Attention America. Our schools are under attack. Everywhere you look, there are kids who are trying to fight the scourge of bullying. Wait, what? I have that one backward? The bullies are the problem?
Huh. Then can someone please explain to me why a 15-year-old girl on Long Island just got suspended for creating a video to fight bullying in her school? I would think Jessica Barba would be getting her back slapped by school administrators and her face on a Wheaties box.
But nope, the school decided Jessica's video was a problem because it "created a disturbance." Oh no, not a disturbance!
Imagine! Kids in a school talking about why bullying is such a bad thing. Shock. Horror. Awe!
Are you getting the sarcasm here? Because if you're not, you're probably as dense as the people who got Barba suspended in the first place.
More from The Stir: 'Speak Up' Bullying Documentary Is a Must-See for Parents & Kids (VIDEO)
The video, which was posted to YouTube with a disclaimer that reads "This is a fiction (sic) story," also begins with a similar warning that the story is fake, meant to address bullying. That, and the fact that the video shows moments that were quite obviously scripted, makes it particularly hard to imagine what kind of idiot actually called the police because they thought a child had killed herself. The calls could have prompted the school administrators to roll their eyes at the stupidity of their town's residents and engage their students in a discussion about bullying.
I see this kind of thinking over and over and over again. School administrators ignore common sense, ignore what kids have to say, and just push ahead with their own agenda. They decided Barba was a problem, so they treated her like one. End of story.
No wonder we have rampant bullying in schools. Administrators are the ultimate bullies! If they actually listened to kids and allowed them to spark a conversation, perhaps kids would be more willing to speak up, to fight the good fight.
By the way ... Barba told NBC New York she made it specifically for a communications class, to fulfill a requirement that students create a persuasive promo or advertisement. I guess she succeeded, huh? Check out her video:
See this video on The Stir by CafeMom.
What do you think should have happened to Jessica Barba?
Image via JBCDmv/YouTube