Proactive Safer Schools: A Community Focus on Safety: Is Your School Safe For All?

10 Rules for Being Human (3:42 min. video): Simple Truths

2012-01-27T09:35:00.001-05:00

10 Rules for Being Human
answer the fundamental question...
What is the purpose of life?

click here

Enjoy the 10 Rules for Being Human
from a little book that sold over 4 million copies!

Mac Anderson, Founder
Simple Truths

212: the extra degree

2012-01-26T11:32:00.001-05:00

212°: the extra degree, is a powerful metaphor and a mindset that can help each achieve greater personal and professional success. To understand the power of 212°, remember this law of science:

at 211 degrees, water is hot.

at 212 degrees, it boils.

and with boiling water comes steam …

and with steam, you can power a train.

Applying one extra degree of temperature to water means the difference between something that is simply very hot and something that generates enough force to power a machine. It is also a reminder for each to give the extra effort in every task, action and endeavor we undertake.

212° reinforces that seemingly small things can make tremendous differences as individual contributors and overall success.

Steve Ventura

Olweus Bullying Prevention Program

2012-01-25T08:37:00.000-05:00

It was in 1999, in the wake of the Columbine massacre in Colorado in which 12 students and a teacher were killed, that the US Department of Justice selected the Olweus Bully Prevention Program as a model for their national violence prevention scheme. Since then the Olweus Program has been used in some 8000 US schools. It is also being used in Canada, the UK, Iceland, Germany and Ukraine.

In Norway the program has been shown to reduce bullying up to 50% and produce marked reductions in reports of vandalism, fighting, theft, and truancy.

Some of Olweus most notable success stories in the USA include three elementary schools in California that reported a 21% decrease in bullying after just one year. In Arizona several schools recorded a reduction of more than a quarter. The latest school to adopt Olweus is Great Neck Middle School in Virginia Beach, VA.

A good anti bullying program is essential for prevention of bullying, harassment and violence in the student population. Some Programs have 5-year studies proving their success. The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, as an example, has a record of accomplishment for cutting bullying by 50 percent.

The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program was first developed in Norway after a number of Norway students died from suicide after being bullied. (Developed by Dan Olweus PhD – Book: Bullying at School)

Olweus Bullying Prevention Program from Hazelden & Clemson ...

www.olweus.org/Cached - Similar

Create safe schools with the proven Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. Official website for the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program with information on ...

What is Bullying? - Olweus Bullying Prevention Program - Program Materials

Conscious Discipline/Expressions

2012-01-23T10:59:00.000-05:00

Bailey, Becky A. 2000. Conscious Discipline: 7

Basic Skills for Brain Smart Classroom

Management. Oviedo, FL: Loving Guidance,

Inc.

Conscious Discipline: includes the seven skills of

Composure,

Encouragement,

Assertiveness,

Choices,

Empathy,

Positive Intent, and

Consequences

"The School Family builds connection between families and schools, teachers and teachers, teachers and students, and students and students to ensure the optimal development of all.

These connections provide the three essential ingredients for school success:

* A willingness to learn * Impulse control * Attention"

~ Brandon Fernandez, teenager who founded EXPRESSIONS: a program designed to teach young children how to express themselves through poetry and photography:

We never have to hold our feelings inside. Whether we express ourselves through speech, poetry, or photography, every one of us has a voice with something of value to say. Now, we can be heard.

Dr. Seuss: You have brains in your head, and feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.

Success Secrets (4:37 video)

2012-01-17T20:33:00.000-05:00

Some will follow, some will try to stand in your way.

William Feather said it best,
"Success... seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go."

Find your ability to lead and inspire.
Watch "Success Secrets"

Life Secrets

Dr. Martin Luther King: Pass It On Project

2012-01-17T09:35:00.004-05:00

Audrey Harris, helping connect her Brooklyn, NY students with the living, breathing history of MLK, inspiring them to carry out his legacy in their own lives right here, right now...

Click: Jan 16, 2012 3:46pm

On Jan. 27, 2009 The Pass It On Project students met with Rev. Samuel "Billy" Kyles at CNN. Kyles was with Dr. King during the last few hours of his life. It was such an honor and an amazing opportunity for the students to learn about Dr. King directly from one of the heroes of the Civil Rights Movement. Length: ‎2:59

Great Quotes from Great Leaders

2012-01-16T16:17:00.003-05:00

Timeless wisdom...great thoughts from great leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., who have inspired us, encouraged us, led us to do the right thing.

click here to watch 3 min. movie

Mac Anderson
Founder, Simple Truths

In Face of Challenge: Carrots, Eggs, or Coffee Beans (Video)

2012-01-13T06:49:00.003-05:00

At one time or another, all of us have experienced a difficult situation, had setbacks, or dealt with our share of disappointment. Most things that happen to us on a daily basis we can't control; it is not what happens to us that matters but rather, how we choose to respond.

Carrots, Eggs or Coffee Beans, which one will you be?

Carrots, Eggs of Coffee Beans Movie

Mac Anderson
Founder, Simple Truths

5 Languages of Apology: How to Experience Healing in Your Relationships

2012-01-12T08:52:00.003-05:00

Chapman, Gary & Jennifer Thomas. 2006. Five Languages of Apology: How to Experience Healing in All Your Relationships. Chicago: Northfield Publishing

* Expressing Regret: “I am sorry.”

* Accepting Responsibility: “I was wrong.”

* Making Restitution: “What can I do to make it right?”

* Genuinely Repenting: “I’ll try not to do it again.”

* Requesting Forgiveness: “Will you please forgive me?

Barbara Colorosa: 6 Critical Life Messages Our Children Need to Get

2012-01-11T08:09:00.000-05:00

Colorosa, Barbara. 1994. Kids Are Worth It! Giving Your Child the Gift of Inner Discipline. New York: Avon Books

Six Critical Life Messages Our Children Need to Get:

1) I Believe In You

2) I Trust In You

3) I Know You Can Handle This

4) You Are Listened To

5) You Are Cared For

6) You Are Very Important To Me

Judy Ford:
Just as plants soak up water, your children need your loving words, and with them they will thrive.

Valerie Sokolosky:
It's not what we leave our kids; it's what we leave within them that counts.

5 Love Languages of Children: how our children seek and express love

2012-01-10T09:31:00.002-05:00

Chapman, Gary & Ross Campbell, MD. 1997. The five Love Languages of Children. Chicago: Northfield Publishing
*Physical Touch
*Words of Affirmation
*Quality time
*Gifts
*Acts of Service

Hodding Carter: "There are two lasting bequests we can give our children: one is roots, the other is wings."

Caring and Courageous Kids: Program for Peaceful Intervention to Bullying

2012-01-09T10:14:00.007-05:00

	http://www.CaringandCourageousKids.com PEACE FOR YOU AND ME (The song has been recorded on CD and is available to purchase for a donation.) LISTEN to song on www.CaringandCourageousKids.com I am committed to all the "Jonah's"... (click here)

Community Initiatives for Safer Schools

2012-01-08T17:56:00.012-05:00

Research reveals a child needs

to be fed nutritionally and

to feel “safe, loved, valued”

for the brain to be

most receptive to learning.

Academic success increases

with a

“Focus on Safety”.

Community Initiatives:

Conduct sessions, led by Safer Schools Team members, to explore topics to assure an environment receptive to learning:

·“Fed nutritionally”: donate financial support to Backpack-Food Program for Children to provide nutritional weekend/summer meals

·Telling is not Tattling: It is a means of protecting oneself and others. Students are often the first to know critical information “under the radar”.

·Restorative Practices: positive learning, healing, and growth for all involved
(see "Safer Schools" website page: "Restorative Practices...")

·Tutoring/Shared Time: volunteers to support academic achievement and individual attention and affirmation

We must unite as a community to develop Safer Schools and ask:

“How can we effectively work to assure the safety of our children and school personnel?”

Elected officials state: "Nowhere else in our society, in our businesses and community, would we tolerate actions considered misdemeanors and felonies. Why in our schools?"

Law enforcement leader responded, "You are singing music to my ears" and connected "Safer Schools" Team members to community leaders and other law enforcement personnel.

Legislators and citizens encourage Safer Schools Team to expand the "Safer Schools" Program state-wide/nation-wide.

The Road to Happiness

2012-01-06T10:31:00.001-05:00

Watch The Road to Happiness

copyright Simple Truths, LLC

Mac Anderson
Founder, Simple Truths

Restorative Justice in Schools: Belinda Hopkins

2012-01-05T09:32:00.000-05:00

Restorative Justice in Schools: Belinda Hopkins
1) Misbehavior defined as harm (emotional/mental/physical) done to one person/group by another
2) Focus on problem-solving by expressing feelings and needs and exploring how to meet them in the future
3) Dialogue and negotiation: everyone involved in communicating and cooperating with each other
4) Restitution as a means of restoring both parties, the goal being reconciliation and acknowledging responsibility for choices
5) Attention to relationships and achievement of the mutually desired outcome
6) Conflict/wrongdoing recognized as interpersonal conflicts with opportunity for learning
7) Focus on repair of social injury/damage
8) School community involved in facilitating restoration; those affected taken into consideration; empowerment
9) Accountability defined as understanding impact of actions, taking responsibility for choices and suggesting ways to repair harm

Restorative Justice video: Transformation of West Philadelphia High

2012-01-04T07:45:00.007-05:00

"The Transformation of West Philadelphia High School: A Story of Hope" is nine minutes long and can be viewed for free at SaferSanerSchools. To purchase the DVD for $10, please visit the International Institute for Restorative Practices.

W Philadelphia HS had been listed as a "persistently dangerous school for violence/crime..."

The Transformation of West Philadelphia High - Restorative Justice ...

Search Restorative Justice Online ...

Restorative Justice: Howard Zehr

2012-01-03T21:00:00.004-05:00

Howard Zehr's "Restorative justice three's" — RJ Online

"To summarize restorative justice as a way of addressing wrongdoing, we might put it in a series of “threes:”

Research: Restorative Justice & Howard Zehr

Inspiration

2012-01-02T22:21:00.003-05:00

click here to watch this inspiring 3 minute movie from Zig Ziglar

Mac Anderson
Founder, Simple Truths

Sometimes it only takes a little to change big things

2011-12-26T22:47:00.007-05:00

Click on Elion
Roll your mouse over entire picture

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Elion

Kindness: The Power of Kindness

2011-12-23T08:58:00.004-05:00

"Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others
cannot keep it from themselves."
- James Barrie

Click here to watch this life-changing movie.

Mac Anderson
Founder, Simple Truths

Kindness is more important than wisdom, and the recognition of this is the beginning of wisdom.
~ Theodore Isaac Rubin

A Stop To Bullying Starts with Changing a Mindset

2011-12-20T09:12:00.002-05:00

Presentation on bullying urges parents, educators to be involved

new

Senior Assistant Prosecutor Anthony Pierro says the culture that accepts bullying as a normal part of childhood must be changed.

"Boys will be boys."

"Girls are just nasty to each other."
"It takes tough people to make it in this world."

