Kids taunting kids - being bullies and getting bullied.  It seems like it’s happened, no matter when you went to school. But it’s now even more a part of the American culture.  A video game called 'Bully' lets players violently attack teachers and students in school. 

But the problem is all too real.

Cathy and Tim Whitt say they watched their son break down because of violence on school grounds. “He went from honor roll to failing in four weeks,” Cathy said.  “He would make deals with me if you don't send me to school today I will do x, y, z.”

An 11th grader recalls being locked inside a storage shed with a pesticide machine running.  “The big heavy duty sprayer for the football field to keep insects out and it’s like toxins and they set that off and they locked a bunch of us in there,” he described.

Family photo

Dennis Renado Johnson died after being attacked.

That situation could have been deadly.

Bullying turned deadly for 13-year-old Dennis Renado Johnson of Norfolk. The Norview Middle School student was attacked while walking home from school earlier this month. Four teenagers are charged with second degree murder.  

“If anything he was trying to stay away from them,” said Andre Sweet, Johnson’s cousin, adding “I hope they get the death penalty. I really do."

Portsmouth parents and even the sheriff say gangs are in schools and they're getting more violent. "They were concerned because the Crips and the Bloods are hanging out at Cradock Middle School,” Sheriff Bill Watson related.

Bullying doesn’t just happen on the mean streets or in inner city schools.  It happens in small towns and neighborhoods where parents think their children are safe.

The Whitts tried everything to help their son's pain.  They finally took him to therapy, where they got a big surprise. "He was the one who came to me on the fourth visit, in the middle of the visit, and said ‘You need to get him out of there ASAP. I was stunned,’" Cathy Whitt admitted.

The counselor feared the worst and ordered their son removed from school.  The fights, teasing and taunting were so bad.

13News consulted child psychologist Susan Garvy, who says children can be vicious. “In the past 25 years, domestic violence has risen dramatically, family violence has risen dramatically," she noted.

Garvy says more fights at home translate into more fights at school.

In Virginia Beach, one principal sees it and has applied for a special grant to tackle issue. "Every situation, you have to take seriously in a child's world. It is a big deal," John Parkman, principal at the Center for Effective Learning, said.

More than 100 bullying cases were reported in the three largest Hampton Roads school districts for the 2005-2006 school year. In Newport News, thousands of students report feeling harassed.

"About 10% of students say they have experienced some sort of bullying in their school career," Parkman added.

Psychologists report kids are more violent these days and more sensitive. At a church-based daycare in Portsmouth, they haven’t seen any fights. But they already know that teasing and taunting hurts.

“I try to warn them to tell them to not fight and they just don't listen to me,” said one youngster.

Another added, “My sister says I'm a baby."

That’s often the typical bullying scenario and squabbling at school.

But the violence has reached the point that some children are turning their backs on school. One teenager is taking classes online, away from the bullies. "It's just like a giant's weight's been lifted off you. It's a relief. There's nothing to worry about anymore," he said.