It’s commonly known and taught that bullying others is wrong. We have been exposed to this since elementary school and yet it still seems to be present into high school. With the recent creation of David’s Law, it’s disappointing to know that the price of addressing the serious problem of bullying to lawmakers came at the cost of a teenage student’s life.

I have always wondered why people bully because I can never think of a reasonable or justifiable cause to treat someone cruelly as opposed to just moving on. When I do ask someone why they are bullying another student, most of the time there is no reason at all or a completely baseless one.

As someone who has been in a bullying situation themselves, I can verify first-hand that it’s not great and help is very difficult to find on campus. In an already isolating situation, not being able to find adequate help makes the whole ordeal worse and seemingly endless. I talked to AP’s and counselors but they were dismissive and unhelpful with the problem, as I expected them to be.

When talking to various students around campus I found out that there is shockingly low expectations with the office’s ability to handle or help with the problems students have  personally or academically. The notion that AP’s and counselors put minimal effort in effectively helping students with their problems is popular and dates back years from when my older sister was at Bowie.

Students should not have to feel hesitant to attend school in anticipation of harassment or ridicule from bullies while the staff that are supposed to help them do nothing about the student’s problems. I myself went to the assistant principal who I had reported the initial bullying to and they told me there was nothing more that could be done and shut the door, even though the situation was persistent. I didn’t come to school for the next few days after that.

The ordeal with the assistant principal led me to become more upset at the incompetent and lackluster job done by the administration than those who were actually bullying me. For a place that incentives good attendance, it’s ironic that their lack of concern contributes to some students deciding not to attend class in addition to losing confidence in school authority.

When inquiring more information on the procedures used to handle bullying on campus and the possible changes with David’s Law, some counselors repeatedly refused interviews with little to no explanation as to why. One excuse that was given to me was that they didn’t know enough about the law, which was puzzling because I would think counselors need to be well informed on something that could possibly affect the students they are paid to advise.

I know others who have come to the point of withdrawing from school altogether because they feel that there isn’t any other way to stop their consistent harassment. It is outright ridiculous that some teenagers resort to accommodating their own education for a persistent yet preventable situation that was never properly dealt with.

When a student begins the process of leaving school, administration intervenes in attempt to keep them enrolled. It’s ridiculous that after all the time they did little to help the student, now administrative staff take action when they could have put effort in preventing this from happening in the first place. By this time it’s too late for them to redeem themselves by thoughtfully intervening, the student has made up their mind and the damage is already done.

I have come full circle since the time I was bullied and yet am still stumped on the same question I’ve been pondering for over a year, which is where students can go on campus to find effective help for victimization or any other social/emotional problem. The disappointing truth is that there isn’t any easily accessible place on campus to find a complete resolution for concerns a student may have and that isn’t going to be fixed with a new law.

With a situation like this happening, everyday school routine can get overwhelming and frustrating for any student instantaneously. While David’s Law is a step in the right direction, nothing will change unless there is a better effort on everyone’s part to improve things on campus. I’m confident the new law will affect what constitutes as bullying but I am unsure that the law will affect the actions of our school administration when it comes to a student’s concern regarding  bullying situations.

Here is a clear message to the administration who are supposed to have a strong stance on bullying at school and online: do better. While bullying situations aren’t always black and white, there should be more than little to no action towards bullying on a campus that claims to be a safe environment with no place for hate.