Counselors, a camp and the tools to stand up to bullies | Opinion
Updated Jan 17, 2021;
By Kamal S. Kalsi
Childhood friends and Chardi Kala campers Dr. Kamal S. Kalsi, Attorney General Gurbir Grewal and Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla (from left to right) at a community event together celebrating the life and teachings of Sikhism’s founder, Guru Nanak.
My daughter, Maya, recently ran for her middle school’s president. She made a humorous campaign promise that if elected, she would help “keep the bears away.” She won the election. We didn’t even need a recount.
But that same evening while we all celebrated, she was in tears. Another student had posted remarks in a student chat room stating that she only won because the other students felt sorry for her. Her experience of cyberbullying is a growing trend, unfortunately. Moreover, Sikh and minority children are subjected to bullying and harassment at rates that are much higher than the average student according to reports by t