[CFrance]

Originally Posted by CycleChic

If anyone thinks this only happens at PUBLIC schools...then you are sadly mistaken. Private & Christian Schools are where students that are kicked out of/expelled from public schools end up.
Charter schools are far from perfect. I had the opportunity to enroll my children in a local charter school, both of my children begged me not to make them go. My daughter actually broke down in tears when she thought I was sending her there. They were quick to inform me that the charter students they played club soccer with or danced with at a local dance studio were the bullies, very verbally abusive towards anyone that did not attend their school.
Bullying happens everywhere....at school, at home, in the workplace, etc. Society always has and always will have bullies. We can either try our best to teach our youth how to handle it, or close our eyes and pretend that putting them in a charter school protects them from everything that is wrong with our world.
And like I stated before...put DISCIPLINE back into the schools. A few cracks across my backside from my father back in the day made me think twice before I did something wrong. Children used to fear a trip to the principal's office, now it's like a badge of honor for the students to make that trip.

Originally Posted by skyc6

Bullying can go on everywhere, but the most important part of the bullying equation is not the bully or the victim. It is teaching the "bystanders" what to do. If a 5 or 6 of them call the bully out and calmly, without threatening, tell the bully that what he/she is doing is wrong, makes them look foolish, or humorously sort of gently laugh the bully out of the room, it can be very powerful. Sometimes these clubs can be advocates for any student who needs help in handling difficult situations, and teaches tolerance for all differences.
A LGBT club is not involved with promoting their situations, but rather it helps to teach them how to function in a world where they are in the minority. It is a club open to anyone, and sometimes who are not LGBT will join and become an advocate for students wh need help.
There is also a MS/HS organization call Natural Helpers that many schools have and this type of club can be a great benefit to students.
To say only curriculum clubs should be allowed doesn't recognize that we need to educate the whole child, and that includes the emotional, social, intellectual, and physical. All those areas are necessary to function in our society as young adults.

Amen and Amen! Thank you for those articulate responses.