The only constant is change, but with some things in life, things never change. We tell on page 1, for example, about a bullying incident in a local school. The problem isn’t new. Everyone, young or old, can remember a bully.

Fifty years ago or longer, a school would try its best to keep a bad kid in school, probably because teachers and principals knew the only chance for a bully was to change him from sociopath to stand-up citizen.

The process, however, is easier said than done.

Things can’t happen fast enough for the parent of a child who’s the victim of bullying. For some reason—probably lawsuits—schools and districts seem handcuffed when it comes to bullies. The bad kids get the benefit of any doubts. They often stay enrolled until they actually physically attack another student. The tolerance for bullying goes even further if the aggressor is suffering from a mental disorder.

Verbal abuse, which is no less serious in terms of its lasting detriment to victims, often goes unpunished. It frequently happens one-on-one, and if there are witnesses, they rarely want to talk. Verbal attacks are hard to prove.

Most bullies are exempt from discipline because their behavior goes unreported. A stigma still exists about being a tattletale, not to overlook the fear of retaliation.

Bullying is common by middle school, but it can also sprout as early as second- or third-grade. In the past, a school district counselor said that some children by age 8 were so anti-social that she could predict their future in the criminal justice system.

Much of the problem can be put on the doorstep of latchkey children being raised by dysfunctional families, but some of it also has to do with genetics.

The latest trend is cyberbullying, which is happening as early as middle school. As if raging hormones and puberty weren’t troubles enough, contemporary kids must also cope with bullying over cellphones and the Internet.

Schools must take a proactive approach and prevent bullying.

But once it occurs, it must be dealt with swiftly and strongly.