Back to School Raises Concerns Over Bullying for Many Kids

National Mental Health Association
Monday, 11 August 2003

New Fact Sheets Help Parents and Teachers Discuss Bullying and Respecting Diversity With Kids

As children return to school, the National Mental Health Association encourages parents and teachers to talk to children about the importance of respecting their peers and speaking out about bullying during the school year.

"Physical or verbal forms of bullying take an emotional toll on kids and compromise their feelings of safety and self-esteem," said Michael Faenza, president and CEO of NMHA. "It's important that parents and other adults provide valuable emotional support, discuss the importance of respecting differences in themselves and others, and recognize when their children may be having difficulty coping with their transition back to school."

Children are faced with teasing and bullying daily. In fact, two-thirds of young people report being teased or gossiped about in the past month, and 25% have had this experience five times or more, according to a recent study of fifth through twelfth-graders by the Families and Work Institute. A 2002 national survey of teens by NMHA found that children who are overweight, gay or perceived to be gay, and children who have disabilities are most often targeted for bullying.

NMHA's free materials for parents and educators include:

• Top Ten Tips for Kids/Tips for Teens: Appreciating the Differences That Make Each of Us Special


• Messages for Parents: Talking to Your Children about the Difference that Make Each of Us Special


• Bullying and What To Do About It


• Back to School: Is Your Child Totally Ready?


• Promoting Children's Mental Health, and more.

For more information, or to contact National Mental Health Association, see their website at: www.nmha.org