Eagle Point, Ore.– Students and staff at Eagle Point High School are mourning the loss of a student. The girl took her own life. The unthinkable tragedy leaves many wondering why and how can we help our young people deal with stress.
Students and parents told NBC5 one of the biggest stresses students face can be bullying. A study done by Yale University shows bully victims are two to nine times more likely to consider suicide. A Medford based organization is working to curb that number locally.
“Part of the issue is when people think of bullying they only think of the most extreme cases and we need youth and adults to focus on the little behaviors that add up over time,” Raphaelle Kunkel, Resolve’s Education and Training Director, said.
Resolve, formerly known as Mediation Works, offers bullying prevention programs for students where a big focus is intervention.
Jackson County School District 9 Human Resources Director Allen Barber said technology has made it more challenging to address bullying since threats can be made from worlds away over social media.
“If we can get kids to talk about it and bring it to school where we can help I feel like we have an incredible success rate,” Barber said.
But technology is also helping the district combat the problem. Their cell phone application, “Parent Link,” lets students and parents send anonymous tips straight to administration.
Barber said although bullying in Eagle Point middle and high schools is down this year the administration has received about a dozen tips from Parent Link.
“Bullying is a crime in Oregon so that’s something we have to educate our kids about and let them know if they continue to do it there will be consequences,” Barber said.
Barber said they always encourage kids to report bullying and train teachers on how to recognize if someone is a victim.
If you or someone you know is a victim of bullying here are some resources available:
Jackson County Youth Suicide Prevention Coalition
Resolve Center for Dispute Resolution and Restorative Justice
National Center for Victims of Crimes
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