Tulsa Public School Parents Battle Against Bullies

By Chris Wright, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- A group of Tulsa Public School parents say enough is enough when it comes to bullying. At a conference Tuesday evening, the group said stopping the practice altogether is unrealistic, but tolerating it is unacceptable.

Byrd Middle School has made a push recently to battle bullying. Students created posters that adorn the hallways. But that doesn't mean bullying still doesn't go on there.

"It happens every day in the hallways. You see it," said Karsten Gilbert, a Byrd middle school student. "Everybody does it, but no one does anything about it. Now people are actually doing something about it."

That includes Tuesday's bullying conference. Moderated by News On 6 anchor Lori Fullbright, it featured a panel of experts, and a series of exercises for parents and teachers.

The idea is to teach everyone how to recognize and deal with bullying, and realize there are resources available to combat it.

"You want to just hug him, but you can't let it go on and on and on. You gotta figure out ways that it will stop," said Flo Adams, a grandparent of a bullying victim.

"We're anxious to see where this goes," said Rick Adams, a grandparent of bullying victim. "We want to stay involved, and we want to nip this before it gets worse. Perhaps help some other kids that find themselves in trouble."

While bullying has always been an issue, experts say social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace have made it one that now comes home with kids.

"Back in the day we used to go to the flag pole and beat each other up and call it a day. Now their online because it's not personal," Carol Bush, with Citizen's Crime Commission, said.

But the effects remain intensely personal, and students who have endured it say the effort to curb bullying is already paying off.

"It's gone on for a long time. So now they're actually trying to help, which is good. It makes me feel better," Gilbert said.

A number of parents at Tuesday's conference expressed frustration with Tulsa Public Schools lack of a bullying policy.

4/2/2010 Related Story: Tulsa Public Schools To Develop, Implement Anti-Bullying Program

A school district representative says there are many different degrees of bullying, and the punishment depends on the incident.