9 Teenagers Are Charged After Classmate’s Suicide
Last week in Massachusetts, nine high school students between the ages of 16 and 18 were charged with various felony crimes in the suicide death of 15 year old Phoebe Prince (pictured above).
Prosecutors said that the students charged were responsible for taunting and physical threats that led the freshman to hang herself from a stairwell at her home in January.
Read this story about the charges brought against the students who were bullying Phoebe Prince. This story links to a video on which you can see photos of the students charged in the case. Also, read this story, which is about bullying what can be learned from Phoebe Prince's suicide.
After reading the stories linked in this post, respond to one or more the following question(s):
1. Do you think the students involved in bullying Phoebe Prince should be prosecuted for their actions?
2. Why do you think students bully others?
3. How can bullying be lessened or stopped? What, if anything, can teachers do?
4. Have you ever been bullied? Have you ever bullied other kids?
5. What is the climate like at our school – are students harassed and taunted often? What can you do when you see another student being bullied?
Important Note: Please post as usual, using your full name - but if you don't want me to post your comments for others to see let me know in the post and I will keep your comments private.
1. Yes, I believe that the students that harrassed Phoebe Prince should be fully prosecuted for their actions because what they did was absolutely ridiculous. They shouldn't be allowed to get off free when they tormented someone enough that she didn't even want to live anymore and hung herself in her own home.
ReplyDeleteI think the students that did do that should be prosecuted but only to a certain extent. I think students bully others because their jealous. I think teachers should actually care. Most of the teachers here at Tyrone just laugh about it and shrug it off. Our climit at our school is not that bad. There is still a lot of bullying and the teachers here need to care a lot more. I mean some teachers here will just let you take care of it yourself.You really cant do anything when you see another kid get bullied, because then you will get bullied or just make the situation worse.
ReplyDeletethe people involved in the phoebe prince bulling case should be sentenced to 4-5 years in prison. people bully others in there own social calss most of the time its something people do to make themselve look better. bulling cant be stoped and wont be stoped people tink its fun. i have been bullied before but not recently. our school clintment is interesting and fun.
ReplyDelete1.yes
ReplyDelete2.because the feel bad about themselfs
3.harsh punisment
4. yes, no
5. kids are taunted often
I think they should be punished alittle bi but not to the point that they go to a detention center. It makes them feel better about themsevels. A couple of times, and no. A lot of kids in our school do harass other people. Go to a teacher.
ReplyDeletei think the reason students bully others is bacause they want attention from their friends. No i have never been bullied before, But i have bullied people before. I dont think i should bully people for the wrong reasons.
ReplyDeleteNo i dont think they should be charged with the fines agaisnt them because she never did anything about the harrasment and her parents never did anything about it so it's techicaly not harassment. It may have been repeated but nothing was never filed. Then when other kids make fun of others is not always bullying they may just be playing even though it was repeted. There is nothing teacher or adults can do about it because we are allowed to our opinion even though it may be offensive but it's free speech. Yea i've been bullied before but i really never let it get to me becuase if i did if i did i would probably end up like this girl. I think killing youself if really over dramatic and just the easiest way out so i despise those kind of people because the just couldn't handle the real life. I belive that this school every where you turn someone is getting harrased but i dont really call it harrasment becuase people laugh when they are getting made fun of they never really get upset on the outside so it;s hard for people to tell if they're hurting them.
ReplyDeleteYes I do think they deserve to be punished, bullying is WRONG! I think they do it because some are just easy to make fun of and also think it’s cool to do it when honestly its DESTRORYS people emotionally. I think once it’s reported, action should be taken right away not WAIT. I have been bullied before and I still do. I hate when I get bullied because I feel that I don’t belong anywhere and it hurts but they one’s who bully don’t see that part. I have once bullied a person and felt really bad and apologized and we are now good friends. I think that our school had A LOT of bullying and SOME teachers report it but the majority let it go. Personally when I see another student being bullied I find an administrative person or I tell them to back off its wrong and curl! I think bullying is not taken as seriously as it use to. If the principals would take care of it right away that would take the number down somewhat I think. Just the other day at lunch someone(not naming names that’s wrong) made a comment about my friend and I’s weight and I was upset by what was said and this “bullying” has been going on the whole school year. I finally got up the guts to tell the Dean of Students and he talked to them right away. I haven’t had any problems since and I really do appreciate him taking care of the boys who were harassing my friends and I.
ReplyDeletebullying happenes all the time at high schools, on TV and on the news, people are made fun of all the time but i guess their are some people out their that just take it way to far. Alought of people have a way with handeling being made fun of, but some one comiting suicide is nothing any one would expect unless their are some sort of signs, but when some one gets bullyed no one gains anything but regret. I think the kids that continued to make some one feel that way should be punished.
ReplyDeletei think that the students that were bullying phoebe should indeed be prosecuted because if they picked on her so much that the only option she could think of is kill herself then thats not right at all. they drove her to do it. i think people bully other people because they are either jealous or think they are better. suicide aint the only problem students do when they get bullied they also decide to bring weapons to there school and get revenge by killing there bullies and even innocent people. i really wish people would open there eyes and realize what is happening everyday in schools.
ReplyDeleteYeah i do think they should have charges pressed against them. The main reason i think people bully other student is to either impress their friends or make them laugh or just for the simple fact of not likeing the person. I think by making it illeagl to bully would bring down the rates of bullying. Other things that would help stop hat teachers can do is watch cosely in the hallways and always punish the bullier. I myself have never been bullied and nor have I ever bullied anyone else. I think it's wrong and i'd hate to be the type of person to crush someone emotionally. At our school it is very rare to see someone getting bullied. I know friends pick on friends but they always mess around with eachother, not bully. When i did see a couple people before get bullied i flipped out on the person and they ended up leaving the kid alone.
ReplyDeleteI think the kids didn’t mean for her to kill herself but still they should have so type of punishment for their bulling against her. They are different reason that kids bully others. Some included to make them feel better about themselves, because they do not like the kids, or just for them to have a fun time but hurt someone else. Teachers have a hard job because they don’t always know about the bullying. Some can help the student with talking to them and trying to get the other kids to stop. In school, we have lessons all the time about not bullying but it seems that it doesn’t always work. The best thing to do is help the person that is getting bully. Some kids in our school do harass other kids. They just think it is funny but it is not funny at all.
ReplyDeleteYes i think they should be prosecuted for their actions because it was an on going thing and i think the teacher should get charged also because they knew and they are supposed to protect students and it is part of their job to report things like that. I think students bully other because they are insucrue about thier selfs.
ReplyDelete