To the editor:

I am writing in response to the East Providence Post profile of School Committee candidate Chrissy Rossi and her comments about bullying in our schools. Ms. Rossi criticized the school department’s zero-tolerance bullying policy, saying it prevents children from defending themselves. I agree that zero tolerance alone is not an adequate solution to bullying. Current research supports a broader approach that includes early identification, adult intervention, supervision, student safety, family involvement, and accountability for behavior.

However, I am concerned by the alternative she described: “So if you’re getting bullied and you’ve gone through all the possible things trying to get it stopped, and you decide, ‘you know what? I’ve had enough. Before I kill myself, I’m going to slap this kid around.’ So be it. That’s how it always used to get handled in the schoolyard. The bully comes at you, you fight back. There’s no more bullying.”

Perhaps fighting back ended some individual incidents in the past, but bullying is not simply a school yard confrontation. It can be physical, verbal, social, sexual, or online, and there is no single response that solves all of these problems.

Children should absolutely be taught to stand up for themselves, but standing up for yourself does not have to mean fighting back. Children can learn to be assertive, set boundaries, speak up, and seek help while schools take responsibility for keeping them safe and addressing the behavior of those who bully.

Our goal should not be to teach children how to win a fight. It should be to create schools where bullying is recognized early, students feel safe reporting it, adults respond appropriately, and every child learns respect, empathy, responsibility, and peaceful ways to resolve conflict.

Our children deserve better than “fight back”. They deserve to know that when they ask for help, the adults around them will listen and act.

Stan Traverse
East Providence