Dear Next President,

I am a student at Swan Valley High School,I have seen and noticed a problem going on:Bullying. Half of all children are bullied at some time during their school years. More than 10% are bullied regularly. Bullying is linked to many negative outcomes on a child’s well-being, including impacts on mental health, substance abuse, and suicide. It has no place in society.Many kids will fight back and get help but more than not they don’t.

Why should you stop it? It affected a little girl named Samantha Shaw, a 1st grader, that went surgery to get her ears pinned back to prevent her from being bullied. Another kid  would throw stuff at me constantly, flick me in the head, punch me, wipe whatever he picked out his nose on my shirt, call me ugly and stupid, mock me and of course – tell me he would beat me up if I ever fought back. It was like his daily mission.So why are people not helping and prevent things from happening? It causes mental health, bad grades,substance abuse, and suicide.

We should stop bullying by standing up for people who are bullied. Bullies often want an audience and approval. Take an anti-bullying pledge.Take action,talk to other kids, talk to your teachers or principal, talk to your parents or guardians, or Speak up! But if that does not work tell and get your friends to tell and help you.

Every day, we are asked “what can I do to help?” Every contribution—whether it’s hosting a community event, standing up for someone, or giving a donation to an organization that addresses bullying—makes a difference and changes lives.So I hope you can fix this problem in schools and outside of schools.

Sincerely,

Seth Toth