Three Ooltewah High School basketball players have been arrested and charged with aggravated assault and rape after allegedly attacking a 15-year-old teammate. The student was hospitalized and needed surgery to repair his colon and bladder after being sodomized with a pool cue. The Hamilton County District Attorney’s Office and the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office are investigating reports that the attack was part of an ongoing pattern of hazing and bullying perpetrated by upperclassmen on the basketball team.
In this segment, we speak with three experts on bullying, asking how young adults could be so cruel to each other. Also, how can bullying be prevented in the future? Can schools really do much?
Joining us are:
Yeshiva University’s Jonathan Fast, author of Beyond Bullying: Breaking the Cycle of Shame, Bullying and Violence
Nova Southeastern University’s Meline Kevorkian, author of Tackling Bullying in Athletics: Best Practices for Modeling Appropriate Behavior
Adelphi University’s Jessica Klein, author of The Bully Society – School Shootings and the Crisis of Bullying in America's Schools and creator of the Creating Compassionate Communities program