Those are all examples of the kinds of statements -- and attitudes -- that need to be eliminated if we truly hope to reduce the problem of bullying, said Anthony Pierro, supervising assistant prosecutor in the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office's Juvenile Justice Division, as he addressed a gathering of parents, educators and members of law enforcement at the Ocean County Library on Thursday night.
Entitled "Cyberbullying: What You Need to Know as a Parent" and presented by the Ocean County Human Relations Commission, the program aimed to give parents a sense of the way and the kinds of bullying that go on with children and teenagers in 2011.
"We have to rid our brains of the idea that this toughens you up," Pierro said, because bullying is simply wrong.
While bullying has become more visible because of high-profile cases such as those of Rutgers student Tyler Clementi and Missouri teen Megan Meier, both of whom committed suicide in the wake of cyberbullying, Pierro and Detective James Hill, a supervisor in the high-tech crimes unit of the prosecutor's office, said they aren't sure they've seen a dramatic increase in the amount of bullying that goes on these days. Hill did say, however, that it's happening at younger and younger ages.
Part of the problem, Pierro and Hill said, is that because this generation's children are growing up with technology, they are far more savvy about how to use it, while at the same time not understanding the power that is in the technology they use.
"They don't see the boy crying himself to sleep every night after being bullied," Pierro said. "They don't know about the girl who kicks and screams about going to school because she doesn't want to be picked on for another day."
Pierro related a story of a school where he'd been asked to give a bullying presentation, where the principal warned him upon his arrival of a girl who was continually disruptive -- she had to be carried onto the bus to school in the morning, carried off the bus into school when she arrived, and was continuously in trouble for being disruptive in class.
At the end of his presentation, Pierro said, the girl -- a first-grader -- approached him and thanked him for coming. And then she told him how she hated being at that school. It turned out that the little girl had her hair pulled repeatedly every day by another student in class -- a problem that had gone on since kindergarten -- and when the girl reported it to her teacher, the teacher blamed her for being disruptive.
"We have to correct those attitudes," he said.
The presentation included a showing of the film "Sticks and Stones," a solemn portrayal of a shy teen boy who becomes friendly with a girl who is among the more popular students at school, and the scenario that unfolds when the girl's boyfriend discovers the shy boy is interested in her. The movie ends with the young man's suicide and his parents packing away his belongings.
The film, which was created in 2009 by the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, is a powerful commentary on cyberbullying and the behaviors of teens, but also a cautionary tale for parents, laden with moments that give you much to consider about common issues: supervision, privacy, alcohol use and, of course, when and how much access they have to the various types of technology. In the film, the teens have computers in their rooms and cell phones and both are used in the bullying that goes on in the film.
While some would be quick to blame technology, the technology isn't the problem, officials said.
"We don't want parents going home and throwing the computer in the trash," Pierro said."The computer is a tool in doing these things, but it's not the cause."
Besides, said Earl Mosely, the anti-bullying coordinator in the Brick Township School District, "It's not the computer any more that's the biggest problem; it's the phone."
Because the technology is so widespread and because this generation of children are growing up with it, adults need to be proactive and wise about the use of it.
"Are parents utilizing it as a babysitting tool, the way our parents used television?" asked Ocean County Prosecutor Marlene Lynch Ford.
"It's an ever-changing climate that we're dealing with," said Trooper Adam Polhemus, a school resource trooper in Seneca High School.
That's why education is critical to solving the problem, Pierro said.
"We have to educate them (the children) on how to use it (the technology) and be aware of what they're doing," he said. "They need to understand that what they do through the use of that technology can be very hurtful," he said.
Pierro said one thing he believes will help foster a change in attitudes is the change in the laws that include the word "emotional" when describing harassment laws that target bullying behavior.
But in the end, it comes back to the parents, several of those in attendance said.
"You have to be proactive," Polhemus said. "You have to be invested in those lives," not only from the aspect of the kids who are victims of bullies, but of those who are doing the bullying.
"Parents have to be educated about why these things are wrong," Polhemus said.
"We are now the people who can stop this stuff," Pierro said. "We are in this together."
More about "Sticks & Stones"
The film, "Sticks & Stones," funded by the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office with money forfeited in criminal ventures, was conceived by the Park Ridge Police Department to address the issues of cyberbullying in particular.
Because of the intense nature of the storyline -- that ends with the boy's suicide after a harrowing exchange of instant messages with a person he believes to be the popular girl he's fallen in love with -- the film is only released to schools after those presenting it go through a training program that prepares them to address the multitude of issues involved.
It includes a detailed, 85-page curriculum guide that breaks down a variety of issues raised in the film.
They also require that schools have grief counselors on hand to assist students after the film has been shown, to address the suicide specifically and other issues in general.
For more information, visit www.cweducation.com/SticksStones.html

PBIS: Positive Behavior Intervention and Support

2011-12-19T06:46:00.007-05:00

How is PBIS working for you? What are your thoughts?

Teacher: How to address bullying in school — and how not to

By Valerie Strauss

This was written by Daniel Witz, a classroom teacher and educational consultant in the North Shore suburbs of Chicago. He has been working with middle school students for 25 years and views the school reform movement as highly focused on urban and impoverished schools while failing to spotlight shortcomings in more affluent suburban districts. He can be contacted through his website at danielwitz.com.

By Daniel Witz
PBIS stands for Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support, a disciplinary framework for schools to help prevent bullying that is, in my experience, heavy on jargon but light on substance.
Known by its acronym, PBIS (pronounced "peebis”) has become popular with administrators at thousands of schools across the country desperate to prove they are dealing effectively with bullying.
Kids laugh when I start an announcement that begins “Peebis activities for the week include….” Many simply don’t take it seriously.
But there’s a bigger problem: The pbis.org website markets itself as “one of the foremost advances” with “proactive strategies for defining, teaching, and supporting appropriate student behaviors.” Any time the phrase “proactive strategies” is used in education, I am on the lookout for a whole lot of nothing.
My criticism of PBIS at my school can be distilled into these points:
1) Students view the program as an acronym and some prizes.
2) The data collection and analysis piece is not properly addressed.
3) Lessons for classroom use fail the authenticity test.
The program’s shortcomings are easily understood by examining the implementation of PBIS at my school.
PBIS encourages all schools to create “3-5 behavioral expectations that are positively stated, easy to remember, and significant to the climate.”
The Internet is full of these school-created supports; search “PBIS posters” or “PBIS expectations” to uncover rows of acronyms that signal specific behaviors. There’s SOLE (Self Others Learning Environment) and SOAR (Supporting Others and Acting Responsibly) and ROAR(Respect Others Act Responsibly) and many more!
My school chose BAM, which stands for Be respectful, Act with integrity, and Make good choices. I’m fine with our school’s expectations, but in practice it is accepted by sixth graders, somewhat ignored by 7th graders and openly disdained by eighth graders.
The “positive behavioral support” part of PBIS comes into play when a student does something kind or helpful for another student or teacher. That student receives a “BAM” card entered into a weekly drawing for a prize. Teachers will compliment students on being BAM, BAMtastic, or on their general “BAMiness.” Weekly BAM lessons highlight traits such as personal responsibility or treating others with respect.
BAM does not reflect the serious nature of issues students face, nor does it teach students how to cope with the issues.
Proponents of BAM often speak in generalities about its effectiveness because the data collection and analysis component is undeveloped.
My school does not have an electronic data collection system for teachers to use in recording the behavior of students, nor does PBIS offer this type of solution in its implementation. Many schools use “office referrals” for measuring the success of PBIS. Office referrals are easy statistics to generate and are easy statistics to manipulate.
If a principal sets a goal of reducing referrals by 15% through PBIS implementation, he or she is in total control of the data. As we know from standardized testing, schools will cheat if the results make them look better.
Office referrals in most suburban districts rarely measure the climate of the school, or the amount of bullying going on behind the scenes. In schools with generally well-behaved students, most discipline meted out during the day does not reach the point of referral. Those interactions need to be recorded, but overworked teachers are not equipped to stop and enter data for every situation percolating in the halls, classrooms, cafeteria, or locker room.
Bullies understand the system and can get away with multiple negative acts before an office referral occurs. Many student-to-student negative behaviors occur in full view of a teacher and often skirt the line of acceptable. These offenses are the quality of life infractions that can ruin another kid’s day but are not severe enough for a teacher to send a student to the office. Included in this list might be an “inadvertent” jostling in the hall, using a mean (but not crude) nickname that a kid hates, pressuring a kid to share homework answers, or a borderline sexual innuendo.
Here I offer 10 steps to reduce bullying that I believe are broader and more relevant than PBIS to what actually happens among kids. These suggestions derive from my experiences in relatively well off suburban districts and may not relate to all districts.

1) Catalog Behaviors — Create a master list of behaviors that negatively affect the school’s educational climate. The list will be incorporated into a database and must be written with a nuanced understanding of school bullying. For example, “Taking another student’s property” is clearly on the list, but the list also needs to include, “Coercing a student to hand over property.” The kid who repeatedly and aggressively “borrows” lunch money or school supplies from a weaker student without ever intending to pay it back should be in the database.
Major hurdle to implementation: Over-policing student speech
The behavioral focus has to reflect the reality of adolescent thought. Comments like “I hate math class” or “I hate Mrs. Smith” sound negative, but are more about releasing frustration than bringing someone down. Teachers and students need coaching not just in spotting and correcting bullying; they need coaching in how to handle a little rejection. Students should not be entered into the database for saying, “I hate Maggie” or “I hate Devin.” However, starting an “I hate Maggie” club and getting others to “hate on” Maggie clearly crosses the line into harassment.

2) Collect, Access, Analyze, and Report on Data — Once the behaviors are generally agreed upon, the data collection must begin in earnest to identify problems, target remedies, and assess interventions. PBIS should have been developed with a user-friendly application as part of the program. Without an effective interface and database, the evidence is not recorded. Many companies have created these types of applications, but they are cumbersome to use.
Major hurdle to implementation: Available applications are inadequate.

3) Relevant Lessons and Specialized Instruction — Role-playing serious issues must be emphasized in lessons. Students need to be challenged as intensely as they would be in an advanced math class to prepare for the daily range of behaviors exhibited by their classmates and teachers.
Major hurdle to implementation: In my school every teacher serves as an advisor and will lead PBIS lessons regardless of background, desire, or skill set for this type of work. Would a school consider letting any staff member teach advanced algebra? In the wrong hands, even a well-intentioned lesson can muddle a student’s understanding of a concept. Only highly trained staff should be implementing these types of emotional wellness lessons.

4) Personnel Changes — Overhaul the job descriptions of the social workers and the deans. These administrators too often focus on the most visibly delinquent or at-risk students, while missing bullying that exists below the radar. Many students who are deeply troubled by their school experience do not speak up or act up enough to attract notice. There is only one way for a dean or social worker to combat the problems below the surface, and that is to have a working relationship with every single student in the school. School personnel should never forget that the “good kids” have problems too, and they often have information to share, because they believe in justice, fairness, and doing the right thing.
Major hurdle to implementation: The people skills required to establish strong relationships with diverse student populations are rare. I have witnessed too many “limited capacity” social workers who are only effective with “the girls” or “the outcasts” or whatever personality they are drawn to. Social workers must tend to all members of the flock and here I am not referencing race, ethnicity, and religion. I am referring to the artists and the band kids, the geeks and the overachievers, athletes and cheerleaders, skaters and scene kids, the a-listers and the wanna-bes.
Schools need to hire people who can successfully work with the entire spectrum of the student population.

5) Principals must be resourceful and resolute — Many school administrators and teachers are recklessly overconfident in their belief that “talking to” the bully or bringing them into the office will improve the situation. A slap on the wrist shows weakness and can lead to retaliation.
Administrators should solicit the opinion of students on the receiving end to understand their fear, their perspective, and the degree of harassment to see if this approach has potential. In some circumstances, the victims may be ready to stand up in the face of taunts if they knew a responsible adult “had their back.”
Let’s give students some life skills while standing ready to intervene. If a bullied student through coaching finds a way to stand up against the bully or to sidestep the verbal minefields, the victory will permanently elevate a student’s confidence. The situation will have to be closely monitored, as some bullies are more determined than others.
Administrators should always be prepared to bring justice in the form of a suspension or other serious consequence.
Major hurdle to implementation: Egos of school principals who think just “talking to” kids can turn around a bullying situation.

6) Teacher Supervision — Teachers must establish a presence in the hall when students are passing through. This is difficult to enforce as an administrator because teachers may be trying to give extra help to a student or finish a last-minute bit of preparation. The only way to change this culture is through discipline.
School principals should document infractions when a teacher fails to monitor an assigned area. Multiple infractions would lead to a reprimand and ultimately count against performance evaluation. I confess I would initially despise this type of enforcement, but I would eventually get over it, as I believe the hallway presence would be worth the sacrifice.
Without teachers supervising, monitoring, and data collecting, anti-bullying efforts are doomed to fail.
Major hurdle to implementation: Stubborn teachers

7) Personal Space — One major underlying cause of tension in schools is lack of personal space for students. Principals have offices, teachers have planning periods, but students have no place to get away from it all. Kids are crowded together in the halls, at lunch and recess, and even in the bathroom. If there is a way for schools to give kids some breathing space, all the better.
Along these lines, kids frequently singled out for their academic failures are more likely to act up.
Last year I had a student transfer in who was expelled from a private school. In smaller classes at the private school, he was singled out time and time again for his academic failures and ultimately turned that frustration against his classmates. In larger classes in my school he wasn’t singled out as much, and I found that if I kept the spotlight off his weaknesses, he rarely if ever was a behavior problem. If teachers excessively nag students and treat motivation issues as behavioral issues, they really will become behavioral issues.
Major hurdle to implementation: Inflexible school schedules. If I had their schedule and their lack of personal space, I’d lose my mind.

