Stun guns differ from tasers in that they do not shoot barbs. Image courtesy of Google images.
Recently, schools have been taking more and more measures to fight against bullying. However, some ask, is enough being done?
On April 16, an Indiana teenager was sent to school with a stun gun. Darnell Young was given the stun gun by his mother, Chelisa Grimes, because he “wasn’t safe”. As a homosexual student, Young was subjected to horrible bullying. (In fact, a recent survey showed that nine out 10 LGBT students felt harassed over the previous year). The bullying of Young had been getting worse, and when it reached its peak, Grimes felt that she had to take matters in to her own hands. She purchased the stun gun, and gave it to her son to take to school. The stun gun was put to good use, as a group of bullies surrounded Young, threatening to beat him up and calling him terrible names. Young reached into his backpack and procured the device. He raised it above his head and set off an electric shock, scaring the bullies away.
“I think that took courage for him to stand against the bullies”, junior Cody Connelly said.
Apparently, the school principal did not agree. Young has been suspended indefinitely and faces possible expulsion.
“The school overreacted, he wasn’t going to hurt anyone. Schools are not looking at bullying the right way. That’s the problem”, Connelly said.
There has been much debate over the reaction of the school, and this is a microcosm for the issue of bullying in general. Schools have been taking decisive action against bullies, but many wonder if this is the right kind of action, and how the issue could be handled differently.
