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Anti-bullying program begins in Canton
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BY ERIC HRIN
STAFF WRITER
The Canton Area School District has a New Year’s resolution of its own: no more bullying.
On Monday, in the high school auditorium, the district kicked off the Olweus Anti-Bullying program in different assemblies for various grade levels. It’s not done, either. A community meeting on the program will be held at 7 p.m. tonight in the auditorium. All district residents, including students in grades K-12, parents, friends, and family, are invited to attend this kick-off event.
During the program for seventh and eighth graders Monday, social studies teacher Lisa Cole told the students: “You need to come to realize that you need to treat people a certain way. If you don’t want to be treated that way, you shouldn’t be treating others that way.”
The school’s pledge against bullying was unveiled. It reads:
— I will not bully others.
— I will try to help students who are bullied.
— I will make it a point to include students who are left out.
The pledge also includes this statement: “When I know someone is being bullied, I will tell an adult at school and an adult at home.”
“If you don’t help that person that is being bullied and do something to stop the bullying, next time it could be you,” reading specialist Nicole Gordon told the students.
There are also sanctions for grades 7-12, and they just aren’t for the bully.
A hand-out notes that the sanctions will be administered not only to the bully, but to the students who witness bullying — the bystanders — and don’t follow the rules of helping the victim or telling an adult.
“In other words, when students choose to be uninvolved bystanders, they too will be given a sanction,” the description on the hand-out notes.
The sanctions for grades 7-12 are, in descending order: warning, intervention, after-school/parent meetings, ISS 3 days, OSS/alternative placement. High school principal Craig Coleman, however, said that he hopes that intervention will resolve the problem.
The students were shown a presentation on a large screen that provided information about the issue. Included in the presentation were the results of a Canton High School Bullying survey done in May. According to the survey:
— 59 out of 227 students are teased or made fun of on a regular basis.
— 30 students say they are excluded or completely ignored on a regular basis.
— 30 students say they are hit, kicked, pushed, or shoved on a regular basis.
“Bullying happens in all age groups and grades,” the presentation noted. “Girls bully, boys bully, groups bully, and individuals bully.”
It also noted that half of the students say that their teachers do little, or nothing about bullying, and that bullying happens mostly in the hallways, but it also happens in the classroom, in the locker room and in the cafeteria.
Bullying was defined as intentional harm-doing that is repeated over time and occurs in a relationship in which there is an imbalance of power. It can be direct — such as hitting, kicking, shoving, or spitting — or indirect — such as getting another person to assault someone, spreading rumors, or deliberately excluding someone from a group or activity.
Short-term effects of being bullied include lower self-esteem, illness, absenteeism, depression and anxiety, and thoughts of suicide, while lasting effects include lower self-esteem and higher rates of depression.
The Olweus Bullying Program at Canton will focus on:
— Education to increase awareness and promote consistency among school and community.
— Reducing socially unacceptable behaviors.
— Making students aware that even witnessing a bullying situation and doing nothing about it makes them part of the problem, and they will be held accountable.
The name of the program is pronounced Ol-VEY-us, and according to the program Web site, it’s described as “a comprehensive, school-wide program designed for use in elementary, middle, or junior high schools.” It notes the program has been found to “reduce bullying among children, improve the social climate of classrooms, and reduce related antisocial behaviors, such as vandalism and truancy.”
It’s been used in more than a dozen countries around the world. In September 2007, concerns over student safety in the district arose after some students reportedly threatened other students. Anti-bullying education was discussed at that time.
Coleman offered a word of hope to the students.
The district wants, he said, to help “fix” the bullying problem.
Eric Hrin can be reached at (570) 297-5251; e-mail: reviewtroy@thedailyreview.com
On Monday, in the high school auditorium, the district kicked off the Olweus Anti-Bullying program in different assemblies for various grade levels. It’s not done, either. A community meeting on the program will be held at 7 p.m. tonight in the auditorium. All district residents, including students in grades K-12, parents, friends, and family, are invited to attend this kick-off event.
During the program for seventh and eighth graders Monday, social studies teacher Lisa Cole told the students: “You need to come to realize that you need to treat people a certain way. If you don’t want to be treated that way, you shouldn’t be treating others that way.”
The school’s pledge against bullying was unveiled. It reads:
— I will not bully others.
— I will try to help students who are bullied.
— I will make it a point to include students who are left out.
The pledge also includes this statement: “When I know someone is being bullied, I will tell an adult at school and an adult at home.”
“If you don’t help that person that is being bullied and do something to stop the bullying, next time it could be you,” reading specialist Nicole Gordon told the students.
There are also sanctions for grades 7-12, and they just aren’t for the bully.
A hand-out notes that the sanctions will be administered not only to the bully, but to the students who witness bullying — the bystanders — and don’t follow the rules of helping the victim or telling an adult.
“In other words, when students choose to be uninvolved bystanders, they too will be given a sanction,” the description on the hand-out notes.
The sanctions for grades 7-12 are, in descending order: warning, intervention, after-school/parent meetings, ISS 3 days, OSS/alternative placement. High school principal Craig Coleman, however, said that he hopes that intervention will resolve the problem.
The students were shown a presentation on a large screen that provided information about the issue. Included in the presentation were the results of a Canton High School Bullying survey done in May. According to the survey:
— 59 out of 227 students are teased or made fun of on a regular basis.
— 30 students say they are excluded or completely ignored on a regular basis.
— 30 students say they are hit, kicked, pushed, or shoved on a regular basis.
“Bullying happens in all age groups and grades,” the presentation noted. “Girls bully, boys bully, groups bully, and individuals bully.”
It also noted that half of the students say that their teachers do little, or nothing about bullying, and that bullying happens mostly in the hallways, but it also happens in the classroom, in the locker room and in the cafeteria.
Bullying was defined as intentional harm-doing that is repeated over time and occurs in a relationship in which there is an imbalance of power. It can be direct — such as hitting, kicking, shoving, or spitting — or indirect — such as getting another person to assault someone, spreading rumors, or deliberately excluding someone from a group or activity.
Short-term effects of being bullied include lower self-esteem, illness, absenteeism, depression and anxiety, and thoughts of suicide, while lasting effects include lower self-esteem and higher rates of depression.
The Olweus Bullying Program at Canton will focus on:
— Education to increase awareness and promote consistency among school and community.
— Reducing socially unacceptable behaviors.
— Making students aware that even witnessing a bullying situation and doing nothing about it makes them part of the problem, and they will be held accountable.
The name of the program is pronounced Ol-VEY-us, and according to the program Web site, it’s described as “a comprehensive, school-wide program designed for use in elementary, middle, or junior high schools.” It notes the program has been found to “reduce bullying among children, improve the social climate of classrooms, and reduce related antisocial behaviors, such as vandalism and truancy.”
It’s been used in more than a dozen countries around the world. In September 2007, concerns over student safety in the district arose after some students reportedly threatened other students. Anti-bullying education was discussed at that time.
Coleman offered a word of hope to the students.
The district wants, he said, to help “fix” the bullying problem.
Eric Hrin can be reached at (570) 297-5251; e-mail: reviewtroy@thedailyreview.com
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