8) School design — School buildings should designed with an eye toward preventing bullying and managing behaviors. Planners and architects have incorporated technology challenges into the physical plant, but how many have been asked to design structures that minimize the potential for negative student exchanges?
Take a simple concept such as locker placement. I realize that space limitations may trump anti-bullying design, but lockers on both sides of a hallway are a recipe for trouble. Unless the hallway is unusually wide, all it takes is one or two students simultaneously visiting on each side to severely constrict traffic flow in the middle. Suddenly, kids are in each other’s personal space. The temptation for the comment, the push, the negative is too great. Hallways with lockers on one side tend to keep traffic moving along the empty wall on the opposite of the lockers.
The problem of bullying or vandalism in the bathroom should also be addressed on a structural level. Bathrooms are not easily monitored but this is the area where some of the worst transgressions take place. The design that I believe works best is when the staff bathroom is placed within the student bathrooms. This design exists in my current school where upon entering the bathroom, there is a locked door to the left that is for teachers only. The design ensures that teachers are continually monitoring the bathrooms out of necessity. There is an added benefit that the students never know when they see a closed door to the teacher’s bathroom whether it is occupied or not.
Major hurdle to implementation: Existing schools are stuck with their current designs.

9) Awareness — Here are three key levels of awareness middle school staff members should possess in order to successfully combat bullying.
a) Pay attention to non-verbal cues. Students reveal their problems more often non-verbally than by directly approaching a teacher. Teachers who understand a student’s typical demeanor can quickly recognize signs when something is amiss. Many instances of hidden bullying can be uncovered this way by listening and observing.
b) Avoid personal power struggles. Adolescents have a strong tendency to classify in black and white categories. This is most visible in social situations as friend/enemy and love/hate can switch in a moment’s notice. This mindset also plays out in discipline. Once a teacher makes “an enemy” of a student, that student will often view everything the teacher represents as not worthy of emulating. Discipline should be handled without a visible personal rejection of the offender. Once a student feels rejected by the adults in a school, the escalation of negative behaviors toward self or others is a given.
c) Identity formation is in flux. With social status at a premium it’s tempting for students in middle or upper grades to adopt an identity that will bestow a certain degree of cool. It takes little effort to become the slacker, partier, or hot girl, yet each one of these designations may bring more status than school-sanctioned identities such as student council representative.
A bully who is selective about his or her targets can generate a following more easily than many honor roll students. The bully frames his identity as “cool” while labeling his victims with some variation of “loser.” Teachers must always be on the lookout for identities based on empty attributes and move those kids toward identities formed with real skill sets and pathways to success.
Major hurdle to implementation: Too many teachers and administrators are only paying attention to grades, homework, and test scores.

10) Stop talking and do something. All of the talk surrounding bullying has reached a crescendo. The point of building consensus and appeasing all stakeholders has long since past. Too many kids hate school, and too many kids are treated poorly at school to discuss the issue any more.
If the teachers don’t want to monitor the hallways between periods, give reprimands, and then replace them with teachers who will. Any school district that does not collect accurate data on school bullying should be called out for failing its students.
Principals need to problem solve each situation independently and fix problems rather than make them worse with pompous grandstanding. They can start by finding better paths for the bully and developing some defense mechanisms for the victims. If that fails administrators should put the hammer down and risk offending some powerful parents by suspending their children. Districts need to fight lawsuits that try to keep schools from separating out the predators from the rest of us. Finally, everybody must collect and analyze data on a daily basis to uncover troublemakers, “hot spots” and patterns.
Major hurdle to implementation: Not everybody will be happy with how it’s done.

The limitations of my ability to reduce bullying can weigh on me at the end of the day. Sometimes I am disheartened by the systems in place, and some days I feel that my 47-year-old body is losing the battle to match the energy of my students. But 25 years of teaching and observing junior high students has given me clarity on how to move forward and make inroads against a seemingly intractable problem.
I don’t expect every student, parent, or educator’s steps to match mine. That’s fine. Make your own list and start acting on it.
Just please don’t bother organizing it into an acronym. By trying to make it “memorable,” your purpose may be forgotten along the way.

Olweus Bully Prevention Program: Dan Olweus

2011-12-18T20:31:00.000-05:00

Sunday School Humor: 20+

2011-12-15T11:41:00.003-05:00

Child is collecting church humor to help her as she faces the loss of her brother who was bullied, physically assaulted, & then committed suicide.

Mother shared above is helping daughter/sister move forward and help others.

If you would like a copy of (20+) Sunday School Humor, please request at saferschools@yahoo.com

Butterfly Effect: Every single thing you do matters (video)

2011-12-14T10:26:00.004-05:00

Dream Big!
"*Every single thing you do matters. You have been created as one of a kind. You have been created in order to make a difference. You have within you the power to change the world." -Andy Andrews*

Mac Anderson Founder, Simple Truths

Victim of Bullying shared emotional scars

2011-12-14T09:28:00.000-05:00

Friday, December 9, 2011By Amy Erickson
"Bill," upward of age 40, remembers playing baseball at age 6 -- not the home runs he hit -- but the vivid memories of being held down and forced to eat dirt.That year Bill became the target of a bully, whose actions would follow Bill through high school, college and into adulthood, leaving behind emotional scars.

"Many nights I would cry myself to sleep," he said.
For him, the bullying continually worsened from his experience on the baseball field a a young child to being assaulted around age 13, Bill said.
"Everyday occurrences included knocking books out of my hand, calling me crude names," he explained. "You almost live in a state of paranoia. It's the constant threat that really messes with you."
There are about 2.7 million students being bullied each year by about 2.1 students taking on the role of the bully, according to bullying statistics 2010.
Those statistics also revealed that 1 in 7 students in grades kindergarten through 12 has either been a victim of bullying or is a bully.
Bill said he had one main bully, who had "bully helpers," that plagued him from grade school through high school.
His antagonist was "a jock" of average size, but not really well liked by anyone, Bill said.
Bill, on the other hand, was as he put it "a geek" who excelled academically but was "horrible" at playing sports. His mom was a kindergarten teacher at the school.
Bill said he thinks that's why he was singled out to bully on the playground, in school hallways and around the community.
The belief that bullies target specific personalities is not necessarily true, according to Mary Buhman, a licensed independent social worker, in Le Mars.
"I don't know that it has anything to do with them going after geeks," she said.
Buhman speculated that bullies choose their victims because they see a personality trait they don't like about themselves in their victim.
In her private practice Buhman said she encounters a lot of bullying
"I see kids who have been bullied," she said. "I see kids who are the bullies."
Buhman doesn't see Bill as a client, but he is treated by a counselor.
Buhman said bullying gets more awareness today than in years past.
"I think it's always been an issue," Buhman added. "I think we're doing a much better job of educating."
She added that many schools also now have anti-bullying policies which help.
When Bill was a child those education tools didn't exist, and his experience of being bullied carried into his adult life.
By then he had learned the best way to fit it was to become the butt of the joke.
"I gave them a reason to make fun of me," Bill explained. "I can put myself down better than anybody on earth."
Into his 20s, 30s and 40s, that behavior began to affect his personal and professional life.
"I was not taken seriously," Bill said. "Even though they knew I was an intelligent guy, I think some people had a hard time looking past the comedian, the oaf."
He also puts the blame of his personality problems and daily living issues in the hands of his childhood antagonist, something Buhman said, during a separate interview, is a definite possibility.
"I have huge self-esteem issues. When I'm doing a project at work, I constantly ask 'am I doing this right and is it OK?'" he explained.
Bill said he also speaks in a loud voice, something his psychiatrist and counselor think is the result of wanting to be the center of attention.
"It's a constant battle to not have self-esteem issues," he said. "It's something I'll always have to deal with."
Bill said in very stressful situations he shuts down.
"I cannot move, cannot speak, cannot do anything," he said. "My doctor told me it's something (a defense mechanism) children use in an extremely violent situation."
Bill said he's currently dealing with the results of being bullied with talk therapy, personal development classes and medication.
"Today I feel like a different person," Bill said. "I'm able to communicate clearly. I understand my boundaries. I can prevent myself from being defensive and insecure."
Bill said he wants to make sure his children never become the targets of a bully and asks others to be aware and take action.
"If you see somebody getting bullied, don't just stand there and laugh or do nothing," Bill said. "That's where the differences can be made."
He added that when bystanders do nothing it adds to the bully's "power trip" telling him what he is doing is right and accepted.
Buhman said she agrees with Bill's thoughts 100 percent.
"I really do think if someone stepped forward and said 'why are you doing that, that's not even funny?' there wouldn't be bullying," Buhman said.
Bill encourages parents to teach their children that bullying is not OK.
"The surest way to cure a bully is when the people who are doing nothing, do something about it," he said.

Barbara Coloroso: Six Critical Life Messages: video

2011-12-11T20:41:00.018-05:00

Barbara Coloroso shares her critical life messages - YouTube
â–º 1:29â–º 1:29

Lectures

www.kidsareworthit.com/Lectures.htmlCached - Similar

NC Gang Problem: websites/video

2011-12-08T00:38:00.005-05:00

Sergeant Brandon Jones gave a little insight on the real impact gangs had on Triad communities. He is with the Alamance County Sheriff's Office City-County Gang Crimes Task Force & is a Task Force Agent with Safe Streets Task Force FBI in Greensboro.

Jones said the gang problem is worse that most people probably think.

"I don't know if it's ignorance to the problem, I don't know if it's lack of education, and a lot of that is what we're trying to break through, is educate ourselves as far as law enforcement goes: educate the public, educate the community, because it’s here. It's a lot worse than we realize. It's coming from other states, its being brought up from the younger generation now from people that are moving here."

Jones also said recent studies released by the F.B.I. state that up to 80% of all crime committed nationwide has some sort of gang tie to it. That statistic encompasses everything from murders, sexual assaults, to drugs.

Jones said there are things you can do to try to prevent gangs in your neighborhood. "Be vigilant in the activity that goes on in the neighborhoods. Don't dismiss activity because you may think that it’s just kids, or wanna be gang members perse. If it's an issue that you feel is something you feel needs to be brought to the police's attention, don't hesitate to call, that's what these tasks forces are set up for, is to combat the gang problem.".

Jones also said there's a website people can access and gather more information about gangs for themselves. The address is: www.ncgangcops.org.

N.C. gang prevention task force meets for first time : News-Record ...

www.news-record.com/.../nc_gang_prevention_task_force_meets_fo...Cached

Nov 10, 2011 – Beverly Perdue to examine North Carolina's gang problems and recommend ways to prevent gang activity is ... TriadCareers.com Top Jobs ...

Gang areness Guide for North Carolina Communities

www.ncgangcops.org/NCGangAwareness.pdfSimilar

File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML
The North Carolina Gang Investigators Association. (NCGIA) and .... problem, gangs have spread to the small cities ..... Tiny Rascal Gangsters ! Greensboro NC ...

What you should know about youth gangs in North Carolina

www.fosteringperspectives.org/fp_v10n2/gangs.htmCached - Similar

Throughout North Carolina, families, law enforcement officials, and educators are confronting a dangerous and multifaceted problem: youth gangs. In February ...

News for Triad, NC gang problem

How Bad Is The Gang Problem In The Triad?

WFMY News 2 - 12/7/2011

Burlington, NC -- Triad law enforcement agencies worked together to make what some ... Jones said the gang problem is worse that most people probably think. ...

32 related articles

Carl Walker-Hoover/Jaheem Herrera: Anderson Cooper 360 Bullying

2011-12-05T10:58:00.003-05:00

Anderson Cooper 360 Bullying Suicide Carl Joseph Walker Hoover ...
► 7:59► 7:59	www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TIXDy_ZDSY You +1'd this publicly. Undo Apr 27, 2009 - 8 min - Uploaded by ninjawarriordex3 Anderson Cooper 360 Bullying in Schools that result in Suicide Carl Joseph Walker Hoover Jaheem Herrera.

1. More videos for Carl Walker bullied »

2. Sirdeaner Walker, mother of bullying victim Carl Walker-Hoover, and ...

www.masslive.com › Breaking News - MassLive.com › EducationCached

Oct 25, 2011 – If schools were forced to report all confirmed incidents of bullying, it would allow state education officials to gather data and develop new ...

3. 11 students awarded scholarships in memory of bullying victim Carl ...

www.masslive.com › ... › Pioneer Valley LifeCached

11 students awarded scholarships in memory of bullying victim Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover. Published: Saturday, April 16, 2011, 8:00 PM Updated: Saturday, ...

Bystander: A Portrait in Apathy: Jillian Palmieri

2011-11-30T10:31:00.003-05:00

Bystander: A Portrait in Apathy

www.bystander.us/bio.htmlCached - Similar

Jillian Palmieri: Prior to developing Bystander: A Portrait in Apathy, Jillian taught seventh grade for four years at Applegarth Middle School in Monroe Township, NJ.

PERSEVERE (Video/Speakers on)

2011-11-28T15:24:00.003-05:00

Video: may words inspire, motivate, and empower you!

