In a world in which 77 percent* of students say they have been bullied and one of every two bullying incidents go unreported, it is time to reevaluate the strategy on solving this problem. With these frightening statistics, it is clear that someone else must step in to break it up.

That someone should first be us, the students. Parents’ involvement in bullying situations is doing more harm than good. It only sets up the kids for more bullying and ridicule. Recent examples include the incident at a school bus stop in Meacham Park. The father brought a gun and fired it in the air as a threat to stop a fight involving his daughter. Another involved a Florida parent entering a school bus and threatening elementary kids to stop bullying his daughter. Even though the daughter was bullied for having cerebral palsy, it does not permit the father to threaten students.

This is a perfect situation in which her fellow classmates should stand up for her.

“Standing up for yourself requires a balance between assertion and being safe when up against a bully,” Mike Gavin, sophomore principal, said.

A third party voice is needed from students during a potential abusive situation, because a lot of times it takes bullies to be called out in front of everybody to stop them. When we become adults, we will have no teachers or parents to stand up for us. It is up to us to stick up for each other.

Currently, the faculty has demonstrated this belief by putting up the “Bullying STOPS Here” signs throughout the school. Their goal is to provoke that third party voice to come from the students when it comes to stopping bullying. Students are more likely to see the verbal abuse when it is going on than teachers are because they cannot always be there.

It is our responsibility to step up against bullies and make our school a more beneficial and safe learning environment.

It all starts with us, the students.

*Information provided by the Bureau of Justice.