This is one in a series of columns on bullying in schools.
By Melissa Martin
Special to NKy Tribune
The Kentucky Department of Education reported 15,520 incidents of bullying during the 2012-13 school year. How do schools in Kentucky prevent and intervene with bullying? Do they help or hinder? What is the bullying policy at your child’s school?
First, let’s look at the definition of bullying.
“Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time,” as reported on www.stopbullying.gov.
Is Kentucky protecting your children while they are in school? House Bill 91 – The Golden Rule Act (KRS 158.156 legislation) requires the Kentucky Department of Education to provide guidance to local school districts to assist with the implementation of the law at the local level. It also requires that “model policies” (bullying, code of conduct, and supervision of students) be provided to school districts. Visit www.education.ky.gov.
Section One of KRS Chapter 158 states:
(1) Any employee of a school or a local board of education who knows or has reasonable cause to believe that a school student has been the victim of a violation of any felony offense specified in KRS Chapter 508 committed by another student while on school premises, on school-sponsored transportation, or at a school-sponsored event shall immediately cause an oral or written report to be made to the principal of the school attended by the victim. The principal shall notify the parents, legal guardians, or other persons exercising custodial control or supervision of the student when the student is involved in an incident reportable under this section. The principal shall file with the local school board and the local law enforcement agency or the Department of Kentucky State Police or the county attorney within forty-eight (48) hours of the original report a written report. Visit www.bullypolice.org.
What are schools doing?
Eleven-year-old Morgan Guess was appointed to a 2014 Kentucky Youth Bullying Prevention Task Force by Gov. Beshear to work on bullying prevention in Kentucky schools (see KyForward story). Guess is a former victim of school bullying.
The Jessamine County school district is using the Safety Tipline Online Prevention (STOP) email format provided free by the Kentucky Center for School Safety to stop bullying. Students, parents or community members can anonymously report school bullying or unsafe situations.
Students at Tates Creek High School in Lexington continue to use the H.O.P.E. (Helping Other People Everyday) Club to help bullied students. Members have presented to 200 middle schools.
The Kentucky Center for School Safety is a one-stop shop for bullying resources for students, parents, teachers, administrators and the community. Visit www.kycss.org/bullying.php.
Do children bully because adults bully? Children live what they learn and they learn by observing and imitating adults. Is our culture of cruelty so overwhelming that bullied children lose hope? Children live in the moment and they believe what they feel is permanent and what is happening will not change. School becomes an emotional battleground when bullying continues and children are the casualties.
The family is the foundational building block of society and this is where bullying prevention must start. Parents need to teach and talk the no-bullying walk. Caretakers need to turn off the television and technology and just spend time talking with kids.
Please seek help from a child therapist if your child is a victim of bullying and shows signs of depression or anxiety. Ask your pediatrician for a referral. Talk with the school counselor, principal, and teachers and keep talking. Contact the superintendent, the school board members, and the Kentucky Department of Education and keep talking. If the bullying does not stop you may want to talk to an attorney.
Melissa Martin, Ph.D., is a child therapist, consultant and educator in Wheelersburg, Ohio.