Emilie Olsen's Life: Bullying Case Study

On December 11, 2014, Emilie Olsen’s life came to an tragic end after years of being bullied and tormented by her classmates at Fairfield Intermediate and Middle School. According to an article by Yanan Wang, Emilie, who originated from China, was adopted at nine months old and brought to America (2015). Even though Emilie lived in Fairfield, Ohio since her adoption and attended the school prior to the bullying incident, she was still discriminated because of her race. She was also bullied for her perceived sexual orientation. One day while at school, Emilie was pushed and slapped in the face by a bully after an argument about a fake account that was created to make fun of Emilie’s sexual orientation. The teacher who witnessed the fight only …show more content…
To reduce bullying in schools, school officials should have a direct meaning of the word, bullying, according to Erin Hellwig (2011). If the definition has too broad of a meaning, students, parents, and school officials will not be able differentiate between taunting and bullying. Another solution to prevent bullying is to have teachers monitor the key locations where students are often bullied (Hellwig, 2011). Bullying incidents occur most in a hallway or stairwell. They also occur in classrooms, school buses, and playgrounds. In order to prevent bullying incidents from occurring, schools can invite anti-bullying tainers to come and speak to the students at each school about how bullying affects individuals physically and mentally. During the bullying prevention program, trainers will also provide methods to school officials on how to handle bullying incidents. Based upon a research article by John Lash, “In schools where there are bullying programs, bullying is reduced by 50 percent” (2011). Research proves that anti-bullying programs are effective, so programs should be established throughout every school district to decrease bullying incidents. All school officials should thoroughly comprehend the laws and policies that are enforced in their school, and each official should take appropriate action when necessary to ensure that school guidelines are followed to reduce and prevent bullying. In conclusion, the elimination of bullying in schools needs to become strongly enforced throughout every state. In order to prevent bullying, all schools must provide a clear and strict policy that opposes any form of bullying. Every individual deserves the right to feel like he or she belongs; we are all the