Missouri hot line offers help regarding bullying at school

There have been school bullies as long as there have been schools. Bullying goes beyond the social interaction of youngsters who populate our classrooms and playgrounds. Bullying can have a seriously detrimental effect, both physically and mentally, on its targets.

School districts try to find ways to deal with bullying. The Sikeston School District announced last week is it training students and staff members about bullying. Members of the Scott City School Board last week heard from parents who say their children are being bullied.

The Missouri Department of Social Services Children's Division has a statewide School Violence Hotline that accepts calls about bullying. According its website, (www.schoolviolencehotline.com), The School Violence Hotline is staffed Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Information is gathered and entered into a centralized database. The information is then communicated to the appropriate law enforcement agency and schools. It is up to the law enforcement agency and school district to decide how the case will be handled.

The hot line's website also includes this information regarding signs that a child is being bullied:

The child comes home with torn, damaged or missing pieces of clothing, books or other belongings. The child has unexplained bruises, cuts or scratches. The child seems afraid of going to school, walking to and from school, riding the school bus or taking part in organized activities with peers. The child appears sad, moody, teary or depressed when he or she comes home. The child frequently appears anxious or suffers from low self-esteem.

If you suspect your child is being bullied, support your child, inform others and take action. Here's some advice from the hot line:

Focus on your child. Be supportive and gather information about the bullying. Tell your child you are concerned about him or her and ask questions.

Contact your child's teacher or principal. He or she will probably be in the best position to understand the relationships between your child and other peers at school. Ask the teacher to talk to other adults who interact with your child at school to see if they have observed students bullying your child.

If you know your child is being bullied, take quick action. There is nothing worse than doing nothing, and bullying can have serious effects.