Consequences of Racist Bullying in Schools
Teachers and public school administrators discourage racism. But racism can propagate in schools where students may already be subject to racist bullying. The motivation of this type of bullying revolves around punishing a certain ethnicity, culture and religion. Additionally, racist bullying commonly happens to the small minorities within the student population; these students often lack the numbers to fend off racist attacks. Such attacks can have dire consequences on both the school and the student and can undermine an education system altogether.
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Schools: Population Disparity
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Racial bullying usually creates a student population displacement in school. Majority and minority lines become heavily drawn and create a wide notion that these lines should not be crossed. Students typically form groups solely within their own ethnicity and, in extreme cases, completely avoid talking with any student outside of their own group. This can create generate a negative learning effect beyond the school boundaries; a student's psychology of racial barriers becomes heightened and may become highly critical of other members in the community.
Schools: Political and Religious Stance
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If a school cannot sufficiently address racist bullying problems in school, outside members of the community will typically start to question the school's political and religious stance. This usually happens if the school decides to ignore the situation or deny that it's happening in the school without proof. This escalation may force schools to create new rules or implement a high level of transparency in their daily activities. As schools are usually considered to be part of the state, administrators have to be extremely careful in responding to political and religious matters in a neutral light.
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Students: Safety
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Racist bullying often forces students to suppress their existence in schools. Students may be forced to hide religious symbols, abstain from performing their cultural traditions and constantly travel in packs throughout the school. This also directs the student's focus from gaining education to preserving their safety -- essentially turning daily school activities into survival situations. When the number of bullying attacks escalates, students may drop out of school altogether.
Students: Loneliness
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In cases where the student belongs to an extreme minority in a student population, he may think of himself as completely distant from the rest of his classmates. Even minor bullying instances may have magnified effects if the student does not have a support system to rely on. Additionally, a student may also feel that he is being bullied without actively being bullied; even if students simply avoid him, it becomes more difficult for him to assimilate into the student community. Racist thoughts become completely embedded in his mind, which could create trust issues and lack of teamwork development.
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