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FYI

Mike Savory

AWAK(e)A_dvocacy

For General Distribution

From: ny McPhail

I feel that Mississippi should follow Delaware's lead in addressing bullying

in public schools (article below). Also, people involved with special ed.

should take a more active role in addressing this problem. Children with special

needs are targeted by bullies more than any other segment of the school

population. The problem can be addressed through legislation & mandating policies

without placing an extra burden on school budgets or tax payers. ~ny McPhail

Taking aim at school bullies

A scourge of schoolchildren is now treated as a public health concern

By MICHELE BESSO

Bear Bureau reporter

12/30/2003

The names hurt Saffer the most: He said other children call him

one-lip, one-tooth or worse. Sometimes they push or smack him.

A sixth-grader at Pulaski Elementary School in Wilmington, , 11, said

he is taunted because he was born with a cleft lip and palate.

" Sometimes I ignore them or say shut up, " said.

When he is teased or bullied by other kids, he wants to stay home from

school, he said. His mother, Shirley Saffer, said bullying has taken a toll on

her

son, making it hard for him to concentrate and make friends.

To combat bullying and other violent behavior in the nation's schools, the

federal departments of Education and Health and Human Services plan to launch a

$3.4 million campaign next year. The program will use Web sites and

commercials to make the case that bullying is a public health concern.

This year, Delaware's Department of Education added bullying to its list of

offenses committed on school grounds that must be reported to the state within

five days.

Though bullying long has been shrugged off or dismissed as " kids being kids, "

in recent years, it has gained national attention. It was cited as a factor

at Columbine High School, in Littleton, Colo., in 1999, when two students shot

and killed 12 students and a teacher. The boys committed suicide afterward.

Twenty percent of public schools reported bullying happened at least once a

week in 1999-2000, the federal Education Department said. That is more than all

other discipline problems reported. Department statistics show kids who are

bullied are five times more likely to be depressed and suicidal than other

kids.

Bullying can contribute to a climate of fear and intimidation, state

officials said. The National Center for Education Statistics reported in 2002

that

160,000 students nationwide miss school each day because of bullying.

The problem grades

School statistics show the greatest number of bullying incidents typically

happen in middle school, where social experimentation really blossoms, said

Robin Case, state education associate for school climate and discipline.

Students

are faced with physical and emotional changes, peer pressure and a wide range

of choices.

" I think middle-school students struggle the most with bullying because of

vulnerability and differences with adolescence, " said , a counselor

at Everett Meredith Middle School in Middletown.

" When you come into my building, you've got kids ranging in height from 3 to

6 feet, 50 to 200 pounds, and they're all scared, " said. She said she

tells students everyone is vulnerable and can become a target of a bully.

Case said because of the problems in those grades, the state is directing

more attention to anti-bullying efforts in elementary schools to change

students'

behavior before they get to middle school.

This is the first school year the state Department of Education is collecting

reports of bullying incidents at all schools, Case said. So far, six of the

state's 19 school districts have reported 87 incidents of bullying. The total

will be available June 30. Students who bully can be punished with detention or

suspension, state officials said.

Getting police involved

In Delaware, the School Crime Reporting Law requires all violent felonies

that occur on school property to be reported immediately to police, then to the

victim's parents and the Education Department.

Other offenses, including bullying, pornography, exhibitionism, criminal

mischief, disorderly conduct and fighting must be reported to the Education

Department within five days.

Delaware State Police handled 665 incidents in Sussex County during the

2002-2003 school year, including assaults, offensive touching, terroristic

threats

and bullying. Police made 513 arrests. In three Kent County school districts

in 2002, state police handled 560 complaints and made 310 arrests. Statistics

for New Castle County were not available because the state statistician is out

of town, state police spokesman Lt. ph Aviola said.

Since 1998, the state has had a program targeting bullying that included

assemblies, special training for teachers, counselors and school resource

officers, a school crime hot line and alternative schools for students with

disciplinary problems. State officials said the program is working and students

are

beginning to realize bullying is a serious problem.

Detective Preston , a school resource officer for the southern part of

the Indian River School District, said he thinks the presence of school

resource officers deters bullying.

This year, Gov. Ruth Ann Minner launched an initiative on character education

that also targets bullying.

Shirley Saffer said she has reported the teasing her son endures for his

cleft lip to School District officials and police, but the bullying

continues. School district spokeswoman McVey said school officials have

responded in a " timely and appropriate manner. "

, the school counselor, said students who are bullied suffer

psychological pain that can continue to grow and never disappears. When it is

turned

inward, students become depressed and self-destructive.

Some victims may explode instead. That's when deadly school violence, such as

what happened at Columbine, can occur, said.

" Parents may think it's not a big deal, " said. " A lot of them say,

'Just stand up for yourself or hit back.' But it's far too dangerous in this

time

with the prevalence of weapons. "

Source:

http://www.delawareonline.com/newsjournal/local/2003/12/30takingaimatscho.html