Don't Let This Happen at Your School

Here's a recent article on school bullying....

Bullied student brought knives to school, police say
By Russell Lissau Daily Herald Staff

A student brought a set of steak knives to a Gurnee middle school earlier this month to defend herself against bullying, police said Thursday.

The six knives were found in the 14-year-old girl's locker at Viking Middle School, Deputy Police Chief Kevin Woodside said. She didn't hurt anyone or directly threaten other students, he said.
The incident underscores the need for parents to talk with their children about bullying and to develop strategies for dealing with bullies, Woodside said.

Additionally, if you suspect your child is being bullied, talk to school administrators about the problem, Woodside said. "Get it out in the open," he said. The student was arrested Dec. 12 after police learned the girl, who is from Wadsworth, brought the knives to school, Woodside said. They were found in her backpack in her locker, reports indicated.

Other students had told school officials about the knives, police said.
The teen felt she was being bullied, Woodside said. Several students were involved, he said, but it was not clear exactly how many. The girl was charged as a juvenile with possession of weapons and referred to juvenile authorities. She was released to her mother after her arrest, police said. Court information was not available.

Woodside said the girl faced disciplinary action at school, too, but Gurnee Elementary District 56 Superintendent John Hutton declined to discuss the incident or the girl.
Hutton said the arrest has spurred him and the school board to develop an anti-bullying program for District 56 that could be implemented for the 2008-09 school year.

"Bullying is something that all schools are dealing with," he said. "One (incident) is too many."
The program could start at the middle school, then expand to the district's three other campuses, he said. About 2,200 students attend classes in District 56. Ideally, the program would be aimed not just at potential bullies or victims, but also other students who don't act when bullies strike, Hutton said.

By doing nothing, bystanders validate and encourage bullies, he said.
Bullying is against the law in Illinois. Menacing or intimidating a student in such a way that it interferes with attendance is a misdemeanor that could result in jail time and fines.

Illinois schools are required under a 2006 law to implement bullying-prevention programs -- covering intimidation, student victimization, sexual harassment, sexual violence and other topics -- for students in all grades. District 56 hasn't created such a program yet because the General Assembly didn't provide funding, Hutton said.

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=103157&src=3

What is bullying?

Bullying happens when individuals or group of people continues to hurt, frighten, threaten, or exclude another person on purpose. It’s often a repeated activity, with a particular child singled out over and over again.

Bullying involves an imbalance of power, where the child who bullies has more power (due to factors like age, size, or higher social status) than the targeted child.

There’s not just one profile of a child who is bullied—any child can be singled out for any reason.

Prairie Center Against Sexual Assault Launches Bullying Prevention Initiative

Prairie Center Against Sexual Assault has joined the campaign against bullying in schools in a combined effort with Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Committee for Children.

Earlier this year we launched the first Bullying Prevention Initiative in our service area to assist schools in setting up bullying prevention programs using a whole school approach.

Our intent is to assist school districts within our service area in the implementation of bullying prevention programs and provide on-going support as needed. It is important for school officials to recognize the problem of bullying in their schools and reach out for help from organizations like ours who can assist them. Prairie Center staff have been trained and are ready to reach out to the communities we serve.

We are currently partnering with McClernand Elementary School and Christ The King (Springfield) and Carrollton Elementary School (Carrollton) to implement Steps To Respect- a Bullying Prevention pilot program (created by the Committee for Children) during the 2007-2008 school year. Prairie Center has also entered into the initial stages to work with North Elementary School in Taylorville to implement a bullying prevention program at their school.

Parents, teachers, students, and principals are recognizing the critical need for bullying prevention programs in their schools. We can help schools create a new school culture where everyone participates in efforts to end bullying. Our center will work with the schools on developing steering committees, creating bullying policies, and provide training for staff and parents.

Prairie Center is ready to work with schools to develop a coordinated system of supervision involving the whole school community of administrators, teachers, support staff, students, parents, law enforcement, and community stake holders.

Parents, educators, and students are encouraged to call Prairie Center to seek support and information about bullying. For more information about the Bullying Prevention Initiative, call Shelley Vaughan, Associate Director of Development and Education- at 217-744-2560.