Copyright © 2010 - 2011 flickspire
Watch Persevere

Mac Anderson
Founder, Simple Truths

Proactively Protecting Our Children and Each Other

2011-11-21T10:12:00.002-05:00

"No tattling" kills 10-year-old girl

www.kidpower.org

We are too late to protect ten-year-old Ashlynn Connor, whose suffering led her to join the growing list of ‘bullycide’ tragedies. This is an emergency. We must all do everything we can to protect young people from despair and hopelessness by creating positive school cultures and empowering everyone...

Bullying prevention activities for elementary school children

2011-11-21T09:08:00.006-05:00

click Bullying in schools | pacer.org

How Do We Proactively Empower Our Children & Each Other in the Face of Bullying?

2011-11-19T08:35:00.007-05:00

Recommended Speakers

Peruse and share this website:
www.saferschools.blogspot.com

Contact: saferschools@yahoo.com

www.bullypolice.org/RecommendedSpeakers.pdf

Not hel

File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Quick View
If you are a speaker, specializing in an anti bullying speaking format, and would like to ... NC. ND. NE. NH. NJ - Edward Dragan - David J. Martin - Jillian Palmieri. NM. NV. NY - Parry .... The campaign began with a vigil to commemorate. Amanda ..... bullying. For 8th graders the emphasis is directed toward leaving a positive ...

Teen organizes anti-bullying event Sunday | Salisbury, NC ...

www.salisburypost.com/News/051911-Bullying-vigil-qcdCached

May 19, 2011 – SALISBURY — Eighth-grader Megan Braun isn't backing down to ... speakers for the candlelight vigil, dubbed “Beacons Against Bullying.” ...

§ 115C‑105.47 Local safe school plans

2011-11-17T08:23:00.007-05:00

What is your school system's local safe school plan?
Research & keep a copy readily available.

LIFT: Law Institute for Teachers

2011-11-16T20:29:00.009-05:00

The following informational presentation was created by Tom Stern, NCAE Attorney, and Deborah Stagner for the 2010 LIFT (Law Institute For Teachers) Conference sponsored by the Wake County Bar.
(click following website)

Violence in the Schools - 2010 LIFT Conference

How can we effectively work to assure the safety of our children and school personnel?

Caring School Community: Research Results

2011-11-16T13:49:00.001-05:00

Facts About Bullying - Nationally Recognized | DevStu.org

www.devstu.org/BullyPrevention

KidPower: Face Bullying With Confidence: 8 Skills Kids Can Use Right Away

2011-11-14T08:34:00.000-05:00

By Irene van der Zande, Kidpower Executive Director

(Please Note: For Copyright and Permission to Use Requirements, please click here.)
Download PDF for printing or sharing

Note: This article is from our Kidpower "People Safety" Solutions book, Bullying - What Adults Need to Know and Do to Keep Kids Safe.

Here are some practices you can work on with the young people in your life.

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1. Walking with Awareness, Calm, and Confidence

People are less likely to be picked on if they walk and sit with awareness, calm and confidence. Awareness, calm and confidence means keeping one's head up, back straight, taking assertive steps, looking around, having a peaceful face and body, and moving away from people who might cause trouble.

Show your child the difference between being passive, aggressive and assertive in body language, tone of voice and choice of words. Have your child walk across the floor, coaching her or him to be successful, by saying for example; "That's great!" "Now take bigger steps", "Look around you" "Straighten your back." etc.

2. Leaving in a Powerful, Positive Way

The best self-defense tactic is called "target denial," which means "don't be there." Act out a scenario where maybe your child is walking in the school corridor (or any other place where he or she might bullied). You can pretend to be a bully standing by the wall saying mean things. Ask your child what these mean things might be because what is considered insulting or upsetting is different for different people, times, and places.

Coach your child to veer around the bully in order to move out of reach. Remind your child to leave with awareness, calm and confidence, glancing back to see where the bully is. Let your child practicing saying something neutral in a normal tone of voice like "See you later!" or "Have a nice day!" while calmly and confidently moving away. Point out that stepping out of line or changing seats is often the safest choice.

3. Setting a Boundary

If a bully is following or threatening your child in a situation where she or he cannot just leave, your child needs to be able to set a clear boundary.

Pretend to poke your child in the back (do this very gently; the idea is not to be hurtful). Coach your child to turn, stand up tall, put his or her hands up in front of the body like a fence, palms out and open, and say "Stop!".

Coach your child to have a calm but clear voice and polite firm words- not whiney and not aggressive. Show how to do it and praise your child for trying -even though she or he does not get it right to begin with. Realize that this might be very hard and triggering for your child (and maybe for you too).

Children need support to learn these skills. The idea is that your child takes charge of his or her space by moving away and, if need be, setting boundaries as soon as a problem is about to start - so that your child doesn't wait until the bullying is already happening.

4. Using Your Voice

If your child does get into a situation where somebody is trying to push or hit or knuckle her or his head, you could practice by holding your child gently and acting as if you are going to do the action gently. Coach your child to pull away and yell NO! really loudly. Coach him or her to say "STOP! I don't like that!" Coach your child to look the bully in the eyes and speak in a firm voice with both hands up and in front like a fence. Teach your child to leave and go to an adult for help.

5. Protecting Your Feelings From Name-Calling

Schools, youth groups, and families should create harassment-free zones just as workplaces should. However, you can teach children how to protect themselves from insults. Tell your child that saying something mean back makes the problem bigger, not better.

One way to take the power out of hurting words by is saying them out loud and imagining throwing them away. Doing this physically and out loud at home will help a child to do this in his or her imagination at school.

Help your child practice throwing the mean things that other people are saying into a trash can. Have your child then say something positive out loud to himself or herself to take in. For example, if someone says, "I don't like you, " you can throw those words away and say, "I like myself." If someone says, "You are stupid" you can throw those words away and say, "I'm smart." If someone says, "I don't want to play with you" then you can throw those words away and say, "I will find another friend."

6. Speaking Up for Inclusion

Being left out is a major form of bullying. Exclusion should be clearly against the rules at school. A child can practice persisting in asking to join a game.

Pretend to be a bully who wants to exclude.

Have your child walk up and say, "I want to play." Coach your child to sound and look positive and friendly, not whiny or aggressive.

Ask your child the reasons that kids give for excluding him or her. Use those reasons so your child can practice persisting. For example, if the reason is, "You're not good enough," your child can practice saying "I'll get better if I practice!" If the reason is, "There are too many already," your child might practice saying, "There's always room for one more." If the reason is, "You cheated last time," your child might practice saying, "I did not understand the rules. Let's make sure we agree on the rules this time."

7. Being Persistent in Getting Help

Children who are being bullied need to be able to tell teachers, parents, and other adults in charge what is happening in the moment clearly and calmly and persistently even if these adults are very distracted or rude - and even if asking for help has not worked before. Learning how to have polite firm words, body language and tone of voice even under pressure and to not give up when asking for help is a life-long skill.

We have found that practice is helpful for both children and adults in learning how to persist and get help when you need it. Here is one you can do with your child.

Pretend to be a teacher or someone else who your child might expect help and support from. Tell your child who you are pretending to be and where you might be at school. Have your child start saying in a clear calm voice, "Excuse me I have a safety problem."

You pretend to be busy and just ignore your child! Coach him or her to keep going and say: "Excuse me, I really need your help."

Act irritated and impatient and say, "Yes. what is it now?" and keep being busy.

Coach your child to say something specific like, "The girls over there are calling me names and not letting me play with them. I have told them I don't like being called names and that I want to play but they won't listen. " or "Those boys keep coming up and pushing me. I have tried to stay away from them but they keep coming up to me and won't leave me alone." At school, teachers want children to try to solve their problems first. However, adult intervention is needed if this does not work.

You say: "That's nice!" as if you heard but did not actually listen. This is very common for busy adults.

Coach your child to touch your arm and keep going "Please, to listen to me this is important". Now you get irritated and say "Can't you see I’m busy!?"

Tell your child that sometimes adults get angry and don’t understand but not to give up in asking for help and to say the specific problem again: "I do not feel safe here because (state specific problem again) ______________."

You minimize and say: "What's the big deal? Just stay away from them."

Coach your child to persistent and say again, "Having this happen is making me feel bad about going to school. Please, I really need you to listen."

Now change your demeanor so that your child can see you are listening and understanding and say "Oh! I am sorry I yelled at you and I am glad you are telling me. Tell me more and we will figure out what to do."

Remind your child that, if the adult still does not listen, it is not his or her fault, but to keep asking until someone does something to fix the problem. Tell your child to please always tell you whenever she or he has a problem with anyone anywhere anytime. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of adults to create safe environments for the children in their lives and to be good role-models for our children by acting as their advocates in powerful respectful ways.

8. Using Physical Self-Defense as a Last Resort

Children need to know when they have the right to hurt someone to stop that person from hurting them. At Kidpower, we teach that fighting is a last resort - when you are about to be harmed and you cannot leave or get help.

However, bullying problems are often not as clear-cut as other personal safety issues. Families have different rules about where they draw the line. Schools will often punish a child who fights back unless parents warn the school in writing ahead of time that, since the school has not protected their children, they will back their children up if they have to fight.

Learning physical self defense helps most children become more confident, even if they never have to use these skills in a real-life situation. Just being more confident helps children to avoid being chosen as a victim most of the time. There are different self defense techniques for bullying than for more dangerous situations -- let your child practice a self defense move like kicking someone in the shins, pinching someone's leg or upper arm, or hitting someone in the chest. You can practice in the air or by holding a sofa cushion. Consider sending your child to a class like Kidpower.

Note: This article is an excerpt from The KIDPOWER Book for Caring Adults: Personal Safety, Self-Protection, Confidence, and Advocacy for Young People, which includes step-by-step explanations of how to practice the skills mentioned as well as over 100 pages about the underlying issues that need to be addressed, stories, and how to use People Safety skills to prevent and stop most bullying.

Mohandas Gandhi: "A nation's culture...

2011-11-09T08:21:00.000-05:00

"A nation's culture resides
in the hearts and in the soul
of its people. "

U. S. Bully Laws

2011-11-08T16:13:00.002-05:00

BullyPolice.org

How States are "Graded" - BullyPolice.org

Critics say that new Michigan anti-bullying bill actually condones bullying

2011-11-07T08:21:00.017-05:00

By Chris Lehmann | The Lookout – Fri., 11-4-2011

There's nothing like a good culture war conflict to produce unintended consequences--as when, for example, so-called zero tolerance school policies fail to improve safety and sometimes correlate with spikes in the very behavior education officials want to curb.
But a new bill wending its way through the Michigan legislature may represent a new landmark in culture-war legislating: It has acquired a last-minute amendment that deliberately seeks to undermine the legislation's stated purpose.
The measure is supposed to enact new restraints on bullying in Michigan schools; it's known as Matt's Safe School Law, named for Matt Epling, a 14-year-old Michigan student who committed suicide after sustained bullying from fellow students. But before the state Senate approved the bill, Republicans in the chamber added an amendment stipulating that it does not abridge First Amendment free speech rights or impinge on the expression of religious or moral views.
Partisans in the religious-secular wings of culture combat can, of course, weigh in on the question of whether religious and moral traditions condone bullying--but that's not the point of this particular legislative maneuver. As Amy Sullivan, a Time magazine columnist on the religion-and-politics beat, explains:

Michigan is already one of only three states in the country that have not enacted any form of anti-bullying legislation. For more than a decade, Democrats in the state legislature have fought their Republican colleagues and social conservatives such as Gary Glenn, president of the American Family Association of Michigan, who referred to anti-bullying measures as "a Trojan horse for the homosexual agenda." In that time, at least ten Michigan students who were victims of bullying have killed themselves.

This year, Republicans only agreed to consider an anti-bullying measure that did not require school districts to report bullying incidents, did not include any provisions for enforcement or teacher training, and did not hold administrators accountable if they fail to act. And they fought back Democratic attempts to enumerate particular types of students who are prone to being bullied, such as religious and racial minorities, and gay students. But it was the addition of special protections for religiously-motivated bullying that led all 11 Democratic senators to vote against the legislation they had long championed.

The new provision reflects a longstanding belief among social conservatives that legal efforts to curb hate speech and bullying actually target the body of beliefs in various faith traditions that castigate homosexual behavior. In similar disputes over federal legislation, Sullivan notes, social conservative lawmakers and interest groups "unsuccessfully fought for the inclusion of a provision protecting religious freedom when Congress expanded the definition of a hate crime to include crimes motivated by a victim's sexual orientation. They also strongly oppose legislation that would prevent discrimination against gay individuals in the workplace, charging that such a law would endanger religious freedom."
Michigan's amended bill drew sharp rebukes from anti-bullying activists and Democrats in the state senate. Matt Epling's father, Kevin Epling wrote a letter of protest that state Sen. Glenn Anderson read on the chamber floor during the debate over the measure on Wednesday. "I am ashamed that this could be Michigan's law on anti-bullying when in fact it is a 'bullying is OK in Michigan' law." Senate Democratic leader Gretchen Whitmer echoed the same point in an emotional floor speech, which you can watch in the video clip above.
"Here today, you claim to be protecting kids, and you're actually putting them in more danger," Whitmer said. "You may be able to pat yourself on the back today and say that you did something, but in actuality, you're explicitly outlining how to get away with bullying."

