Training For Educators, Tips For Parents Offered

On New Anti-Bullying Law

HARTFORD — As young people continue transitioning to the new school year, they are not only preparing for the academic challenges, but they also must be prepared for the emotional and social pressures that a new school year brings.

These pressures have only been amplified in recent months, with the rapid growth of cyberbullying, which now broadens the realm of bullying from the classroom to just about everywhere.

“As leaders in prevention, we take our role as advocates for the state’s new bullying law seriously,” said Jill Spineti, president of The Governor’s Prevention Partnership. “We’re in school communities everyday educating parents, teachers, and administrators about the new law and helping them comply with its requirements. It’s a win-win situation if we can offer parents useful tips for dealing with their bullied child, and train teachers and other school staff to recognize the signs of bullying early on and help them learn how to act quickly to stop it.”

According to the Connecticut Youth Risk Behavior Study, 25 percent of Connecticut high school students, and 35 percent of the state’s ninth-graders, report having been bullied or harassed on school property in the past year. The same study also found that Connecticut high school students who report being bullied are more likely to get less sleep, miss school because they feel unsafe, have property stolen at school, carry a weapon to school, experience dating violence, suffer depression, and attempt suicide.

In response, Governor Dannel Malloy recently signed into law Public Act 11-232, an act concerning the strengthening of school bullying laws. This legislation, which now includes cyberbullying, takes comprehensive steps to ensure every child’s right to learn in Connecticut public schools without fear of teasing, humiliation, or assault.

To help with this important issue and to ensure that the law is successfully carried out, The Governor’s Prevention Partnership is offering training and resources to educators and administrators to ensure they have the necessary tools for addressing bullying.

“The new law gives us the framework to guide the process,” said Lisa Tregoning, program manager, The Governor’s Prevention Partnership. “We help teachers and school staff understand their role as it relates to the new law. We also work with them as a team to support children who may be involved in bullying situations.”

Training Series Kickoff

The Governor’s Prevention Partnership offers a new training series for school administrators who are looking for practical tools for developing a positive school climate and preventing bullying. The Partnership is also offering trainings for schools that want to start a peer mediation program and for adult peer mediation advisors.

More than 130 educators, administrators, and guidance counselors, representing schools from Stratford to Enfield, have already met for training focused on helping schools plan and implement strategies for school climate improvement which includes the prevention of cyberbullying as a major component.

The training, titled “Capacity Building for School Climate Improvement and Bullying Prevention,” focused on helping more than 38 schools build an approach to create a positive school climate through preparation and planning, implementation and evaluation detailed in a newly developed guide filled with practical tools created by The Partnership.

A highlight of the training, was the introduction of the Capacity Building for School Climate Improvement and Bullying Prevention Guide, developed by The Partnership. The guide lays out how a school climate committee can proactively go about implementing the elements necessary to create a positive school climate.

The guide also includes a resource audit for current programs and practices, sample climate assessment tools, and a step-by-step process for how to use the data that is collected to drive decisions and create measurable action steps, leading to an improved school climate and fewer bullying incidents.

“The fact that this training was ‘sold out’ is a testament to the interest and desire that so many educators have in helping to create a positive and safe climate in our schools and, of course, comply with the new law,” Ms Tregoning said. “Our guide is designed to help build a framework for creating a sustainable, positive school environment. It helps educators understand how to assess their own individual school climate and to learn about innovative ways on how to enhance it.”

The training, held in Wethersfield, was the first part of the three-part training series being held this fall by The Governor’s Prevention Partnership and designed to explore various key components of an anti-bullying school program, all detailed in the guide. Planning for a spring training series also is underway.

Educators interested in The Partnership’s bullying prevention training series to help their school, can visit www.preventionworksct.org and click on “Training and Events” or call The Governor’s Prevention Partnership at 860-523-8042, extension 14.

Cyberbullying Prevention Tips

For Parents

Cyberbullying is using the Internet or other digital devices to send or post negative or harmful messages, images. or video clips about others. Cyberbullying can include posting or sending mean or embarrassing comments and/or images on chat rooms, message boards, websites, social networking sites, online gaming sites, cellphones, instant messages or e-mail.

To prevent cyberbullying, here are some tips for parents:

 *Develop and enforce rules. Work with your child to come up with a clear understanding about the appropriate and inappropriate uses of the Internet, phones, and other technology. It is important to set clear rules of when, where, and how computers and cellphones can be used. Make sure to set consequences for misuse and follow through consistently.

 *Educate children about appropriate Internet-based behaviors and that all rules for interacting with people in real life also apply for interacting online or through cellphones. Discuss with them the problems that can be created when technology is misused, including damaging their reputation with their friends.

 *Maintain an open door policy: Children are often too scared or embarrassed to report bullying incidents. They may feel guilty or are afraid that telling their parents will lead to their cellphone and Internet privileges being taken away. Be sure to regularly discuss household technology use. Having these frequent conversations will keep the door open for your child to talk to you about bullying incidents they may be experiencing or seeing on the Internet.

 *Monitor Internet Use: It is important to know who your child is communicating with online and by cellphone. Look into your child’s online presence by setting up an alert on Google, or search your child’s name occasionally through a variety of search engines. Use filtering and blocking software or an Internet monitoring service. When using the monitoring service, watch closely for the warning signs that cyberbullying is taking place.

 *Work closely with your school administrators. Connecticut’s new anti-bullying law requires each school in the state to create a safe school climate plan. If your child is being cyberbullied, it is important to report the incident(s) to his or her school and continue communication to make sure the problem is resolved.

 *Be understanding. Usually, cyberbullying goes hand-in-hand with in-person bullying, so watch for warning signs such as withdrawal from friends, drop in academic performance, and school avoidance or emotional symptoms such as anger or sadness. It is important to let your child know that you are there for support and they are not alone.

For more parent tips and resources, visit www.preventionworksct.org and click on “The Parent Resource Center.”