No school is immune from bullying problem

The video footage is difficult to watch. It shows 8-year-old Gabriel Taye, a student at Carson Elementary School, laying on the floor motionless for six minutes as more than a dozen students walked past. Some students kicked him, others poked him, until an assistant principal came to Gabriel’s aid.

More disturbing and confusing was the school’s response to the incident, which on the surface has been less than transparent. Gabriel’s mother has said no one at Carson told her about the episode when she came to collect him that day.

Her son died by suicide two days later and bullying might have been a contributing factor, she has said . ...

... Unfortunately, Gabriel is not the first young person in this area to have his death linked to bullying.

Thirteen-year-old Emilie Grace Olsen, a student in Fairfield City Schools, took her own life in 2014. Emilie’s parents said their daughter, who was Asian American, was a victim of constant bullying that the school district failed to properly address.

Cincinnati Public Schools has stressed that no official link has been established between Gabriel’s death and bullying at Carson.

But the reality is that no school is immune from the bullying problem. Even though many schools have tried to address it with programs, policies and awareness messaging, the problem still persists.

There are still too many Emilies and Gabriels . ...

Read the full editorial from the Cincinnati Enquirer at cin.ci/2qa1zgA