OGDEN — "Thirty percent of U.S. students in the sixth through 10th grades are involved in moderate or frequent bullying, either as bullies, as victims, or both," said Louise Price, principal of St. Joseph Schools, Ogden. "Each month, 282,000 students nationally are physically attacked in secondary schools. Bullying occurs most frequently in the sixth through eighth grades." Bullying was the topic of a St. Joseph Catholic Schools Proactive Parenting Series Nov. 30 at St. Joseph Elementary School. The school is implementing a comprehensive program designed to show educators, parents, and the community how to take action against bullying. Price said bullying is a public health problem. It can be defined as repeated and systematic harassment and attacks on others. It can be perpetrated by individuals or groups. Bullying takes many forms, and can include physical violence and attacks, verbal taunts, name-calling and put-downs, threats and intimidation, extortion or stealing of money and possessions, and exclusion from the peer group. Price said victims are usually loners or those who appear different with mental or physical handicaps, which makes them targets for bullies. Targets are also students who will not participate in behaviors their parents would disapprove of such as drinking, discussion and participation in topics of a sexual nature, and participation in parties where kids tend to pair up after arriving without a host’s or parent’s knowledge. "At our school, girls in cliques pick on other girls simply because they do not wear their hair the way the bullies see fit, or they try to get around the uniform rules," said Price. "This is accomplished by rejection, spreading rumors, or gossip." Price said the family factors which lead to bullying are a lack of attention at home, modeling of aggressive behavior, and allowing children not to take full responsibility for their actions. The individual bully’s temperament is a tendency to develop certain personality styles and interpersonal behaviors. "Our goal is to achieve a bully free school," said Price. "There are several steps that must be implemented to ensure our school is working toward being bully-free. We must gain knowledge and expertise, and talk a lot about this subject. We will continue parent evenings to develop a sound understanding of the issues surrounding bullying. The administration and teachers at St. Joseph Schools want to integrate an anti-bullying component using the Character Counts program with the use of community circle time that will be held on Wednesdays at the school. The teachers and staff will need to recognize and reward positive student behavior. St. Joseph School counselor Michelle Tate does that with the Student of the Month program. Price said simple things such as a student coming to school not in uniform creates a nuisance. It makes a student stand out and makes that student different. It creates the attitude the student is special because he or she is not in uniform. "Everyday I try to tell the students, you hurt everyone in your peer group by not obeying the rules," said Price. "I say you may not get caught today or you may not get caught for the next three weeks, but students in the classroom know what is going on. "We are trying to create the telling environment," said Price. "When something happens, students tend to keep quiet. We want the students to be able to let us know when there is a problem. This week there was a little game going on with the sixth grade boys in which they were physically hitting each other in the genital area, and calling it squirrel slapping. Not one of the boys came to tell me what was happening. I learned from the grapevine, and we stopped it immediately. "If your child is bullied, you can ask the child directly and/or look for signs," said Price. "These signs include anxiety and a fear of going to school, lack of friends, missing belongings, and torn clothing. Parents must work with the school immediately, but they must allow something to be done about the problem. "If I cannot address the problem, nothing will change and nothing can be accomplished," said Price. "If you tell me there is a problem, you can expect I will do something about it. Effective consequences will be applied immediately, and we will advocate the involvement of the bully’s parents." Price said if your child is timid, encourage his or her participation in athletics or other social activities. Develop your child’s special skill and confidence. If your child is the aggressor, take the problem seriously. Keep in mind that a bully will try to deny or minimize his or her wrongdoing. Make it clear that you will not tolerate this kind of behavior. Do not accept the explanation that it was all in fun. Being bullied is not all in fun. Increase your supervision in your child’s activities and whereabouts, and with whom they are associating. Set reasonable rules for their activities and curfews. Cooperate with the school in modifying your child’s aggressive behavior. Frequent communication is important in a bullying situation. Praise your child’s efforts. If necessary, seek professional help. Bullying is increasing as students use technology to send messages in the form of rumors and gossip by way of instant messaging, telephone text messaging, e-mails, My Space, and voice mail. Price said it is easier to bully someone when you are doing it anonymously or behind someone’s back. Bullying stops when a friend or ally of the victim intervenes and tells the bully his or her actions are wrong or unacceptable.
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