Anyone who’s read “Lord of the Flies” knows the great capacity children have for savagery. Still, the recent suicide of a 15-year-old high school girl, following months of brutal bullying, shocks us — hopefully into action. more

The Valley Stream Central High School District welcomed John Halligan to its schools last week to spread a powerful message about the dangers of bullying. His message wasn’t easy for everyone to hear, but it is a lesson that students need to learn. more

Oct. 7, 2003 was the worst day of John Halligan’s life. At 6 a.m., while away on a business trip, he received a call from his wife that their 13-year-old son, Ryan, was dead. more

Last week I presented the first installment of an interview with John Halligan, a father whose son was a victim of school bullying and committed suicide. The interview is a natural outgrowth of a recent mini-series that ran in the Principal's Office about bullying and anti-bullying programs. more

Several weeks ago, I ran a two-part series on bullying and what schools are trying to do to deal with this growing problem. Shortly after, I caught the last few minutes of a TV interview with John Halligan, whose son Ryan was a victim of bullying and ultimately committed suicide. It was a riveting, heart-wrenching, and eye-opening talk. I wanted to share his story with my readers with a firsthand account of what occurred and tried to track John down via the Internet. more

Talk about timeliness. Last week's column, "Responding to a Trio of Tragedies," was followed by three more incidents this week: a principal held hostage, resulting in his school going into lockdown; a 13-year-old boy committing suicide in the Bronx; and a report that two-thirds of all middle school students say they have been bullied. In each case, there was no outlet for rage. It is incumbent on us to prevent anger from escalating to that point. This week, I will examine a number of the anti-bullying programs that are proliferating in the schools, from the elementary to even the college levels. more