Moms Talk: How to Address Bullying in Our Schools

It can be a lot more than just some harsh words between girls and stealing another kids' lunch money.

In the most tragic cases, bullying has led to suicides and shootings in schools. And with more technology in the hands of teens, and pre-teens, bullying can show up in text messages, e-mail, on Facebook and over Twitter and then spread like wildfire through forwards, status updates and "re-tweeting."

Some area schools have embraced an anti-bullying program called Rachel's Challenge. While other parents, such as those at , plan to petition the schools to have the program implemented at their schools. Read more about area schools that have embraced Rachel's Challenge in this Patch article. And to read more about the program, visit the Rachel's Challenge Web site.

There is a lot of advice out there on how to handle a bully. Stopbullying.gov offers tips for parents, kids, and teachers to help educate them about bullying.

For parents, the site offers advice not only on what to do but also what not to do when their child is confronted by a bully. Stopbullying.gov cautions parents against these actions:

• Never tell your child to ignore the bullying
• Do not blame your child for being bullied
• Do not encourage your child to harm the person who is bullying them
• Do not contact the parents of the students who bullied your child
• Do not demand or expect a solution on the spot

We want to hear from you on this week's Moms Talk topic: Bullying. 

• Do you think bullying is a problem in your school?
  
• Has your child been a victim of a bully?
  
• What has or hasn't worked to help address the problem?
  
• And what kind of affect has bullying had on your child?