Combating Weight‐Based Bullying in Schools: Is There Public Support for the Use of Litigation?. (June 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Puhl, Rebecca; Luedicke, Joerg; King, Kelly M.
• Is Part Of: Journal of school health. Volume 85:Number 6(2015:Jun.)
• Page Start: 372
• Page End: 381
• Publication Date: 2015-06
• Subjects: School health services -- Periodicals; School children -- Health and hygiene -- Periodicals; Health education -- Periodicals; School Health Services -- Periodicals; Health Education -- Periodicals; 371.71
• DOI: 10.1111/josh.12264
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0022-4391

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" id="josh12264-abs-0001"> <title>ABSTRACT</title> <sec id="josh12264-sec-0001" sec-type="section"> <title>BACKGROUND</title> <p id="josh12264-para-0001">Bullying litigation is an emerging area of law that has increased in response to serious cases of bullying at school. Weight‐based bullying is prevalent at school, but no research has examined the use of litigation to address this problem. We assessed public support for litigation approaches to address weight‐based bullying at school, and whether support for litigation varies according to the reason why a student is bullied.</p> </sec> <sec id="josh12264-sec-0002" sec-type="section"> <title>METHODS</title> <p id="josh12264-para-0002">A national sample of 994 adults (49% parents) completed an online questionnaire assessing their support for litigation approaches in response to hypothetical incidents of youth bullying.</p> </sec> <sec id="josh12264-sec-0003" sec-type="section"> <title>RESULTS</title> <p id="josh12264-para-0003">As many as two thirds of participants supported litigation against schools for failing to intervene and protect students from weight‐based bullying. Litigation remedies received slightly higher support in response to bullying due to race or sexual orientation compared to body weight. Participants favored litigation approaches that target schools for inadequate intervention or a bully's parents on behalf of their child's actions.</p> </sec> <sec id="josh12264-sec-0004" sec-type="section"> <title>CONCLUSIONS</title> <p id="josh12264-para-0004">Our study offers novel findings about public and parental views of litigation as a potential approach to address weight‐based (and other forms of) bullying, and introduces considerations about the potential role of litigation as part of broader remedies to address youth bullying.</p> </sec> </abstract>