Michigan Senate Approves House Version Of Anti-Bullying Bill, Drops Religious Language

First Posted: 11/29/11 05:28 PM ET Updated: 11/29/11 05:28 PM ET

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Michigan's state Senate dropped a bill Tuesday that critics called "a license to bully," and instead adopted a House version that represents a compromise among Republican lawmakers in a more comprehensive piece of legislation that would require anti-bullying policies in schools.

After the Senate passed the controversial anti-bullying bill, "Matt's Safe School Law," earlier this month, a wave of criticism poured in to lawmakers. The staunch opposition stemmed from a provision in the bill's language that permitted harassment by teachers and students if they can claim that their actions are rooted in a "sincerely held religious belief or moral conviction."

Democratic Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer most openly criticized the bill with an emotional speech, and a week later, the state House passed its own version of the anti-bullying bill, which smoothed over the language in the Senate's original draft.

The House's version of the bill, passed by the Senate today, doesn't include the controversial religious language and requires all public, charter and intermediate school districts to implement the policy. The bill passed 88-18 and is also a bipartisan result of the House's promise to seek a compromise that Republican Speaker of the House Jase Bolger said will "bring everyone to the middle of the road and provide protection to all students."

The Senate's passage Tuesday of the House version was met with mixed response.

“It's a victory for me, but more importantly, it's a victory for students across the state,” Whitmer said after Tuesday's vote, The Grand Rapids Press reports. “People started calling my office to tell me their stories. I had one doctor from Kalamazoo who told us about his experience being bullied in school. He said he never told anyone about it. I still get chills thinking about it.”

Although the newly passed legislation doesn't include what critics say would have allowed bullying based on religious beliefs, it also doesn't include specifics like common causes of bullying -- such as instances based on race, religion or sexual orientation -- or detailed reporting requirements for instances of bullying, the Associated Press reports.

Whitmer told The Grand Rapids Press she will continue to work for stricter policies.

“But when you consider where we were, this is a good step,” she told the publication. “For the Senate to take this up first thing after a break shows something.”

The bill passed by a 35-2 vote and goes to Gov. Rick Snyder's desk.

If Snyder signs the bill, Michigan would join a host of other states that have adopted policies that protect students from harassment. California is the first state that requires public schools to teach about the contributions of gays and lesbians, and a measure to curb anti-gay bullying passed the state Senate in September.

New Jersey passed a law in January, effective as of September, requiring anti-bullying policies across the state's public schools. Known as the "Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights," the law is said to be the toughest piece of anti-bullying legislation in the country.

Bullying Visual: Felissa Elfenbein

2011-11-03T21:37:00.003-04:00

A teacher in New York was teaching her class about bullying and gave them the following exercise to perform. She had the children take a piece of paper and told them to crumple it up, stamp on it and really mess it up but do not rip it. Then she had them unfold the paper, smooth it out and look at how scarred and dirty it was. She then told them to tell it they were sorry. Now even though they said they were sorry and tried to fix the paper, she pointed out all the scars they left behind. And that those scars will never go away no matter how hard they tried to fix it. That is what happens when a child bullies another child, they may say they’re sorry but the scars are there forever.
The looks on the faces of the children in the classroom told her the message hit home.
Pass it on or better yet, if you're a parent or a teacher, do it with your child/children.
By: Felissa Elfenbein

NC House Bill 736: Amend Law Re School Discipline

2011-11-03T09:49:00.003-04:00

North Carolina General Assembly - House Bill 736 Information ...

www.ncleg.net/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?...BillID=h736Cached

NCGA - North Carolina General Assembly. Full Site Search: Search Bill Text: 2011-2012 Session .... House Bill 736 / S.L. 2011-282. 2011-2012 Session ...

To read: open HB 736, click left text box

2011-10-28T08:57:00.004-04:00

School Bullying Prevention: Teach Empathy at Young Age - TIME

www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1982190,00.htmlSimilar

State laws and school-district rules may help curb bullying on campus, but many researchers suggest a better way is not to raise a bully in the ...

Dr. Phil: A Call to Action Against Bullying

2011-10-28T08:52:00.001-04:00

Dr. Phil.com - Advice - A Call to Action against Bullying

www.drphil.com/articles/article/656Cached

Bullying is more serious than ever. Kids are taking their own lives as a result and even when they don't, the emotional scars, the damage to their self-esteem can ...

Bullying: DeSean Jackson of the Eagles

2011-10-27T09:28:00.006-04:00

SI.com: Michael Rosenberg: Sports can play a pivotal role in helping combat bullying
updated October 7, 2011
In this week's SI, I wrote an essay about DeSean Jackson of the Eagles. In it, I neglected to mention the enormous human tragedy of the Eagles losing three football games and instead focused on something else: Jackson's crusade against bullying.

Stop Bullying: Speak Up

2011-10-26T09:40:00.000-04:00

Stop Bullying: Speak Up - Special Coverage on CNN.comwww.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2010/bullying/Cached - Similar

Bullying grabs global attention

2011-10-26T09:15:00.002-04:00

Bullying grabs global attention

The guilty pleas of students in a Massachusetts school harassment case thrust the spotlight back on bullying in the United States, but the issue is also drawing more attention beyond America's borders.

Schoolyard bullies not just preying on the weak - CNN

2011-10-25T07:24:00.005-04:00

1. CNN study: Schoolyard bullies not just preying on the weak - CNN ...

(4 videos included)

www.cnn.com/2011/10/10/us/ac-360-bullying-study/index.html

A new study commissioned by CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360°" found the stereotype of the schoolyard bully preying on the weak doesn't reflect ...

The study was conducted this spring at The Wheatley School, a nationally top-ranked high school on Long Island, New York. More than 700 students at the school were given a survey with 28 questions on aggressive behavior four separate times throughout the semester. They were also given a roster of the entire school in which every student had an identification number and kids were asked to write down specifically who did what.

Bullying is Not a Rite of Passage: CNN Julie Hertzog

2011-10-24T07:03:00.003-04:00

includes two videos:

Bullying is not a rite of passage - CNN.com

www.cnn.com/2011/10/14/opinion/hertzog-bullying/index.html

Julie Hertzog says only combined efforts will stop bullying. Schools must stop treating it as a rite of passage and parents and bystanders must ...

Rachel's Challenge: Only Kindness Matters

2011-10-21T09:14:00.004-04:00

1) Appreciate Others: Tell Them-Write Them

2) Respond to Needs

3) Be a First Initiator

4) Be a See-Througher: Respect vs. Inspect

5) Forgive Yourself and Others

“You might just start a chain reaction of kindness.” Rachel Joy Scott

In memory of Rachel Scott and the 12 others who lost their lives in the Columbine Shooting on April 20, 1999.

Only Kindness Matters

Rachel Joy Scott- Official Video. - YouTube
	www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z24qXjevnH4 You +1'd this publicly Sep 24, 2010 - 3 min - Uploaded by vccentral18

*Norfolk elementary school takes on Rachel's Challenge

NORFOLK - Norfolk is catching on to Rachel's Challenge, a national program that addresses bullying. Rachel's Challenge is based on the writings left behind by Rachel Scott.

Norfolk elementary school takes on Rachel's Challenge

news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/norfolk-elementary-school-takes-on-rachel-s-challenge...

*Google www.rachelschallenge.org & above videos

STAMP Out Bullying: Jay Banks

2011-10-20T08:27:00.007-04:00

S: Stay Away From Bullies
T: Tell Someone (Nearest Trusted Adult:
Parent, Teacher, SRO/Law Enforcement)
A: Avoid Bad Situations
M: Make Friends
P: Project Confidence

School Programs & Presentations for Bullying and More! | Jay Banks ...

The STAMP Out Bullying program (& optional professional development in-service) reduces bullying on average of 50%. A high-energy mix of music, comedy, & facts.

jaybanks.com/anti-bullying-program

STAMP Out Bullying

2011-10-19T11:11:00.011-04:00

<><><><><><><><><><><><>

Jay Banks "STAMP Out Bullying" NBC TV-4 (Nashville) - YouTube
	www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DQkqtWBubU You +1'd this publicly. Undo Nov 8, 2009 - 2 min - Uploaded by jaybanksproductions Jay Banks and the "STAMP Out Bullying" program is featured on NBC-TV 4 in Nashville, TN.

October 19th: National SAVE Day

2011-10-18T09:06:00.003-04:00

SAVE: Students Against Violence Everywhere
Stay safe. Stay aware.

cbs.com.bullying for additional sites

2011-10-17T06:57:00.008-04:00

"48 Hours" shares what a bullied life looks like - CBS News

www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/09/16/.../main20107216.shtml

bullied

...

Bullying: Words Can Kill - CBS News

www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/09/16/.../main20107537.shtml

Bullying

...

Bullied Boy Saved from Hurricane Raging Inside - CBS News

www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/02/07/.../main7327274.shtml

CBS

Bullied

...

48 Hours Video - Tips for parents: Is your child being bullied? - CBS ...

www.cbs.com/primetime/48_hours/video/?pid...vs...play...

CBS

...

bullied

...

Stop Bullying! CBS' 48 Hours Special on Tonight : Skimbaco ...

www.skimbacolifestyle.com/.../cbs-48-hours-bullying-words-can-kill...

bullied

Anti-bullying and the Seat Belt Law

2011-10-13T06:15:00.006-04:00

Anti-bullying and the Seat Belt Law

Last week at the Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention Summit, parent Kevin Jacobsen delivered a heartfelt and purposeful speech touching on the pain he's ...

www.huffingtonpost.com/sean-slade/bullying-laws_b_996240.html

Bully-Proof Your Children

2011-10-11T16:21:00.002-04:00

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/10/11/bully-proof-your-kids/

* Understand what bullying is
* Talk often with your children
* How not to become a victim
* Early warning signs

Safer School GCS Proactive Policy and Procedures

2011-10-10T09:48:00.005-04:00

Students, parents, educators:
Since unfolding of "Teacher intercepts GCS students' written threats of violence, to shoot, to cause bodily harm" (see www.saferschools.blogspot.com page), what Safer School GCS proactive changes have been implemented with accountability for present students, families, and school personnel?

In GCS schools, in the face of school violence, what are the present Policy and Procedures? What proactive changes have been implemented with accountability to assure no present GCS children, families, and employees walk in the footsteps in the above unfolding of school violence?

saferschools@yahoo.com
Only at your request will your comments be published.

Judge Edwards, St. Louis: Innovative Concept Academy

2011-10-06T09:37:00.025-04:00

Judge Edwards and his Innovative Concept Academy were featured in the Sept. 22 issue of People Magazine.

In 2009, after watching a string of teen offenders come through his courtroom, Judge Edwards took action. Along with 45 community partners, he took over an abandoned school and opened the Academy. Providing strict discipline, counseling and programs like chess, music and creative writing, and mandatory after-school activities, the center has changed the lives of many young people, giving them the opportunity to graduate from high school and lead successful lives.

“I am so proud of all the teachers, staff, volunteers, and most of all, the students who have made our Innovative Concept Academy a success,” said Judge Edwards. “By supporting our school St. Louis is refusing to give up on troubled juveniles and, in turn, the students are proving that hope for a better life is a universal dream.”

TEDxStLouis - Jimmie Edwards

tedxstlouis.com/speakers/jimmie-edwards/Cached

A Brave New Education for St. Louis Public Schools and Judge ...

www.pelopidas.com/philanthropy/brave-education-st-louis-publicCached - Similar

The St. Louis community, and America-at-large, owes a lot to the courage of one man – Judge Jimmie Edwards. In less than six months, he has embarked on ...

Jimmie Edwards: Chief Juvenile Court Judge, St. Louis Circuit Court. St. Louis native Jimmie Edwards has been a circuit court judge for the past 18 years. ...

Community Initiatives for Safer Schools

2011-10-05T09:22:00.011-04:00

Research reveals a child needs

to be fed nutritionally and

to feel “safe, loved, valued”

for the brain to be

most receptive to learning.

Academic success increases

with a

“Focus on Safety”.

