Reader Responses

Thank you for covering the important topic of bullying. We applaud the Tyler and Whitehouse school districts for working to prevent bullying, creating positive and supportive environments, and formulating effective and responsive ways to react to bullying when it does occur. Teaching respect and relationship skills and creating positive school environments through the use of evidence-based behavior models will help protect Texas students from bullying. By tracking bullying, collecting data, and standardizing the process for reporting bullying, these districts set an example that we hope other districts will follow. And we hope to see that these programs, upon review of the relevant data and personal stories, are effective in reducing bullying.

Implemented effectively — that is, without regulating off-campus speech but protecting youth rights — these measures would allow school districts to determine where bullying is a problem. In turn, they would provide assistance to teachers and administrators in responding to situations. A recent survey found only 32 percent of Texas students who reported bullying incidents to school officials had effective intervention.
Texas schools should implement protocols similar to those Tyler and Whitehouse have, where there is a process for reporting bullying, and where school officials are held accountable.

The ACLU of Texas worked hard during the last legislative session to pass a bill designed to protect students from bullying (HB 1942), but even it does not go far enough to ensure that all Texas school districts properly investigate and remedy instances of bullying on their campuses. Texas public schools must be held accountable for ensuring that all students feel safe at school — that is as much a basic responsibility as teaching reading and writing and arithmetic.

Terri T. Burke
Executive Director

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