Anti-Bullying Policy

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/35950104.html

15 Year old Richard Yanis was charged with attempted murder with a deadly weapon. What was the cause of all of his anger? Guidance counselors have never heard any complaints about Yanis being bullied or picked on in school so as far as the school was concerned, everything was peachy until police got a call about guns and ammunition being stolen. The school went into a panic and searched backpacks and lockers for any signs of deadly weapons but nothing was found. Yanis had planned to hold the shooting off for another year. Richard's plan included murdering everyone he did not like. "Armato said the school keeps track of bullying incidents and had no reports showing that Yanis had been bullied. If Yanis was being bullied, he and his teachers and guidance counselors did not tell administrators about it. In such cases, peer mediation may be used to help, Armato said." (Philly.com) The school might not have been aware but a few students surely were. His neighbor commented that Richard Yanis had been picked on as long as he could remember and that he was an outcast with few friends. A couple more students had also mentioned that Yanis was the butt of everyone's jokes and was always being rejected. If the school did not realize this was going on, why wouldn't any students report the bullying to a counselor. Armato, the school community relations director, mentioned that peer mediation could have resolved this problem a long time ago. It is important to take bullying seriously; If you see a student being bullied too much and sense that something is wrong, TELL SOMEONE. No one wants something like this happen in their school. Even though Richard did not get the chance to go on a shooting spree, doesn't mean that something like this can happen anywhere, even here, in Lindenwold.