Say No to Bullying

Bullying is a serious issue in our schools today. With the rise of social media and online forums, kids are more susceptible to bullying than ever before. Keeping that in mind LCA Houston International Society News and NAN & Co Properties teamed up with Crime Stoppers of Houston in raising awareness and hosted an informative afternoon lunch ‘Say No to Bullies‘ also to mark November as Anti Bullying Month.

In the beautiful and sleek Nan & Co Properties offices, Crime Stoppers held a panel discussion to go over important topics and to answer questions. They went over bullying, how to deal with it correctly, and ways to prevent it. With a brilliant group of panelist like Susan Shaw – ADL (Anti-Defamation League), Dr. Lauren Goonan – head of HISD Psychological Services, Anthony Valle – HPD, and Michelle Sacks – Crime Stoppers, questions were answered and real life stories were shared.

Bullying is such a hard challenge to overcome since parents cannot physically be there for their children in the classroom. School is a place where every child should always feel safe and comfortable. This luncheon was hosted to help equip parents with the knowledge they need to recognize bullying and how to prevent it. Often times, kids don’t realize their behavior is wrong and they don’t realize their actions are harmful. The conversation starts with teaching kids how to behave.

With one in four school children experiencing bullying, something needs to be done. There are several ways to deal with bullying, but some can cause more harm than good. One of the main topics discussed was choosing not to retaliate to bullying with violence or with harsh words. Parents can sometimes have the tendency to tell their kids to ‘stand up for themselves’ and to ‘fight back’, this can cause further damage in school systems. Students should always report any mean behavior and be sure to tell their parents.

The police officer at the event, Anthony Valle, shared his experience in HISD schools as well as his personal struggle with bullying. It’s a much more common problem than one may think, several parents in attendance had personal stories to share as well of their kids having issues at school.

Crime Stoppers hosts events like this and many others to make an impact in our community and to put an end to issues like these. They look out for our kids, and help parents educate themselves. For more information visit crime stoppers website Crime Stoppers of Houston – Keeping You Safe.

By Natasha Naik