Community Initiatives:

Conduct sessions, led by Safer Schools Team members, to explore topics to assure an environment receptive to learning:

·“Fed nutritionally”: donate financial support to Backpack-Food Program for Children to provide nutritional weekend/summer meals

·Telling is not Tattling: It is a means of protecting oneself and others. Students are often the first to know critical information “under the radar”.

·Restorative Practices: positive learning, healing, and growth for all involved

·Tutoring/Shared Time: volunteers to support academic achievement and individual attention and affirmation

How can we effectively assure the safety of our children and school personnel?

Oct. 3: Alyssa Rodemeyer & Anderson Cooper

2011-10-02T12:40:00.002-04:00

Alyssa Rodemeyer Talks to Anderson Cooper About Late Brother ...

www.glaad.org/.../alyssa-rodemeyer-talks-anderson-cooper-about-lat...Cached

Alyssa Rodemeyer Talks to Anderson Cooper About Late Brother Jamey. Wednesday, September 28, 2011 - 11:32am. Alyssa Rodemeyer, sister of Jamey ...

Ben's Bells Project:

2011-10-01T09:25:00.003-04:00

"Be Kind. Step Up!": a great way to recognize ordinary (and extraordinary) acts of kindness in our community, as well as a chance to show support for individuals who “step up” to help others in need.

About

www.bensbells.org/About/

email: bensbells(a)bensbells ...

October: National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month

2011-09-30T23:14:00.013-04:00

Website: www.saferschools.blogspot.com
Email: saferschools@yahoo.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saferschools

Mon., Oct 3, 2011 Anderson Cooper: When Teen Bullying Doesn't "Get Better", the Deadly Consequences

2011-09-30T02:22:00.003-04:00

In a daytime exclusive, Anderson speaks with Tracy and Timothy Rodemeyer, parents of 14-year-old Jamey Rodemeyer, who took his own life only weeks ago after constant bullying became too much for him to bear. Jamey’s sister, Alyssa, joins Anderson to share her loss and to perform a tribute song she... wrote for her brother. One of Jamey's classmates, who courageously admits to bullying behavior, apologizes for her wrongs and shares how Jamey's death has affected her.
Anderson introduces the Rodemeyers to the Jacobsens, another family mourning the loss of their son to suicide over bullying, in hopes that these families can support each other as they grieve. Anderson also speaks with a bullying survivor, Emily Carey and her mother, Carla, about how she persevered and ultimately overcame the emotional distress.

Plus, Dr. Dorothy Espelage provides information on what parents and the community can do to help prevent bullying, and how you can tell if something is going on with a child.

Read more: http://www.andersoncooper.com/episodes/when-teen-bullying-doesnt-get-better-the-deadly-consequences/#ixzz1ZPbPyJaMSee More

When Teen Bullying Doesn't 'Get Better': The Deadly Consequences

www.andersoncooper.com

KAM: Kindness Above Malice

2011-09-30T02:20:00.004-04:00

Kindness Above Malice - Non-Profit Organization - Harriman, NY ...

www.facebook.com/KindnessAboveMaliceCached

Kindness Above Malice - Company Overview: Kindness Above Malice is dedicated to recognizing and emotionally empowering the individuals that go above ...

love you in the fall ;: Kindness Above Malice

loveyouinthefall.blogspot.com/2011/09/kindness-above-malice.htmlCached

Sep 15, 2011 – Kindness Above Malice. Some of you might remember my post awhile back about my cousin Kameron. My Aunt & Uncle were on TV today ...

NC School Violence Prevention Act: eligible in short session

2011-09-29T08:21:00.005-04:00

Senator Tucker has a bill that is still eligible in the short session for which NCAE provided input during the long session.

http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2011&BillID=S707

Student Threat Assessment: Dr. Dewey G. Cornell

2011-09-27T07:41:00.002-04:00

[PDF]

Student Threat Assessment

youthviolence.edschool.virginia.edu/pdf/threatchap.pdfSimilar

File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Quick View
Student Threat Assessment. Dewey G. Cornell ... Contact Dr. Cornell at Programs in Clinical and School Psychology, Curry. School of Education ..... school safety, law enforcement, and risk assessment served as consultants for the project.

If you see something, say something:

2011-09-23T00:53:00.009-04:00

State Trooper George H Murphy Jr. says kids need to speak up when they notice something out of the ordinary.

"Studies show up to 20,000 children and teenagers die each year from bullying and that's mostly from suicides," Trooper Murphy said.

A number that can decrease if students just realize the difference they can make.

"We really need the kids to think of it differently, and to get behind this problem," he said. "As adults, we can work to diminish it, but the students can stop it, by interacting and taking action against bullying."

Share with a trusted adult: law enforcement, teacher, staff member &/or parent

Colorado lawmakers are taking on bullying

2011-09-22T08:51:00.004-04:00

Colorado lawmakers are taking on bullying in an effort to promote a safe and secure learning environment in the state’s schools. (3-10-2011)

A bill by Democratic Representative Sue Schaffer of Wheat Ridge has passed out of the House Education Committee. House Bill 1254 redefines bullying to include electronic forms abuse. It’s something that U.S. Secretary of Education Arnie Duncan says is a growing trend.
“This is something whether its primary grades or higher education – we’re seeing some just absolute tragic, tragic outcomes due to a variety of different forms of bullying including cyber bullying,” says Duncan.
The Education Secretary made his comments during a White House conference on bullying hosted by President and First Lady Michelle Obama today. About 150 students, parents and teachers are sharing their experiences as well as what schools and communities are doing about bullying.
Nearly 30 organizations including the American Federation of Teachers as well as various gay and women’s rights groups are backing the Colorado legislation.

SaferSanerSchools

2011-09-21T05:28:00.004-04:00

Improve school climate and safety, classroom management and student discipline http://www.safersanerschools.org/

www.cbsnews.com/bullying

2011-09-20T06:51:00.014-04:00

(CBS News)
As a new school year gets under way, parents, educators and officials are taking a very close look at bullying. With the explosion of technology, it's only getting worse. Tonight (9-16), "48 Hours" airs a special called "Bullying: Words Can Kill" at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

Watch a preview of the "48 Hours" special now.

see "Safer Schools" post 9/14 and 9/16/2011

CBS News Correspondent Tracy Smith shared a preview on "The Early Show."

Jessica Logan Act

2011-09-16T20:43:00.015-04:00

Parents, Students Support Statewide Cyber-Bullying Law | WBNS ...

. 2011-2012 Comprehensive Safe Schools Act Legislative Summary ...

"Jessica Logan Act" to require that public school bullying policies prohibit bullying by electronic means and address certain acts that occur off school property ...

1. H.B. 155 - Laws, Acts, and Legislation

To amend sections 3313.666, 3313.667, and 3319.073 of the Revised Code to enact the "Jessica Logan Act" to require that public school bullying policies ...

www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=129_HB_155 - Cached - Similar

1. Bill aims to prevent cyber-bullying

Apr 6, 2011 ... The bill is being called the Jessica Logan Act, after a teen who committed suicide in July 2008 after being subjected to online bullying. ...

www.schoolbullyingcouncil.com/bill-aims-to-prevent-cyber-bullying/ - Cached - Similar

https://facebook.com/saferschools

Email: saferschools@yahoo.com

Bullying: Words Can Kill: Fri., 9-16-2011, 8pm, CBS 48 hrs.

2011-09-14T22:58:00.013-04:00

Bullying: Words Can Kill - Must See for Parents and Educators ...
3 min - 1 day agocurrent.com/.../93445402_bullying-words-can-kill-must-see-for-parents-...

Safer Schools: Community Initiatives

2011-09-05T13:21:00.004-04:00

Research reveals a child needs

to be fed nutritionally and

to feel “safe, loved, valued”

for the brain to be

most receptive to learning.

Academic success increases

with a

“Focus on Safety”.

Community Initiatives

Conduct sessions, led by Safer Schools Team members, to explore topics to assure an environment receptive to learning:

· “Fed nutritionally”: donate financial support to Backpack-Food Program for Children to provide nutritional weekend/summer meals

· Telling is not Tattling: It is a means of protecting oneself and others. Students are often the first to know critical information “under the radar”.

· Restorative Practices: positive learning, healing, and growth for all involved

· Tutoring/Shared Time: volunteers to support academic achievement and individual attention and affirmation

We must unite as a community to develop Proactive Safer Schools and ask,
“How can we effectively work to assure the safety of our children and school personnel?”

It will take all of us working together to make School Safety a reality.

Restorative Practices in our Schools

2011-09-02T17:32:00.010-04:00

Video: Restorative Practices at West Philadelphia HS:

http://www.iirp.edu/westphilahigh/

http://www.realjustice.org/pdf/IIRP-Improving-School-Climate.pdf

Safer Schools Facebook

2011-08-31T11:34:00.007-04:00

http://www.facebook.com/saferschools

How can we:

* unite as communities to develop Proactive Safer Schools?
* effectively work to assure the safety of our children and school personnel?
http://www.saferschools.blogspot.com/

Please share proactive, effective approaches for our children and school personnel...for Safer Schools.

saferschools@yahoo.com

Thank you for working with us for Safer Schools.

DOJ and DOE Launch Joint Initiative on School Discipline

2011-08-25T08:50:00.003-04:00

By Council of State Government: Published 8/1/2011

On July 21, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced the launch of the Supportive School Discipline Initiative, a collaborative project to encourage effective disciplinary practices that help make classrooms safer and more conducive to learning. It will also promote evidence-based practices that reduce the likelihood that students disciplined at school will have subsequent contact with the juvenile justice system. The initiative was announced at the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, whose membership includes representatives from 12 federal agencies.

Attorney General Holder underscored the need to build consensus across disciplines. “By bringing together government, law enforcement, academic, and community leaders, I’m confident that we can make certain that school discipline policies are enforced fairly and do not become obstacles to future growth, progress, and achievement,” he stated.

“Any comprehensive effort to improve outcomes for students who are misbehaving in school is going to require the engagement of leaders in the education and juvenile justice systems. The announcement of this joint initiative by the Secretary of Education and U.S. Attorney General models the kind of leadership we need in local and state governments on this issue,” said CSG Justice Center Chair and New York State Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry (D-35th District). “We look forward to working with the Departments of Justice and Education, as well as other agencies and individuals concerned with improving outcomes for all our school children.”

In announcing the initiative, Attorney General Holder referred to the release of the “landmark” report that the CSG Justice Center released two days earlier and to the briefings the Coordinating Council had received on the report. Attorney General Holder and Secretary Duncan cited various statistics from Breaking Schools’ Rules: A Statewide Study on How School Discipline Relates to Students’ Success and Juvenile Justice Involvement, which tracked nearly 1 million public middle and high school students in Texas.

“The Texas study revealed that the majority of students studied had at least one suspension or expulsion in their middle school or high school years and those disciplined had a greater likelihood of repeating a grade, dropping out, or coming into contact with the juvenile justice system,” aid Texas State Representative and Justice Center board member Jerry Madden (R-67th District). “This collaborative initiative cannot come at a better time as states like mine work diligently to address school discipline issues.”

The Department of Justice press release can be found at http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2011/July/11-ag-951.html and information about the CSG Justice Center study, done in partnership with the Public Policy Research Institute at Texas A&M University with the support of the Atlantic Philanthropies and Open Society Foundations, can be found at http://justicecenter.csg.org/resources/juveniles.

The Council of State Governments Justice Center is a national nonprofit organization that serves policymakers at the local, state, and federal levels from all branches of government. The Justice Center provides practical, nonpartisan advice and consensus-driven strategies, informed by available evidence, to increase public safety and strengthen communities (see www.justicecenter.csg.org).

Call To Action: What Can We/I Do?

2011-08-18T09:01:00.007-04:00

*Organize church/community forums led by "Safer Schools" Team. (contact: saferschools@yahoo.com)
*Encourage and share proactive, effective safer school approaches.
*Write legislators requesting their support (see website page: Legislation: Requests Made to NC Legislators & to NCAE).
*Write editorials regarding school safety.
*If threatened or feel unsafe, complete and file a police report ASAP. Keep the original copy: this will be needed if I petition the court for a Restraining Order.
*Share our "Safer Schools" website: http://www.saferschools.blogspot.com/

Your comments will be published only at your request.

"Safer Schools" Team
saferschools@yahoo.com

What Is More Important Than Our Children?

2011-08-11T06:51:00.003-04:00

NOTHING!

School Safety Is Every Child's Right!

2011-08-10T00:01:00.007-04:00

School Safety Is Every Child's Right!

School Safety Is Every Educator's/Employee's Right!

How are GCS "leaders" addressing community safety/integrity/trust needs for families and employees?

