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Bullying is, sadly, not an uncommon occurrence in middle schools across the country. However, the decision by a judge in Florida, in response to an extreme incident of bullying, is anything but ordinary. While some applaud the judge’s decision to take strict action against a bullying student, others wonder whether the judge went too far in his ruling. Was the judge fair in this case?

Bullying to the Extreme

The incident in question took place in Duval County, one of the largest school districts in Florida, and in the U.S. A student at Oceanway Middle School, Aria Jewett, was lured away from school grounds by a group of classmates. One of the students, Paris Cannon, allegedly dragged Jewett by the hair and slammed her head into a stone wall. She also slapped and kicked Jewett while Jewett was curled up on the ground in a fetal position.

According to First Coast News, Jewett was taken to the hospital by ambulance after the attack, where she was treated for life-threatening injuries, including a skull fracture and a severe concussion. Jewett also suffered contusions and abrasions to the scalp from the attack. She spent the night in the hospital before she was released to go home and recover.

Friends of Cannon were with the girls at the time of the attack, and one filmed the incident. The video showed Cannon's beating, as well as two other girls in the background, laughing and cheering Cannon on as it

School bus safety has been a concern for Alabama educators since the incident in Dale County left a bus driver dead and a young child held hostage for several days. Montgomery County, one of the largest school districts in the country, is taking steps to make school buses safer by installing special security equipment in their vehicles. A new pilot program allows the county to test the equipment in a few of its buses for free before investing in the security equipment for more of its fleet.

Four Buses Serve as Test Models

reports that four Montgomery County school buses have been equipped with advanced security equipment as a part of a new pilot program. Bus Guard, a company based in Texas, has installed video equipment into the vehicles that allow it to track events inside the bus and outside traffic. The primary purpose of the surveillance equipment is to identify motorists who illegally pass the bus so that citations may be issued.

Michael Cox, director of transportation for Montgomery 51����s says loading and unloading pose the greatest danger to students riding the school bus. Cox explained, “We can’t predict what the drivers of cars stopped near buses will do. Students have lost their lives around the state and the nation because a driver of another vehicle was in a hurry and disobeyed the law, passed a bus, and hit and killed a student.”

This video from bus manufacturer Bluebird

Prom is a rite of passage for many high school students; a chance to celebrate with friends before everyone heads in different directions after graduation. For students at some Georgia high schools, the evening celebrations were restricted according to the color of a student’s skin. Segregated proms have been going on in some areas of Georgia for decades since the schools backed out of sponsoring the events. In the hands of parents and students, proms have become an “invitation only” event, with black students hosting one party and white students hosting another.

Change is in the Air

This year, four students at Wilcox County High School decided it was time for a change. The female students, two white and two black have decided it is time for their school to have an integrated prom. The students created an Integrated Prom Facebook page, where they wrote, “We live in rural south Georgia, where not too many things change. Well, as a group of adamant high school seniors, we want to make a difference in our community. For the first time in the history of our county, we plan to have an integrated prom.”

The four friends began their campaign when they decided they all wanted to be able to enjoy their senior prom together. One of the girls, Quanesha Wallace, had been elected homecoming queen for her school in the fall. However, she was unable to attend the white homecoming dance, since she is a

The Newtown tragedy last December brought to light the vulnerability of public schools across the country. To answer concerns about student and staff safety, many have clamored for the addition of armed guards in every school nationwide. However, research suggests that placing armed police officers in schools may create more issues even as it is addressing the need for student safety. Police presence in schools may actually increase the number of students in the criminal justice system – often for minor crimes that could have been handled at the school level.

Not a New Idea

Despite the increased rhetoric surrounding police presence in school in recent months, the idea is not new. According to the , school districts have been using federal funding and other resources to bring police officers into schools since the 1990s. Known as “school resource officers,” these armed officers typically patrol high schools and middle schools, but some have been placed in elementary schools as well. Deseret News reports that the U.S. Department of Education recently found around 28 percent of all public schools report they have an armed security guard on school grounds during class hours at least once a week.

Hundreds of larger school districts, including Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Houston, have actually established their own police departments. These departments, boasting thousands of sworn officers and other staff members, are under the direct oversight of district officials. The Los Angeles School