Yesterday's blog article by Bryan Tosporek was a real breath of fresh air for attorneys who are working to assist the parents of children who are being plagued by bullies.  Brian wrote about a program at Johnson High School in San Antonio, Texas.  At the beginning of the school year, a school counselor recruited three football players to help protect a freshman against a wave of constant bullying.  By November, the program was such a success, and had added nine more football players and four more bullied students in need of protection. Next year, 18 football players at Johnson High will help eight incoming freshmen as part of the program.

This week, the three original "Bully Guards"—seniors Cohner Mokry, Ryder Burke, and Austin Carson—were all recognized at a school board meeting by their district superintendent.  In order to carry out their mission, the three left their classes a few minutes early so they could meet up with and walk the freshman to each of his classes. Not long after they had started doing this, the freshman began fitting right in with the three seniors.  Burke told a local newspaper: "We went through high school and have had a great experience, It should be everybody having that great experience."

What a great developmental experience this is for the bully guards and the bullied kids alike! Kudos to the school counselor and football players who got this started!  How about bully guards who are wrestlers, basketball players, and volleyball players?  Is anyone out there in Iowa listening?


Brian's full article is at:   http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/schooled_in_sports/2012/04/texas_hs_football_players_spend_spare_time_as_bully_guards.html?cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS2