Editorial: Bullying is a tragedy, not just a part of life

Six in 10 adults who say they were bullied at school “all the time” even now feel depressed or anxious most or all of the time, writes the editor.

That bullying in schools has been exposed as a key reason parents are having to homeschool their kids should sound an alarm bell that is rung loudly across the nation.

Traditionally, the kids who were taken out of traditional classrooms tended to be in a few specific and understandable categories – those who had special needs, were on long-term trips with their families, needed a more flexible schedule due to elite sporting or artistic activities, religious or cultural beliefs or just simple remoteness.

But as we report today, a new survey of the clients of homeschool education provider Euka reveals those reasons now account for only one in four of the kids who don’t physically attend school.

Bullying, tragically, accounts for the same proportion of homeschooled kids as all of the above put together, at 23 per cent of those parents who responded. (That 18 per cent of them said the education system’s “philosophy on education” – interpreted by Euka as relating to concerns over wokeism – is a shock that also demands a conversation we must have as a community.)

Even if the results relating to bullying are indicative only, they should be of concern to all of us, particularly when coupled with the revelations in The Courier-Mail on Tuesday that there are now 11,250 Queensland children who are being homeschooled, an exponential increase from the 3411 opting to learn at home just five years ago.

That means that for every three classrooms, there is now one kid learning from home. And of them, one in four have apparently been bullied so badly by their peers at school that their parents have made what is surely a tough decision that enough is enough and they need to be protected in this way.

Perhaps this should not be a total surprise. We know the impact the rise of social networking has had on our kids – with cyber-bullying not stopping when you get off the bus in your street, as used to be the case.

Bullying is a key reason parents are opting to homeschool their children.

That such less-visible forms of bullying are super difficult for teachers and principals to police is surely a contributor to this plague.

It is why we have been so strongly calling for a mandatory age limit of 16 to be imposed across Australia for social media use.

We accept it is impossible to stop kids accessing whatever they want to, but by making it “illegal” to do so before they turn 16 could make an impact – as just accepting it is the norm now is clearly not working; we have failed a generation or two here.

But as our reporting has exposed this week, it is not just virtual abuse that is forcing parents to take their kids out of school.

The ranks of our homeschooled kids include a Prep student who was assaulted 13 times, a Year 2 boy taunted by his own teacher and classmates who called him names including “garbage can”, a 13-year-old girl who received death threats from kids who smashed her laptop, and a 10-year-old boy who tried to take his own life after being
body-shamed. It is a tragic roll call.

No doubt some will read this and think these kids – and their parents – should just toughen up, and argue that the schoolyard has always been a rough and tumble place and enduring its challenges sets you up for success in future life.

But consider this finding, out this week: Six in 10 adults who say they were bullied at school “all the time” even now feel depressed or anxious most or all of the time, compared with just 7 per cent for those who were never bullied, according to research by the Melbourne Institute. It also found a correlation between the frequency of bullying experienced in childhood with the reporting of a negative impact on their relationships now with others.

Considering all these numbers and research, it is crystal clear that so much more needs to be done.

RIGHT TO ACT ON BORDER MAYHEM

There are always a lot of promises and tough-talking when it comes to politicians in an election year and the very real issue of youth crime.

But it was good to see Premier Steven Miles deliver some action in response to the outbreak of crime in the border town of Goondiwindi, where residents are locked in their own homes, afraid of youths who are so out of control they are now brandishing machetes in the streets.

His fast-tracked appointment of a cross-border commissioner whose job it will be to break down the bureaucratic roadblocks between the local public servants – police, and community and health workers and so on – of the Queensland and NSW governments is a good thing.

Locals have been campaigning for it for more than a decade.

It is clearly well overdue – something local mayor Lawrence Springborg, a former leader of the state LNP, has welcomed as being of “significant assistance”.

But the role is a civilian and not a police one, and so it was also good to see that local police commanders have planned for reinforcements from Toowoomba to be sent to the Goondiwindi region.

Nobody should have to live in fear. This is a necessary response.

Responsibility for election comment is taken by Chris Jones, corner of Mayne Rd & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND (ACN 009 661 778). Contact details here

Originally published as Editorial: Bullying is a tragedy, not just a part of life