With cyberbullying or electronic aggression the bystander is removed -this is the group that has a lot of power to stop bullying. If they don’t watch, the bullying stops. Gina was that bystander. We have to educate the entire school, change the culture of that school so there are a lot of people looking out for the “Alexas.” It is not just the teachers, counselors, but physicians who can also educate parents and students about not keeping information about another student making a threat on their life. This way we educate the community.

I think it was Switzerland where they were able to stop bullying by placing a campaign on the milk cartons about the dangers of bullying. It forced famililes to talk about it, the not doing it, to tell if they see it, to tell if someone is hurting because of it. It made an impact and they decreased bullying to a nonexistant level.

Teens are impetuous, they attempt the suicide because they want the PAIN to stop, they do not understand that the life must end with it. If you ask them if the pain can stop do you want to live?, they will say, “Yes.” Together we can make the pain stop. Even if you don’t have children you can tell them about how you can tell and stop bullying. If you walk by and see a kid being bullied, do you keep walking? Do you call the police to help the young person? We can all do soomething.

Students need to understand that there are times when it is essential to break “the code of silence”
which dictates that they never tell an adult what friends or classmates are doing or saying. They are often the only ones with the power to save a life, and this is an awesome responsibility.

Debbie, I admire the strength it must have taken for you to write this article.

This unfortunate experience could have been avoided if something could be done about bullying. Unfortunately, kids of this generation do not understand how their actions affect other children. Their parents all want to be their friends and rarely execute the role of being a “parent”. If these kids, their parents, teachers and administrators were aware of this negative behavior, SHAME on them for not acting appropriately.

It is unfortunate that Alexa didn’t have the foresight to realize that this behavior was only temporary in her long life. The teenage years are to say the least, challenging and when you get to college you get the gift of starting new.

What a travesty!!!!