In most schools today, bullying is a major issue. Most states have laws in place but they do not stop people from being bullied. Usually when the bullying gets really bad the parents of the victim take action. I think that the bullying laws in place do not go far enough and that parents should take action sooner.

Sadly, bullying has become one of the largest problems in schools today. Hundreds of kids and teens in the U.S. commit suicide because of months and months of being bullied. You may ask; why do people do this? The most common answer is popularity. A study conducted in North Carolina showed that bullying is something that kids use to raise their social status. The study showed that out of 3722 middle and high school students, bullying slowly increased from the lowest level of popularity to the 98th percentile (just below the top) where it began to decline. Students in the 98th percentile were the most aggressive, while the very most popular kids did not bully because they claim to have no use for it anymore. Bullying has become the easiest way to climb the social ladder.

Clearly, if they want all of the facts, people should know about the political views on bullying. There are laws against bullying already in most states, like the Kentucky House Bill 370, which includes sexual orientation, race, and religion in school bullying policies. Honestly, these laws and bills do not go far enough. You see these news stories about what the state legislatures are doing to make “stronger” bullying laws, but then there are still stories about victims of bullies doing something dangerous. Just because you make a law, that does not mean that everyone will follow it. Adults and kids in schools must do whatever they can to follow and enforce these laws. Otherwise, there is no point in even making these laws.

Last but not least, parents should do more to stop bullying. Sometimes, when a child is bullied for a very long time with no help he or she becomes so unstable that he or she commits suicide. Usually, the victim’s parents do not take legal action until after their child has committed suicide. What about the things before that? When people are bullied until they are sitting in their room terrified of what might happen on the next day the parents should not just have a talk with them and send them back to school. They should take legal action because their kid has become mentally unstable and afraid of every coming day due to the aggressiveness of someone else. Something must be done, otherwise the bullying will continue. Bullying can become a road to a slow, painful death.

All in all, bullying has gotten much worse in schools. It is used as a way of gaining popularity. Hundreds of kids suffer with no place to find comfort. There are bullying laws in place but people are not there to make sure that they are followed. And parents, if your kids are being bullied take action before it is too late. Bullying will not stop on its own.