Racial bullying in schools is on the rise — including here in Mass.

At a tranquil pond on Cape Cod this summer, a white teenager invoked George Floyd’s name. But it wasn’t to support the Black Lives Matter movement — it was to torment a Black youth, mocking him as his white friend allegedly trying to drown him. Earlier this month, white students at Concord Middle School reportedly called a 13-year-old Black classmate a "monkey" and threatened to "whip [him] because he's Black."

Shocking as these incidents are, they should be a wake-up call to all of us, and particularly to schools. Reports of racial and identity-based bullying are increasing in Massachusetts — and will continue to rise unless we take proactive steps. Enacting school-based policies that specifically address identity-based bullying is a critical first step.