Student Bullied During T.V. Interview on Bullying

Wow—here’s your dose of Friday absurdity. A couple of days ago, a student was bullied on camera when he was about to sit for a TV news interview on … wait for it … bullying. This story makes my brain hurt.

Preston Deener, a Brunswick High School sophomore in Brunswick, Maryland, was preparing for an interview on bullying at his school with the local TV news station when three boys approached him. They didn’t seem to care AT ALL that the camera was set up and the reporter was standing there, and they started pushing Preston. One even began repeatedly hitting Preston in the head.

Preston didn’t fight back. The camera caught him running in front of traffic—being chased by one of the boys—to tell administration what had happened. Nice job, Preston! Way to turn the other cheek!

But Preston had learned this lesson the hard way. The previous week he had been suspended for three days for fighting back and punching a student who had tackled him. (It’s not clear whether the student who was bullying Preston was also suspended.)

The news camera caught the three boys, and the station turned over the footage to the school, which is attempting to identify the students involved.  Let’s hope the school responds more appropriately this time.

Disciplining students may not solve the problem. Zero tolerance disciplinary policies or other knee jerk reactions often fail to take into account the context of the behaviors involved. Instead, research has shown that responses that support positive school climates and focus on changing the norms of behavior are more successful at stopping bullying.

Finally, it’s not clear exactly why the students were harassing Preston, but if it was because of his sex or failure to conform to gender stereotypes, then Title IX might apply and require the school to respond. (For more information about Title IX and how it applies, check out our website.) In addition, other federal civil rights law prohibits harassment based on race, color, or national origin and disability.

Alright, that’s it, I’m off to read equally absurd—but fake—stories on The Onion. Happy Friday, everyone!