By HEATHER C. COX
Staff Writer
reporter@sbnewspaper.com
“We have had our Bullying Prevention and Intervention Handbook and procedures in place for one year,” said Melonie Flores, staff development coordinator for San Benito CISD.
In 2011, Flores aided in efforts, together with a committee composed of parents and faculty, to recognize the need of bully prevention awareness. Flores added, “We were ahead of the game and received positive media feedback last year because of SBCISD’s effort to tackle the issue of bullying.”
Statistics from the handbook explain that nearly one-third of all students surveyed report experiencing some sort of bullying, as either a target or perpetrator. By definition, bullying consists of unwanted, aggressive behavior that involves a real or perceived power imbalance and has the ability to pose a significant problem among school age children.
Harvard Law statistics explain that the first anti-bullying law was passed in 1999, partly in response to the Columbine shootings. As of October 2012, Montana is the only state that has not enacted legislation requiring school districts to adopt policies regarding bullying.
In 2006, PACER (the Minnesota Parent Training and Information Center funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Program) designated the month of October as National Bullying Prevention Month. According to PACER, “National Bullying Prevention Month is a time when communities can unite nationwide to raise awareness of bullying prevention through events, activities, outreach, and education.”
Next week is National Stop Bullying Week, with October 10 as National Stop Bullying Day, also known as Unity Day. This is a specific day set apart for people across the country (from celebrities to everyday citizens) to wear the color orange as a means of taking a stance against bullying.
“Our students will receive special training on bullying next week,” said Gloria Becerra, SBCISD Assistant Principal at Sullivan Elementary. She went on to say, “I believe most of our students will report bullying and they know they can always report it to the counselor. The counselor consistently does activities with them on this topic. The rest of the staff members have learned how to differentiate between bullying and just a one-time behavior issue.”
Becerra said, “The handbook has been very useful. It provides guidance and structured procedures to follow. Our students recite an anti-bullying pledge every day.”
The pledge reads:
“I pledge to be: A good student, kind to my classmates, respect all teachers, take pride in my work. I will not watch or take part in bullying. I will not keep quiet about bullying. I will speak up when I see bullying today and every day.”
Becerra explained, “Most parents have taken the initiative to report to us if they suspect their child is being bullied. And, of course, the administrators on this campus always follow-up with any suspicion of bullying by investigating and talking to the particular student.”
San Benito High School Principal Delia Weaver said, “Our assistant principals, who deal with student discipline, diffuse difficult situations and educate students on laws of bullying. We need to be very careful in determining which cases are really bullying. We have zero tolerance for bullying at San Benito High School and we take student concerns of bullying very seriously.”
Bullying can be broken down into three categories: verbal, social and physical. According to stopbullying.gov, most reported bullying happens in the school building though it can occur anywhere, even virtually, which is more commonly referenced as cyberbullying. Examples of cyberbullying include mean-spirited text messages or emails, rumors sent by email or posted on social networking sites, and embarrassing pictures, videos, websites or fake profiles.
While schools can do their part to make children aware of bullying by developing procedures and providing training to implement for students and faculty, parents are encouraged to do their part to educate their children and monitor specific behavior patterns while kids are at home. It is recommended that parents become aware of what their children see and do online.
Here are tips for parents who wish to monitor their child’s internet life, per stopbullying.gov. For more information, visit www.stopbullying.gov:
• Know the sites your kids visit and their online activities. Ask where they’re going, what they’re doing, and who they’re doing it with.
• Tell your kids that as a responsible parent you may review their online communications if you think there is reason for concern. Installing parental control filtering software or monitoring programs are one option for monitoring your child’s online behavior, but do not rely solely on these tools.
• Have a sense of what they do online and in texts. Learn about the sites they like. Try out the devices they use.
• Ask for their passwords, but tell them you’ll only use them in case of emergency.
• Ask to “friend” or “follow” your kids on social media sites or ask another trusted adult to do so.
• Encourage your kids to tell you immediately if they or someone they know are being cyberbullied. Explain that you will not take away their computers or cell phones if they confide in you about a problem they are having.
Read this story in the October 7 edition of the San Benito News, or subscribe to our E-Edition by clicking here.
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