2011-08-04T07:33:00.020-04:00

Questionnaire 2008/Board of Education, School Board Platform: In running for her 3rd term for GCS School Board, GCS Board Member was asked:

Is there anything about the school system that you consider an embarrassment? If so, what is it? How would you attempt to change it?

Her response:
"The climate of fear and distrust in our school system embarrasses and saddens me. When I hear of administrators mistreating or threatening our employees it angers me and I report the actions to the appropriate staff, however, there does not appear to be consequences for these behaviors, thus this climate continues. There should be openness throughout the system and teachers and principals and parents should be able to talk with Board Members without fear of losing their jobs or being reprimanded or having their children negatively impacted. This fear and distrust starts at the top and it is my primary goal to change this climate. It is crucial that we hire a superintendent who demonstrates that he or she values our employees and will not lead by intimidation. It is my hope that the new superintendent will lead our school system in a new direction and through his or her leadership will demonstrate respect for all employees."

a) If, during three terms, GCS School Board Members and GCS "leaders" cannot address this concern, who can?

b) Who can improve the ability of GCS Board Members and GCS "leaders" to address community integrity/trust/safety needs for families, employees, and situations similar to "Safer Schools" website www.saferschools.blogspot.com page: "Teacher intercepts GCS student written threats of violence..."?

c) Does this emphasize the urgent need for legislation including:

Requests made to NC Legislators & NCAE (NC Association of Educators)/NCRSP (NC Retired School Personnel):

1) Include oral and written threats of violence in the School Law Enforcement Report Form and publicly report this information on the monthly school board agenda.
2) Institute a Violence Risk Threat Assessment, a process in which school administrator, law enforcement, mental health counselor, & teacher(s)/employee(s) involved TOGETHER investigate, examine, evaluate and report the threat.
3) Enact PROACTIVE legislation similar to VA Code 18.2-60: VA Teacher Association and VA legislators passed AFTER the VA Tech massacre: at school or school activities, oral threats of bodily harm are a Misdemeanor 1; written threats of bodily harm are a Felony 6.

d) Hope/goal: our community unites to develop proactive safer schools under our school superintendent's leadership.

How can we effectively work to assure the safety of our children and school personnel?

Comments may be shared at: saferschools@yahoo.com

Only at your request will comments be published.

Empathy/Compassion: Modeling/Teaching Our Children and Each Other

2011-08-03T14:34:00.002-04:00

* Expressing Regret: “I am sorry.”

* Accepting Responsibility: “I was wrong.”

* Making Restitution: “What can I do to make it right?”

* Genuinely Repenting: “I’ll try not to do it again.”

* Requesting Forgiveness: “Will you please forgive me?”

Chapman, Gary & Jennifer Thomas. 2006. Five Languages of Apology: How to Experience Healing in All Your Relationships. Chicago: Northfield Publishing

"If you see something, say something."

2011-08-02T16:07:00.005-04:00

State Trooper George H Murphy Jr. says kids need to speak up when they notice something out of the ordinary.

"Studies show up to 20,000 children and teenagers die each year from bullying and that's mostly from suicides," Trooper Murphy said.

A number that can decrease if students just realize the difference they can make.

Legislation Requests Made to NC Legislators and to NCAE (North Carolina Association of Educators) and NCRSP (NC Retired School Personnel)

2011-07-26T14:26:00.016-04:00

1) Include oral and written threats of violence in the School Law Enforcement Report Form and publicly report this information on the monthly school board agenda.

2) Institute a Violence Risk Threat Assessment, a process in which school administrator, law enforcement, mental health counselor, & teacher(s)/employee(s) involved TOGETHER investigate, examine, evaluate and report the threat.

3) Enact PROACTIVE legislation similar to VA Code 18.2-60: VA Teacher Association and VA legislators passed AFTER the VA Tech massacre: at school or school activities, oral threats of bodily harm are a Misdemeanor 1; written threats of bodily harm are a Felony 6.

The above are accountable in some NC schools.
Why not PROACTIVELY in GCS schools?
Why not PROACTIVELY in all NC schools?

What is the hidden agenda?

Our children are our most valuable resource. The highest priority of school leaders, elected officials, and communities is to ensure our children receive a quality education in a safe environment.

SCHOOL SAFETY IS EVERY CHILD'S RIGHT

SCHOOL SAFETY IS EVERY EMPLOYEE'S RIGHT

Elected officials state: “Nowhere else in our society, in our businesses and community, would we tolerate actions considered misdemeanors and felonies. Why in our schools?”

Legislators and citizens are encouraging us to expand the "Safer Schools" Program state-wide.

NEA: Bully Free: It Starts With Me

2011-07-25T07:56:00.005-04:00

Bully Free: It Starts With Me

1 2

Bully Free: It Starts With Me

Learn more about NEA’s Campaign Against Bullying

Stand Up Against Bullying

Take the Bully Free pledge and make a difference in a child’s life.

NEA Campaign Against Bullying

what's new

6 Ways to Start Making Your School Bully Free
Take The Pledge
I agree to be identified as a caring adult who pledges to help bullied students. I will listen carefully to all students who seek my help and act on their behalf to put an immediate stop to the bullying. I will work with other caring adults to create a safe learning environment for all the students in my school.

Take the Pledge Now

One Caring Adult Can Make a Difference

One caring adult can keep a bullied student from dropping out of school. One caring adult may save a bullied student’s life. NEA, through its Bully Free: It Starts With Me campaign, is asking you to be that caring adult. Just take the pledge — to listen to bullied students who approach you and take action to stop the bullying. In return, NEA will provide you with free resources to help you support these students.

Video

Message to Educators: Take the Bully-free Pledge
Dennis Van Roekel urges educators to be the one caring adult who makes a difference to a bullied child.

Video

NEA President on MSNBC
Dennis Van Roekel tells a national audience about NEA’s Bully Free: It Starts with Me campaign.

RELATED WEBSITES

Keys to Safer Schools

2011-07-18T07:53:00.000-04:00

http://www.keystosaferschools.com/Home.htm

Keys To Safer Schools.com (KEYS) equips teachers, students, parents, administrators and counselors with simple, yet effective tools, training and materials. The programs and publications offered rely heavily upon nationally researched methods for early warning and intervention of school violence. Keys training is interactive and responsive, always designed to meet the needs of the audience. Contact our team of Professionals to have a program tailored for your school district or to obtain any of our proven material.

Deadly Lessons: Understanding Lethal School Violence

2011-07-11T15:44:00.000-04:00

Click below to open:

Deadly Lessons: Understanding Lethal School Violence

Comments may be shared at: saferschools@yahoo.com

Only at your request will comments be published.

Violence in the Schools - LIFT (Law Institute For Teachers)

2011-07-06T09:36:00.002-04:00

Violence in the Schools - 2010 LIFT Conference

Creating a Safe Learning Environment

2011-06-27T00:01:00.004-04:00

By Amy Buffenbarger
Belmont was a school run by the students. They skipped class and roamed the halls in the hundreds. Fights were a near daily occurrence. Police cars regularly parked outside. An emergency alarm sat next to the cash registers in the cafeteria to sound when students tried to steal the lunch money. Teachers feared for their safety and stayed in classrooms behind locked doors, desperately trying to teach while ignoring the distractions outside.
Three years ago, people referred to the Dayton, Ohio high school as “Hellmont.”

“It got to the point where I would get phone calls from friends saying my school was on the news again,” said Michael Slightam, a social studies teacher at Belmont. “It was an embarrassment for my personal life and my professionalism.”
Belmont was the place where the lowest-performing and most troubled students were dumped in the Dayton Public Schools district. In Dayton, parents can choose which schools to send their children to, though that will change in the 2011-2012 school year as Dayton moves towards a neighborhood school attendance model.
Belmont’s reputation meant that it wasn’t a school parents choose. Not surprisingly, the school was also a revolving door for teachers.
All of that changed when David White took over as principal in July 2009. Under his leadership, the school achieved dramatic reductions in discipline problems in just a single year.
Compared to the 2008-2009 school year:

Fights went from 143 down to 17, an 89 percent reduction
Assaults went from 83 down to 10, an 88 percent reduction
Arrests went from 58 down to 1, a 99 percent reduction

With discipline improving, the school is also achieving academic results. In the 2008 – 2009 school year, 30 percent of freshman were promoted to sophomores. The following year, 63 percent were promoted and this year, 2010 – 2011, 84 percent of freshman will move on to their sophomore year.
Teachers who once left the school now want to come back. And those who never left now wear their Belmont Bison t-shirts with pride.
“There have been times I have walked through the hallways in the past two years and hear no sound. I actually have to stop and think ‘is this a school day? where are the students?’ Because they’re not in the halls,” said Robin Thompson, a data technician. “They’re in the classrooms where they are supposed to be. The teachers can teach now, and they can teach with their doors open.”
How Did Belmont Do It?
First, Principal White and his leadership team focused on restoring order.
Going into such a chaotic school, they knew the best course of action would be to spend the entire first year working on behavior. Once a safe learning environment was established, then they could move on to the academics and the tests.

Belmont Principal David White delivers the daily announcements via bullhorn during lunch.

Principal White established authority with the students from the very first moment of the 2009-2010 school year. As students milled outside on Day One, waiting for the doors to unlock, White stormed out with his now-famous bullhorn in hand and demanded the students form two single-file lines. They waited outside until the lines were perfect and then White marched everyone into the auditorium to explain the new expectations for Belmont students.
White sent the message loud and clear that things were not going to be business as usual. “I created good habits, structure and direction,” said White. “The kids feed off of that and have done very well.”
Expectations at Belmont revolve around the 5 B’s:

Be prepared
Be on time
Be respectful
Be accountable
Be consistent

The staff at Belmont work hard to get the students following the 5 B’s, and are strict with enforcement. “If you instill that in the kids, it becomes a habit. Once it becomes a habit it becomes their character,” said Larry Carter, the 9th grade transition coordinator.
“Big expectations, that’s the key now,” said Ajilon Harmon, a paraprofessional who works with special education students. “The kids are starting to see that staff are really here for them and they can learn and progress.”
It Takes A Strong Leader
There are 807 students in grades 9-12 at Belmont. Eighty-five percent of the students are economically disadvantaged, 20 percent have limited English proficiency and 28 percent of the students have disabilities.
With high poverty rates and large special needs population, in a city that has been experiencing a very long and sustained economic downturn, Belmont presents a challenging environment.

Belmont High School in Dayton, Ohio.

The challenge was one Principal White was used to. He has made a career of working with at-risk students in Dayton. With experience as a teacher, assistant principal, program manager for an initiative targeting dropouts and truants and assistant to the superintendent, White opened his own school in 2006. He served as the Chief Academic Officer of Dayton Technology Design High School, a conversion charter school sponsored by Dayton Public Schools that serves 9th through 12th graders, age 16 through 22, who have dropped out of high school or who are likely to do so.

His successes with at-risk students drew attention, and White was recruited to Belmont. Knowing he needed a team to recreate the same success, he brought along Dean of Students John Seebock and Assistant Principal Ken Kraemer, both of who worked with him at Dayton Tech. Theron Spence was already an assistant principal at Belmont and joined the team.
“When I was a freshman and sophomore, there were fights all the time,” said Ben Cox, who graduated from Belmont on May 20. “Mr. White came in and now it’s a pretty good place. Some people don’t like Mr. White because he’s strict, but the people who want to learn like him a lot.”
It Also Takes Collaboration
Principal White doesn’t like to be considered the lifeguard who saved the school from drowning. He’s careful to point out to that it’s the educators at Belmont who work closely with the students each day. “I’m lucky to have inherited a group of people that wanted change,” said White. “They were tired of violence. They were tired of the disrespect. They were tired of coming to work in fear. I was very fortunate to walk in to this group because they just said ‘what do we need to do?’”
“We’re all on the same page now,” said Alice Owen-Clough, a physical education teacher. “The teachers are on the same page with accountability, bellwork, classwork, homework. Everyone meets twice a week. It’s just a good thing all around.”
Principal White also has a collaborative relationship with the Dayton Education Association (DEA), which represents the educators at Belmont. Current DEA president David Romick was working at the school when White came in. The two developed a strong relationship, and White made sure to run ideas and changes by Romick first.
“We’re at a point now where things have to change, things have to move forward,” said Romick. “We’re here to serve the students, that’s the bottom line, and collaboration is the only way to get there.”
NEA’s Priority Schools Campaign strongly endorses collaboration as a key to education reform, and advocates for connections outside of the school building. It helps to have the entire community involved to achieve results like Belmont’s.

The alley leading from the school to the bus stop used to be a dangerous spot. The Dayton Police Department along with Belmont staff now monitor the alley every day after school.

