Tina Meier Presents Anti-Bullying Conference Wednesday, April 04, 2012 By Sophomore Jared Proctor Students at Cameron High gathered around Tina Meier after a heartfelt presentation about bullying. - Joe Pratt Advertising According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, a suicide death happens every 14.2 minutes. Nearly one million people make a suicide attempt every year. Although there are no proven statistics, bullying is undoubtedly a cause for suicide. Sadly, Tina Meier’s daughter, Megan Meier, was one of these victims. On October 17, 2006, Megan committed suicide after being bullied on MySpace by a mother in her town, impersonating a boy Megan’s age, in a story that made national headlines. After her death, Tina started the Megan Meier Foundation and has been fighting to prevent teen bullying ever since. Tina has appeared at many schools, nationally and internationally. She has also appeared on many broadcast stations, magazines, and talk shows. Tina talks about her daughter’s story, bullying, bystanders, cyberbullying, sexting, and suicide statistics. On March 28,Tina Meier presented an anti-bullying conference in Plattsburg, Missouri. Some students from Cameron High were fortunate to be able to attend. One student who was very moved by Tina’s conference was Freshman Destiny Murrell . Destiny said, “I realized how much pain bullying can cause for a kid, along with their parents. I learned to make sure I don’t bully and to help people who are [being bullied].” One of the chaperones for Cameron was STUCO Sponsor Mr. Randall Anderson. He was very grateful to be invited. He said, “At the event, students learned the dangers of bullying and possible legal repercussions for doing so.” Mr. Anderson enjoyed Tina’s presentation and left with some tips about how to prevent bullying at school. He said, “It was an enlightening experience. I learned a lot about bullying and how the problem of it is vastly growing.” Tina Meier has a very strong message for people of all ages. She has taught students from Kindergarten through college, school staff, administrators, school resource officers, and law makers, because they are greatly affected by the issues she discusses. Most people at the conference learned exactly what Tina Meier wanted them to. Tina said, “I hope to make a difference by opening their minds to think outside of themselves and intervene when they see cyber-bullying. Struggling students will know they are not alone and need to reach out to a trusted adult.” Tina Meier has also worked with many lawmakers to try to stop bullying and so far it has paid off. She was able to work closely with Senator Scott Rupp and Governor Matt Blunt’s Internet Task Force for the State of Missouri to help pass Senate Bill 818. The bill states school boards are to have a written policy requiring school administrators to report crimes of harassment and stalking committed on school property to law enforcement. Students at Cameron High, along with many others, are going to continue to help fight bullying and report any signs of it taking place. For more information on how to stop bullying, or to read more about Megan’s story, log onto www.meganmeierfoundation.org.

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