What Is Bullying?
The definition for bullying between parents, students, and schools may differ. Bullying is an aggressive, unwanted behavior that involves a perceived imbalance of power. This behavior is often repeated over time and commonly escalates. Bullies and those that have been bullied may suffer from lasting emotional problems. Bullying can be physical, verbal, and social in nature. It can include actions such as teasing, name calling, taunting, threatening to cause harm, physical violence, destruction of personal belongings, cause an accident, harm personal reputation, and public humiliation.
Bullied children often never report the bullying for fear of retaliation, shame, or embarrassment. There are more incidences of bullying that go unreported than are reported. Schools may have multiple bully incident reporting systems in place, but how they manage the individuals after a reported incident may differ greatly. Solutions to remedy bullying are failing as bullying behavior continues to grow.
Food Allergy Bullying
Every child will be acquainted with a student that has a Food Allergy or that has been bullied. Children with Food Allergies and bullying are growing faster than can be reported. Individuals with Severe Food Allergies are considered disabled and are protected by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Food Allergy related bullying is classified as Disability Harassment. Children with food allergies are a rapidly growing target for potential bullies.
Food Allergies can be polarizing, both for the diagnosed child and for their classmates. Food Allergy related bullying can be life threatening if the bully attempts to expose a victim to their food allergen or hide their anaphylaxis medication. Food Allergy related bullying may not always be from other students and classmates. Parents, teachers, and coaches may also be participants in bullying or hostile behavior. Bullying is a common occurrence for children with Food Allergies, even if a school has a well defined public anti-bullying program.
Food Allergy Bullying Solutions
Some form of bullying will always exist, but schools and communities can do more to reduce Health related bullying. As bullying typically peaks in the middle school aged years, it is critical to enact proactive solutions starting in the earliest years of school. Early education about Food Allergies and bullying can make a significant difference in reducing future Health related bullying.
Managing Food Allergies and bully prevention is a full time job. The solutions to reducing bullying and Food Allergy safety are closely related. Bullying and Food Allergy education require continuous empathetic engagement to create a continuing culture of compassion and understanding. Effective Food Allergy education and bully prevention must be an ongoing activity to truly impact students in school and beyond the walls of the school. There should be no limit to the time spent on anti-bullying and Food Allergy education.