Highland Village, TX takes a stand against bullying

http://www.crosstimbersgazette.com/local-news/1632-taking-a-stand-against-bullying.html
I like that I’m seeing people, especially police, in my local communities taking notice and a stand against bullying. I don’t like that it has to come on the heels of a suicide and an attempted suicide. The new program they are launching includes emphasis on telling someone if you’re being bullied. Highland Village (TX) police officers visited schools this past Spring and will do so again in August and will be declaring an official “No Bullying” week in November.
While I like the police, LISD and elected officials getting involved in this initiative, my favorite part of the article came when the police chief had a few suggestions for parents: “such as helping children learn the social skills they need to make friends because a confident resourceful child who has friends is less likely to be a bully or to bully others. He also said if parents praise children’s kindness toward others, it lets kids know that kindness is valued. And, he added, it is also important the teach children ways to resolve arguments without violent words or actions.” The Highland Village city manager “added that monitoring your children’s social media websites is another way to catch a problem early on. ‘As parents, please understand that you must have instant access to your child or children’s “Cyber Forums” - Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, phone texts, etc. And it’s not just having access as a friend - it’s taking possession of the computer or phone and making sure you know what is being said and to whom they are communicating with on a daily, weekly or bi-weekly basis,” said Leavitt.

He added, “It’s a “tough love” choice, but we must make the personal decision to help our youth of today. It is our obligation as responsible parents and this far outweighs the “personal privacy” and expectations of our children and what is being portrayed today in our society.’”