Fergus Falls Daily Journal

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

As we enter the second month of the school year, students are getting acclimated to their new classes, teachers, friends and surroundings. But what about those students that are trying to fit in and are being bullied by their peers.

October is National Bullying Awareness Month, a chance to raise awareness for the impact bullying has on students and to start the discussion of what our community can do to eliminate it from our schools and workplaces.  According to the National Center for Education Statistics and Bureau of Justice Statistics, 28 percent of U.S. students in 6-12 grade have experienced bullying. Of those, only about 20 to 30 percent notify adults about bullying.

Children are not the only ones that experience bullying. In an online survey of more than 2,000 adults in the United States conducted by the American Osteopathic Association, 31 percent of the respondents said that they’ve been bullied as adults, while 43 percent believe bullying behavior has become more accepted over the past year. According to the study, most of this is done in the workplace and can cause those that are being bullied to feel constant anxiety, affecting the ability to focus and function effectively, and lead those to self-preservation.

It is important to recognize those that are being bullied or have experienced being bullied and offer comfort and encouragement. For more information on what you can do to help prevent bullying, visit stopbullying.gov and other websites.