Lieutenant Christopher Williams of the Dayton Police Department credits Principal White and the staff at Belmont for taking charge of a plan that relies on support from the police as well as the Montgomery County Juvenile Court in Dayton. “David White is the guy who implemented the plan and his staff are the ones who monitored it,” said Williams.
The police department helped White and his staff identify the root behavior problems, and the police department then worked with the juvenile court system to work on a special case basis with Belmont students. No matter where a Belmont student got in trouble, action was taken in accordance with the education plan.
“When I take a look at the impact we’ve had with our piece of the puzzle at Belmont, there is no doubt in my mind we’ve made a difference in people’s lives,” said Williams. “We’ve all given some of these kids a future they never would have had.”
Photos by Amy Buffenbarger. To see more photos from Belmont, visit the Flickr page of NEA’s Priority Schools Campaign.

Situational Anxiety/Occupational Disease

2011-06-21T09:00:00.021-04:00

Situational Anxiety: occurs when the body's natural reaction to dangerous situations, the fight or flight response, is triggered by a violent or frightening experience. Situational anxiety is characterized by intense and debilitating fear in a specific situation. It is the body’s way to safeguard itself.

Occupational Disease: is any chronic ailment that occurs as a result of work or occupational activity. It is an aspect of occupational safety and health. An occupational disease is typically identified when it is shown that it is more prevalent in a given body of workers than in the general population, or in other worker populations.
(ex.: school employees: student threats of violence, to shoot, to cause bodily harm)

Under the law of workers' compensation in many jurisdictions, there is a presumption that specific disease are caused by the worker being in the work environment and the burden is on the employer or insurer to show that the disease came about from another cause. Diseases compensated by national workers compensation authorities are often termed occupational diseases. The term work-related diseases is utilized to describe diseases of occupational origin. This term includes both compensable and non-compensable diseases that have occupational origins.

Episode of Violence: see website page, “Did You Know?”

Definitions copied from those used in teacher's legal case
(See Safer Schools website page: Teacher Intercepts GCS Students' Written Threats...)

Restorative Justice: excellent resources

2011-06-15T11:20:00.006-04:00

Amstutz, Lorraine Stutzman & Mullet, Judy H. 2005. Little Book of Restorative Discipline for Schools: Teaching responsibility, creating caring climates.

Holtham, Jean Detle. 2009. Taking Restorative Justice to Schools: A Doorway to Discipline

For further information on Restorative Justice:
see Safer Schools website page: Proactive Approaches for Safer Schools

SAFER CHILDREN, SAFER FAMILIES, SAFER SCHOOLS, SAFER COMMUNITY

2011-06-08T12:21:00.032-04:00

How can we effectively work to assure the safety of our children and school personnel?

SAFER SCHOOLS Team members shared concerns of school violence at scheduled meetings with:
*GCS Board Members (7+x's),
*Guilford County Commissioners (3x's),
*Guilford County's 10 Mayors/Town Councils/Citizens,
*Guilford County Legislators,
*NCAE/NCRSP (NCAE: NC Association of Educators: NCRSP: NC Retired School Personnel) &
*Church and Community Forum Participants.

What Can I Do?
*Organize forums led by "SAFER SCHOOLS" Executive Board Members. Forum is in Panel Discussion Format: sharing/?'s/discussion with participants/community.
*Encourage and share proactive, effective safer school approaches.
*Write legislators requesting their support. (Note 3 requests on website page below)
*Write editorials regarding school safety.
*If threatened or feel unsafe, complete and file a police statement ASAP. Keep the original copy: this will be needed if I petition the court for a Restraining Order.
*Share our "Safer Schools" website: http://www.saferschools.blogspot.com/

See Safer Schools Website pages:
*Executive Board
*Mission Statement & Goals
*Proactive Approaches for Safer Schools
*Legislation: Requests Made to NC Legislators and NCAE/NCRSP
*Did You Know?

Anonymously, citizens may peruse this site.
Your comments will be published only at your request.
Comments may be shared at saferschools@yahoo.com

NC Juvenile Risk Assessment/Violence Risk Assessment

2011-06-05T08:09:00.004-04:00

For further information, see Safer Schools website page:

Violence Risk Threat Assessment: Written/Oral Threats of Violence

Please share similar, excellent assessments with our Safer Schools Team at saferschools@yahoo.com

We invite you to peruse following Risk Threat Assessments:

*North Carolina Assessment of Juvenile Risk of Future Offending

NCjuvenile_risks.pdf (1357KB)

*Grant County School Safety Initiative

VIOLENCE RISK ASSESSMENT

Procedures and Tools

Revised November, 2008

All materials have been adopted from the Madison Metropolitan School District at

the approval of Kathy Halley, Ph. D; Program Support for School Psychologists.
P12: Assessment

*Persistently Safe Schools 2005: The National Conference of the HAMILTON FISH INSTITUTE ON SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY VIOLENCE

GUIDELINES FOR RESPONDING

TO STUDENT THREATS OF VIOLENCE [5218]

Dewey G. Cornell, Curry School of Education, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
P12: Assessment

http://www.keystosaferschools.com/Home.htm

How Are Threats of Violence Addressed in Your School?

2011-06-01T12:57:00.049-04:00

see Safer Schools website page:

Teacher intercepts GCS students' written threats of violence, to shoot, to cause bodily harm

NEA Bullying Prevention Act 2011

2011-05-25T10:43:00.003-04:00

Ask every student:

What is your school district's peer abuse policy?

What type of peer abuse is common in your school?

What is your safe zone?

What educational professional can you trust to help you with peer abuse?

Have you been abused by a peer? Is so, whom did you tell?

What happened?

Research/Share NEA (National Education Association):

*Bullying Prevention Act 2011

*Bully Free: It Stops With Me

Only at your request will comments be published.

saferschools@yahoo.com

Walkertown Student Disciplined for Posting Threat on Facebook

2011-05-23T08:29:00.014-04:00

Walkertown Student Disciplined for Posting Threat on Facebook

Thursday, May 19th, 11:18 am FOX 8 News

A student at Walkertown Middle School has been disciplined after allegedly posting a threat against a teacher on Facebook.

Winston-Salem Forsyth School spokesman Theo Helm confirmed the threat, but did not elaborate on what the comment said.

The alleged threat was posted on Facebook on May 11. The school discovered the posting on May 12 and "dealt with it," Helm said.

The student was a pupil in the teacher's classroom at the school but "are not in contact with each other," Helm said.

Helm said as far as the school system knows, the threat was made only on the Facebook page.

Helm said according to the student handbook, the student could face up to 6 days of suspension and could be placed in an alternative school.

No other information was made available.

Walkertown, NC: MS Student Disciplined for Posting Teacher Threat on Facebook

2011-05-23T08:28:00.003-04:00

http://www.digtriad.com/news/local/article/175992/57/Triad-Student-Posts-Threat-Against-Teacher-On-Facebook

Written by Devetta Blount

Walkertown, NC-- A Walkertown Middle School student has been suspended for threatening a teacher last week.

According to a school official, the threat was posted on the student's Facebook page, but not while he was at school.

WFMY News 2 received an email about the incident and contacted school officials.

On Wednesday, Theo Helm, a spokesperson for Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools, confirmed that a student did post a threat directed at a specific teacher at Walkertown Middle School.

Helms said someone found out about the threat and alerted a school staff member.

For legal reasons, Helm said he can't reveal specifics about the student or his punishment. He said the school took the appropriate action based on the incident. Helm added that, there is also a "gray" area when something happens outside of the school, but is related.

Helms did say that the student will no longer be allowed in that teacher's classroom.

WFMY News 2

Conscious Discipline: Dr. Becky Bailey

2011-05-21T14:59:00.013-04:00

Research reveals a child needs to feel "safe, loved, valued" for the brain to be most receptive to learning.
Academic success increases with a "Focus on Safety".

Conscious Discipline: includes the seven skills of
Composure, Encouragement, Assertiveness, Choices, Empathy, Positive Intent, and Consequences

"The School Family builds connection between families and schools, teachers and teachers, teachers and students, and students and students to ensure the optimal development of all. These connections provide the three essential ingredients for school success:
*A willingness to learn
*Impulse control
*Attention"

Research this proactive approach.

Restorative Justice in Schools: Belinda Hopkins

2011-05-20T15:21:00.006-04:00

Addressing school violence/verbal or written threats

2011-05-19T08:18:00.010-04:00

Intercept verbal or written threats of bodily harm:

* Student or staff: share threat directly with SRO/law enforcement
* Let law enforcement begin with a blank slate and use their expertise to initially address the situation…let law enforcement communicate with school "leaders". (SRO: Student Resource Officer)
* If threatened or feel unsafe, complete and file a police statement ASAP.
Keep the original copy: this will be needed if I petition the court for a Restraining Order.

*In a 3-ring notebook, record date, time, place, individuals present, conversation. Keep a running journal of events (in plastic sleeves) to ensure accuracy.

Proactive Safer Schools: A Community Focus on Safety: Is Your School Safe For All?

10 Rules for Being Human (3:42 min. video): Simple Truths

212: the extra degree

Olweus Bullying Prevention Program

Conscious Discipline/Expressions

Success Secrets (4:37 video)

Dr. Martin Luther King: Pass It On Project

Great Quotes from Great Leaders

In Face of Challenge: Carrots, Eggs, or Coffee Beans (Video)

5 Languages of Apology: How to Experience Healing in Your Relationships

Barbara Colorosa: 6 Critical Life Messages Our Children Need to Get

5 Love Languages of Children: how our children seek and express love

Caring and Courageous Kids: Program for Peaceful Intervention to Bullying

Community Initiatives for Safer Schools

The Road to Happiness

Restorative Justice in Schools: Belinda Hopkins

Restorative Justice video: Transformation of West Philadelphia High

Restorative Justice: Howard Zehr

Inspiration

Sometimes it only takes a little to change big things

Kindness: The Power of Kindness

A Stop To Bullying Starts with Changing a Mindset

PBIS: Positive Behavior Intervention and Support

Teacher: How to address bullying in school — and how not to

Olweus Bully Prevention Program: Dan Olweus

Sunday School Humor: 20+

Butterfly Effect: Every single thing you do matters (video)

Victim of Bullying shared emotional scars

Barbara Coloroso: Six Critical Life Messages: video

NC Gang Problem: websites/video

Carl Walker-Hoover/Jaheem Herrera: Anderson Cooper 360 Bullying

Bystander: A Portrait in Apathy: Jillian Palmieri

PERSEVERE (Video/Speakers on)

Proactively Protecting Our Children and Each Other

Bullying prevention activities for elementary school children

How Do We Proactively Empower Our Children & Each Other in the Face of Bullying?

§ 115C‑105.47 Local safe school plans

LIFT: Law Institute for Teachers

Caring School Community: Research Results

KidPower: Face Bullying With Confidence: 8 Skills Kids Can Use Right Away

For more free resources, please subscribe below!

1. Walking with Awareness, Calm, and Confidence

2. Leaving in a Powerful, Positive Way

3. Setting a Boundary

4. Using Your Voice

5. Protecting Your Feelings From Name-Calling

6. Speaking Up for Inclusion

7. Being Persistent in Getting Help

8. Using Physical Self-Defense as a Last Resort

Other Articles of Interest

Mohandas Gandhi: "A nation's culture...

U. S. Bully Laws

Critics say that new Michigan anti-bullying bill actually condones bullying

Bullying Visual: Felissa Elfenbein

NC House Bill 736: Amend Law Re School Discipline

Dr. Phil: A Call to Action Against Bullying

Bullying: DeSean Jackson of the Eagles

Stop Bullying: Speak Up

Bullying grabs global attention

Schoolyard bullies not just preying on the weak - CNN

Bullying is Not a Rite of Passage: CNN Julie Hertzog

Rachel's Challenge: Only Kindness Matters

STAMP Out Bullying: Jay Banks

STAMP Out Bullying

October 19th: National SAVE Day

cbs.com.bullying for additional sites

Anti-bullying and the Seat Belt Law

Bully-Proof Your Children

Safer School GCS Proactive Policy and Procedures

Judge Edwards, St. Louis: Innovative Concept Academy

Community Initiatives for Safer Schools

Oct. 3: Alyssa Rodemeyer & Anderson Cooper

Ben's Bells Project:

October: National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month

Mon., Oct 3, 2011 Anderson Cooper: When Teen Bullying Doesn't "Get Better", the Deadly Consequences

KAM: Kindness Above Malice

NC School Violence Prevention Act: eligible in short session

Student Threat Assessment: Dr. Dewey G. Cornell

If you see something, say something:

Colorado lawmakers are taking on bullying

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please subscribe below!