School Board Member Urges People to See Documentary About Bullying

Do you want your children to see "Bully?"

Despite the fact Lee Hirsch's documentary about bullyiing earned an "R" rating from the Motion Picture Association of America, a Saline Area Schools Board of Education thinks it's a movie that should be seen by students, parents and members of the community.

"The movie targets middle school and high school students," said Trustee Amy Cattell, at the March 27 school board meeting. "From what I've seen and read, it's very impactful and it deals with a subject that we've worked very hard on at Saline Area Schools, with programs like 'No Place for Hate.'"

No Place to Hate is a district-wide anti-bully program in Saline Area Schools. Cattell said she's hopeful the education students are receiving about bullying is making a difference.

"This generation, from what I’ve seen, they really feel like they can make a difference and that we can address bullying of all of our groups who are at risk," Cattell said.

Bully is in limited release and is not yet showing in the area.

On to the film's website, director Lee Hirsch writes that he was bullied in middle school and that his experences helped shape the way he views the world.

"I firmly believe that there is a need for an honest, gutsy film which gives voice to the kids who deal with such torments on a daily basis. Through this unflinching look, we will make a difference for other young people across our communities and improve our collective response to this this crisis," Hirsch writes.

The movie was given an "R" rating because of strong language. Unhappy with the rating, The Weinstein Company studio released the movie without a rating. That could prevent the movie from seeing wide release, as many theaters will not screen unrated movies.

The "R" rating also drew criticism of Ann Arbor student and Plymouth native Katy Butler, who has taken her

Here is the synopsis of Bully, taken from the film's production notes avaialbe at TheBullyProject.com:

Over 13 million American kids will be bullied this year, making it the most common form of violence experienced by young people in the nation. The new documentary film BULLY, directed by Sundance and Emmy-award winning filmmaker Lee Hirsch, brings human scale to this startling statistic, offering an intimate, unflinching look at how bullying has touched five kids and their families. BULLY is a beautifully cinematic, character-driven documentary. At its heart are those with huge stakes in this issue whose stories each represent a different facet of America’s bullying crisis. Filmed over the course of the 2009/2010 school year, BULLY opens a window onto the pained and often endangered lives of bullied kids, revealing a problem that transcends geographic, racial, ethnic and economic borders. It documents the responses of teachers and administrators to aggressive behaviors that defy “kids will be kids” clichés, and it captures a growing movement among parents and youths to change how bullying is handled in schools, in communities and in society as a whole.