AMARILLO, TEXAS -- "It's a big deal. When you're that person being victimized, it's a big deal", said Amarillo Independent School District's Director of Guidance and Counseling, Tracey Morman.
School districts across the country are speaking out against bullying this month and Amarillo ISD is one of them.
"We do bullying prevention all year, K through 12, with all of our students. We do guidance lessons in our elementary on bullying. We have posters up in all of our schools that talk about bullying and bullying prevention and not just being a bystander and how you can help a student who might be being bullied", add Morman.
But these days, bullying isn't always something you see right in front of you. Sometimes, it's in message form.
"We're seeing a lot more cyber-bullying where people are being bullied online like with Facebook, with Twitter, in text messaging you know things are being sent around", said Morman.
Last year, AISD investigated more than 120 reported cases of bullying and Morman says, if those cases aren't addressed, it could affect student behavior.
"Sometimes what we see is some depression, withdrawing," said Morman. "They might avoid participating in some activities that they used to love because they're being picked on or bullied."
But raising awareness about anti-bullying could help keep that from happening.
"When we see that, we need to step up and we need to stop bullying and make sure that is being addressed and that we stand up for the person who doesn't have a voice", said Morman.
Because at school, important things like grammar, fractions and alphabets should be the only things filling these young minds.
"Ultimately, you're at school to learn," said Morman. "We want learning to be occurring and that can't happen if you're fearful."
AISD also has an online form students can fill out to report bullying and still remain anonymous.You can find that form on AISD's website.
