South Dakota is one of six states that does not have anti-bullying laws, and Rapid City educators this year say they will continue to try combat bullying, suicide and harassment issues with proactive programs.

Only five other states - Montana, Hawaii, Wisconsin, Massachusetts and North Dakota - and the District of Columbia lack specific laws targeting school bullying, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL).

Parents and advocates say that even the states that do have anti-bullying legislation are not enforcing them and the laws don't go far enough to identify and rid schools of chronic tormentors.

Forty-four states expressly ban bullying, a legislative legacy of a rash of school shootings in the late '90s, yet few if any of those measures have identified children who excessively pick on their peers, an Associated Press review has found. And few offer any method for ensuring the policies are enforced, according to data compiled by the NCSL.

While some state education officials provide model policies that school districts should mimic, they offer little to assure the policies are enforced; only a handful of states require specific data gathering meant to assure bullying is being monitored, for instance.

"The states themselves can't micromanage a school district - but they can say to a school district, 'Look, you have to have consequences,'" said Brenda High, whose Web site, Bully Police USA, tracks anti-bullying laws across the nation, and who advocates for strict repercussions for bullies. High's son, Jared, was 13 when he committed suicide in 1998 after complaining of bullying.

"It needs to be written into the law that bullying has the same consequences as assault," she said.

In South Dakota, the state department of education does not receive federal funding to assist schools with anti-bullying prevention, but does work hand-in-hand with trainers who visit schools in the state to work with staff.

Educators in Rapid City received support this year from the Front Porch Coalition to learn from Sources of Strength founder Mark LoMurray. Administrators, counselors, and teachers met with LoMurray this week to learn about his program, which teaches students to identify sources of strength to so they have a healthier aspect on life and their peers.

"The main goal is to successfully and positively change norms, attitudes and behaviors," said elementary Black Hawk principal Jackie Higlin, who organized the workshop. "It's a way of building a positive child."

North Middle School principal Valerie Nefzger, said it fits in with the school's Eagle Pride program that sets aside time each week for students to meet in groups and do team-building activities.

Through the Sources of Strength program, staff members will choose student leaders to help lead the Sources of Strength activities with other students.

Positive friends, family, caring adults, positive activities, generosity, spirituality, and access to mental and medical health are some of the sources of areas students will be encouraged to think about. Knowing where they can turn to if they need help is one of the goals, Nefzger said.

But programs aren't enough, some advocates say and the problem is getting worse. In 2007, nearly a third of students ages 12 to 18 reported having been bullied during the school year, according to data on more than 55 million students compiled annually by the National Center for Education Statistics. That's up from as few as 1 in 10 students in the '90s, though bullying experts point out the rising numbers may reflect more reports of bullying, not necessarily more incidents.

Many children reported teasing, spreading rumors and threats, all harder to spot and manage, school leaders say.

Dr. Diahann Meekins Moore, associate director for psychiatric services at the Illinois Department of Children & Family Services, cautioned that it's unclear whether bullying could be considered a primary cause in those deaths or in any suicide.

All the same, every suicide with a hint of bullying, every school rampage involving a shooter who claims to have been bullied renews the debate over whether anyone can curb what most consider a harsh and inevitable part of childhood, and if so, who bears that responsibility.

"A lot of this has to be handled in the home," said Peter Daboul, chair of the board of trustees at New Leadership, the Massachusetts school where her son was a 6th grader.

Teachers there will receive training on spotting childhood depression and bullying, he said, "but you also have the family unit where these kids are hopefully taught the difference between right and wrong."

Sirdeaner Walker said reminding a child that they're loved at home is less effective when they're being teased in the classroom.

"I can say that all the time," Walker said. "But again, I have to send my child back to the school."

Rapid City Journal reporter Kayla Gahagan contributed to this report.