizations, receive better training, reduced work loads, and increased pay to ensure a higher level of continuity and effective response.
• A means of follow up for hotline calls be developed.

A neighborhood forum at Swope Parkway Health Center suggestions were made:

• A central information system and revision of confidentiality laws to allow police, schools and state agencies to do a better job of working together to help troubled families.
• Agencies give callers a number or the name of the social worker who takes the call so the person reporting abuse can check back to track the results.

This group also advocated.

• Better training for citizens in recognizing signs of abuse and where to make reports.
• Truancy and evidence of drug use be dealt with more effectively
• Raising mandatory school attendance to age 18.
• Passing laws [advocated by some] to prosecute parents if children skip school⁽¹⁾ [Do such parents need punishment, or would parenting classes and other forms of support be more effective? Some parents are themselves societal dropouts whose children are following in their footsteps. One might ask why some children seem able to rise above this, while others succumb.]

1. Russ Pulley, "Residents Suggest Ways to Prevent Child Abuse," The Kansas City Star, 01/09/00