Michael T. Mondak speaks on accountability in public schools regarding bullying
CAUTION: This entry is about a sensitive topic that I have spoken about for many years.
I have said for many years that bullying in schools continues to be a major problem. It isn't just an issue in Hermitage, Altoona, or Wyalusing. It isn't just in issue in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It's a national epidemic that too often leads to kids who are being bullied take their own lives, which is too many young lives lost due to incidences of bullying.
I previously said that the states should place the onus on the schools to implement stricter zero tolerance policies regarding bullying and enforce them to their fullest extent by punishing those who bully and protect those who are being bullied and/or are witnesses lest they face the forfeiture of half of their state funding that comes from their state legislatures (e.g., Harrisburg). Then there was the next best thing of local municipalities put local laws on the books that prohibit public bullying of others by students and hitting parents of those known bullies in their wallets with fines and/or possible jail time (a law that is meant to force parents to curb their child's bullying behavior at all times). If such a law existed in 2002, then the parents of students who bullied me would have been fined and/or jailed for failure to curb their bullying behavior.
The saying that "kids will be kids" no longer holds water in the 21st century (especially in an era of social media) because we are now aware of the long-term and often devastating impacts that bullying has for students. Recent surveys show that 20% of students have reported being bullied in school. However, we do not know how many of those kids are victims of cyberbullying due to poor reporting. The following sixteen steps will help curb the bullying epidemic once and for all not just in Hermitage, but nationwide:
- Understanding and distributing district policy on bullying: This means publishing such policies in student handbooks that are incorporated into the front of their assignment notebooks.
- Preparing and distributing school ruled and procedures for dealing with bullying: Again, this is where publishing in student handbooks come into play.
- Instituting awareness training for students, staff and parents: With virtual training for every student, staff member and parent, there will be an understanding of how to spot and report incidences of bullying. And yes, this will include all teachers and any substitute teachers as well.
- Forming a coordinating committee: The coordinating committee shall consist of up to seven members, which includes all four building principals (Artman and Ionta Elementary Schools, Delahunty Middle School and Hickory High School), two faculty members and one staff member, whose duties are to coordinate with the schools and communicate with students on school policies regarding bullying.
- Obtaining school data on bullying: Through anonymous surveys, data will be collected on what types of bullying are being experienced in schools and analyzed to identify what needs to be done better to curb incidences of bullying in schools.
- Establishing a schoolwide positive culture development plan: Every building principal shall be encouraged to develop a plan to develop a positive culture within their school buildings so the district as a whole can be looked upon as a model for other schools to follow to help them curb incidences of school bullying not just in Pennsylvania, but also nationwide.
- Training staff on prevention and intervention: This type of training shall be annually required prior to the beginning of each new school year for all faculty, staff and administration and give them a better understanding of preventing bullying as well as when and when not to intervene.
- Identifying problem sites for bullying: The collection of school data on bullying will help identify the most common sites in schools where bullying takes place (e.g., cafeteria, hallways).
- Establishing adequate adult supervision: Faculty and staff are encouraged to monitor the hallways and cafeteria before, during and after the school day for any incidences of bullying.
- Defining a bullying complaint process and response: Reports of bullying can be filed in person or online on a dedicated page to report incidences. Any student, faculty member or staff member can report an incident of bullying and can remain anonymous. The onus will then be on the building principal to investigate and resolve any incident of bullying.
- Developing a parent information and involvement plan: A mandatory meeting with parents/guardians will be held prior to the start of the school year to remind them of their responsibilities to curb their child's behavior both on and off of school grounds and allows them to get involved in the reporting process if their child is a victim of bullying.
- Identifying curriculum content for classroom support: Content for classroom support will mainly be centered around social studies curriculum in schools.
- Identifying methods for bringing new students and staff up to speed: Every new hire of faculty and/or staff and every new student should be informed by the building principal(s) about policies regarding bullying and possible harmful effects on victims.
- Planning specific help for students who are bullied: All victims of bullying shall be exempt from disciplinary sanctions and will be encouraged to bring along as many witnesses as possible when reporting bullying.
- Planning specific help for students exhibiting bullying behaviors: All building principals shall follow the regular disciplinary process with emphasis on education and require the accused bully/bullies and their parents/guardians to change their behavior.
- Conducting ongoing evaluation of the program: At the end of each school year, collect and analyze all data regarding bullying and disciplinary action(s) taken against students who exhibit bullying behaviors and see how improvements can be made.
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