Bullying in Virginia's Public Schools Essay Example

Saint Ambrose once said “No one heals [themself] by wounding another.” Unfortunately, many bullies do not realize this. There are many factors for why someone might choose to bully someone else. Nevertheless, for everyone involved in bullying, the bully, their victims, and bystanders, there are plenty of negative consequences. Bullying is an everyday problem in Virginia's public schools. According to the Virginia Department of Education, in 2020 there were 236 reported bullying incidents in public schools across the state. Bullying can affect victims in many destructive ways, including academically, physically, and emotionally.  If the State of Virginia does not address bullying in schools across the state, the physical, social/emotional, and academic health of students will suffer.

There are ample physical effects that result from bullying. According to stopbullying.gov, “The ongoing stress and trauma of being bullied can also lead to physical problems over time. A child who is bullied could develop sleep disorders…stomachaches, headaches…and chronic pain and somatization (a syndrome of distressful, physical symptoms that cannot be explained by a medical cause.).” This means that due to the anxiety from being bullied every day, kids can develop stomach aches, headaches, and other physical symptoms. This can cause students to miss school, fall behind on schoolwork, and increase the already high daily stress they have. If bullying is not addressed, students can experience rough physical consequences that interfere with their daily living.  

 Bullying has many unfavorable social and emotional effects. According to McLean Hospital, a psychiatric teaching hospital affiliated with Harvard Medical School,  “Students who are bullied by other students at school are more likely to develop depression…Bullying can make students more likely to develop anxiety…Children who are bullied might see themselves as less worthy than others…This can be devastating to academic and social development.”. Being bullied is a major risk factor for developing mental health problems. If a kid is being hurt every single day when they go to school, they can and will come to see themselves as less worthy and develop self-esteem problems. This can lead to withdrawal from friends and family and decreased enjoyment of life. Bullying can cause both social and emotional harm to victims. 

Bullying can also result in gloomy academic effects. According to stopbullying.gov, “[Bullying] has a negative impact on both grades and standardized test scores starting as early as kindergarten and continuing through high school.”. As you can see, there is a clear link between being bullied and lowered academic performance. The stress of being bullied at school is a likely cause of decreased grades and standard test performance. This affects bullying victims substantially. If a kid is constantly focusing on being bullied, they can be distracted and not able to focus in school as a result of their consistent anxiety. As a result of bullying, anxiety at school can increase, grades can drop, and standardized test scores might be lowered. 

Negative physical, social/emotional, and academic issues will continue to exist in Virginia public school students unless the State of Virginia takes action to prevent bullying in the entire state. We can all take action to end bullying in Virginia public schools.  Some actions everyone can take are to be kind to everyone, make friends with people who seem lonely, and to be an upstander whenever you witness bullying. Some actions the government can take to reduce bullying are to require every Virginia public school to have an anti-bullying policy; have a secure reporting system for bullying, and take every allegation of bullying seriously. If these steps are taken to prevent bullying, students can go to school without the fear of being harmed by fellow classmates, resulting in higher academic achievement, a more positive school culture, and less adverse physical symptoms, which can lead to a brighter future for all Virginia public school students.