Michigan ranks No. 1 as state with worst bullying problem
Published: Monday, September 05, 2016
By Jim Kasuba
jimk@heritage.com
In May, the second annual Anti-bullying Awareness Walk took place at Heritage Park in Taylor. Money raised by teams and businesses goes toward walk expenses, social counselors, support groups and advocates to help victims and their families affected by bullying. Constance York — For The Press & Guide
View and purchase photos When it comes to bullying, Michigan ranks at the very top of the list as the state with the worst bullying problem in the country.
That's according to the personal-finance website WalletHub, which conducted an in-depth analysis of 2016's states that have the biggest bullying problems.
To identify where bullying is most pervasive, analysts compared 45 states and the District of Columbia across 17 key metrics that ranged from bullying incident rates to truancy costs for schools to percentage of high school students bullied online.
RELATED: Bully prevention specialist challenges students to rethink their behavior
Here's how Michigan ranked in some of those key metrics:
● Third in percentage of high school students bullied on school property.
● Fifth in percentage of high school students bullied online.
● Nineteenth in percentage of high schools students involved in a physical fight at school.
●Twenty-sixth in percentage of high school students who attempted suicide.
● Eighth in cost of truancy for schools due to bullying. Continued…
1
2
3
See Full Story ● Third in student-to-counselor ratio.
● Tenth in state anti-bullying laws and policies.
● Second in state anti-cyberbullying laws requiring school policy.
The study says that every seven minutes a child in the United States will be bullied, but only four in 100 adults will intervene. Only 11 percent of the child's peers will do the same, with 85 percent of people doing nothing.
The National Education Association reports that more than 160,000 children miss school every day out of fear of being bullied.
The WalletHub report says bullying takes many forms, ranging from the seemingly innocuous name calling to the more harmful cyberbullying to severe physical violence.
It often happens to the most vulnerable of children, especially those who are obese, gay or have a disability.
In addition to harm to the individuals involved, school systems take a financial hit. According to a National Association of Secondary School Principals report, the average public school can incur more than $2.3 million in lost funding and expenses as a result of lower attendance and various types of disciplinary action.
But perhaps the ultimate loss anyone can experience to bullying is the death of a loved one who was tormented by bullies.
That was the case with Courtney Hood, who at 15 took her own life due to bullying. Her story, told in the website courtneycounts.com, says she was bullied throughout her whole life for being “different,” but it became worse when she entered high school. Continued…
1
2
3
See Full Story On Aug. 15, 2013, when she could no longer take it, she took her own life, thinking that her not being here would solve the problem.
Her parents, Jim and Beckie Nicksich of Southgate, found the strength to speak out. The Riverview Community High School student's parents formed Courtney Counts Inc., in the hope of helping others who are being bullied.
Earlier this year the organization held its second annual Anti-Bullying Awareness Walk at Heritage Park in Taylor.
Money raised by teams and businesses goes toward walk expenses, social counselors, support groups and advocates to help victims and their families affected by bullying.
The organization also is pushing for the production of new educational anti-bullying programs and updated informational material on bullying in public schools.
Source: WalletHub
1
2
3
See Full Story
1
2
3
4
See Full Story When it comes to bullying, Michigan ranks at the very top of the list as the state with the worst bullying problem in the country.
That's according to the personal-finance website WalletHub, which conducted an in-depth analysis of 2016's states that have the biggest bullying problems.
To identify where bullying is most pervasive, analysts compared 45 states and the District of Columbia across 17 key metrics that ranged from bullying incident rates to truancy costs for schools to percentage of high school students bullied online.
RELATED: Bully prevention specialist challenges students to rethink their behavior
Here's how Michigan ranked in some of those key metrics:
● Third in percentage of high school students bullied on school property.
● Fifth in percentage of high school students bullied online.
● Nineteenth in percentage of high schools students involved in a physical fight at school.
●Twenty-sixth in percentage of high school students who attempted suicide.
● Eighth in cost of truancy for schools due to bullying.
● Third in student-to-counselor ratio.
● Tenth in state anti-bullying laws and policies.
● Second in state anti-cyberbullying laws requiring school policy.
The study says that every seven minutes a child in the United States will be bullied, but only four in 100 adults will intervene. Only 11 percent of the child's peers will do the same, with 85 percent of people doing nothing.
The National Education Association reports that more than 160,000 children miss school every day out of fear of being bullied.
The WalletHub report says bullying takes many forms, ranging from the seemingly innocuous name calling to the more harmful cyberbullying to severe physical violence.
It often happens to the most vulnerable of children, especially those who are obese, gay or have a disability.
In addition to harm to the individuals involved, school systems take a financial hit. According to a National Association of Secondary School Principals report, the average public school can incur more than $2.3 million in lost funding and expenses as a result of lower attendance and various types of disciplinary action.
But perhaps the ultimate loss anyone can experience to bullying is the death of a loved one who was tormented by bullies.
That was the case with Courtney Hood, who at 15 took her own life due to bullying. Her story, told in the website courtneycounts.com, says she was bullied throughout her whole life for being “different,” but it became worse when she entered high school.
On Aug. 15, 2013, when she could no longer take it, she took her own life, thinking that her not being here would solve the problem.
Her parents, Jim and Beckie Nicksich of Southgate, found the strength to speak out. The Riverview Community High School student's parents formed Courtney Counts Inc., in the hope of helping others who are being bullied.
Earlier this year the organization held its second annual Anti-Bullying Awareness Walk at Heritage Park in Taylor.
Money raised by teams and businesses goes toward walk expenses, social counselors, support groups and advocates to help victims and their families affected by bullying.
The organization also is pushing for the production of new educational anti-bullying programs and updated informational material on bullying in public schools.
Source: WalletHub
Return to Paging Mode Reader Comments Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. comments powered by Disqus
National News Videos
Recent Activity on Facebook
National AP Headlines
View all AP National Headlines
Blog Center
Does College Really Matter?
Nick Fleezanis, PhD, writes about the decisions facing high school seniors as they evaluate their options for continuing education.
Latest Entries
A Rebutal to the Gallup Report
Deep Said What
News, commentary, analysis and discussion about what's going on in the city of Dearborn.
Latest Entries
XML_Parser: no element found at XML input line 1:299
Dearborn Heights Truth Page
Started by political activist and local businesswoman Kathy Abdel-Hak, Dearborn Heights Truth Page writes on local governmental affairs with a muckraker take and an eye toward greater accountability.
Daily Tribune ,Mcomb Daily ,MI Central , Press and Guide , The Morning Sun , The News Herald ,The Oakland Press, Voice Newspaper
© Copyright Digital First Media — All rights reserved |About Our Ads | Privacy Policy/Terms of Service | Work for Us | Arbitration
mcaresofusa's Blog 