Local schools not exempt from bullying problems

By LAURA BEHENNA

Bigfork Eagle

Kids are hard on each other. And Bigfork kids are no exception.

Jennifer Wood’s fifth-grade son, for example, got a black eye after being kicked in the face by an eighth-grader.

“There’s definitely a problem that needs to be taken care of,” Wood said. The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, used in all five of Kalispell’s elementary schools, would be a big step in the right direction for Bigfork’s schools, she said after attending a town meeting on bullying prevention in Kalispell Feb. 27.

“I would just love to see the Olweus program implemented into our school,” Wood said. “It increases the self-esteem and the awareness of our students — and the awareness of others’ feelings.”

“I just feel like we’ve lost our manners,” she said about the lack of civility she’s noticed in other people.

Wood, the Bigfork School District’s secretary, and Mary Salsbury, a counselor at Bigfork Elementary School, attended the town meeting with about 100 other people.

“We have noticed that there is an increase in reports of bullying, kids getting hurt and that kind of thing,” Salsbury said, adding that reports of physical and verbal abuse and social exclusion are on the rise at the school. Staff has been looking into bullying prevention strategies. “We are looking particularly at the Olweus Bully Prevention program,” Salsbury said. “We’re looking into the cost, the timeline,” and educating teachers about how the program works.

“The Olweus program is one program we are looking at because the focus is on training the adults how to identify and eliminate bullying and being consistent across the school levels,” Bigfork Elementary School principal Jackie Boshka said. “We have great students and involved parents. We are committed to creating a safe school environment where students feel valued and have a sense of belonging.”

The school already uses a conflict resolution program, but the staff has discussed the need for bullying prevention and agreed that any program chosen must involve training all staff members, she said.

Dan Olweus (pronounced Ol-VEY-us) is a Norwegian child psychologist and researcher who created his bullying prevention program after three young bullying victims in his home country killed themselves. The program has been adopted in several European countries and U.S. states.

Bullying has been accepted as a normal part of childhood by earlier generations, but recent research indicates that both bullies and their victims may suffer psychologically from their experiences long into adulthood. At the town meeting in Kalispell, a panel of teachers, mental health counselors and other professionals who work with children described the destructive effects children’s cruelty to other kids can have.

Dr. Marlene Snyder, an education consultant and Olweus trainer who lives in Whitefish, described bullying as “peer abuse.”

“If parents did those things to kids, we have laws that would protect them, Snyder said, adding that Montana has no law against children abusing other children. Besides physical and verbal abuse, bullying can include social exclusion and spreading rumors or lies that damage or destroy relationships, she said. When adults and other children don’t intervene in the bullying, the cruelty seems more acceptable to everyone and the victim feels he or she has no support.

Compared with their peers, bullied kids tend to have lower self-esteem, more anxiety and depression, poorer academic performance and more thoughts of suicide, psychiatrist Jack Hornby said. Suicide is the second leading cause of death in Montanans aged 15 to 24, and depression is a leading contributor to suicidal thoughts and attempts.

Hornby noted that in his 30-plus years of practice, he has noticed that both children and adults have become less accountable, respectful and civil to one another, and he thinks bullying contributes to that atmosphere of social disengagement.

Other panel members said bullies often witness domestic violence at home and may have parents who punish their children with physical abuse. Boys exposed to violence at home tend to act out violently toward other boys and girls, while girls who witness violence tend to bully by excluding and verbally abusing other girls, Janet Cahill of the Violence-Free Crisis Line said.

Young bullies often become adult offenders. Sixty percent of young bullies have been convicted of at least one serious crime by age 24 and 40 percent have had three or more convictions, probation officer Pat Warnecke reported.

“What we know is bullies eventually wind up destroying themselves,” Snyder said.

Even teachers can be bullies, Snyder said, adding that bullying by adults sends kids the message that it’s OK to be cruel to others.

“Unaddressed bullying can destroy the wholesome environment of any school, community, organization or family,” she said.

Edgerton School in Kalispell kicked off the Olweus program in October 2005 and the city’s four other elementary schools have adopted the program too, Edgerton School counselor Don Burtch said. Edgerton’s assistant principal, Casey Bertram, reported the school has noted “a 49 percent reduction in general misbehavior” since starting the Olweus program.

The program trains all adults in the school — from administrators to custodians and bus drivers — to hold students accountable for their behavior at all times, and to act as positive role models. Adults intervene immediately in any bullying situation they observe, and apply consistent consequences for students who bully others. Consequences could include detention from recess or a phone call to parents, with in-school suspension or a meeting with law enforcement for repeat offenders. A student would be expelled only as a last resort.

Students also learn the rules for how to treat others fairly. (See sidebar.) Teachers and students hold regular discussions in class to discuss the rules and resolve problems as a group. The school encourages parents to be involved throughout the process.

“The teachers who do the class meetings find that they really can solve problems and get things worked out and have a lot more conducive climate for kids getting along,” Bigfork school counselor Salsbury said. I think all teachers would do it if they were trained in it.”

“Class meetings are great opportunities for children to voice their turmoils and troubles without physically showing violence,” Wood agreed.

“I think [the Olweus program is] proving itself right here in our valley,” Salsbury said.

On the Web: www.clemson.edu/olweus/index.html

www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov

School rules

The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program includes posting these rules around the school:

1. We will not bully others.

2. We will try to help students who are bullied.

3. We will include students who are easily left out.

4. When we know someone is being bullied, we will tell an adult at school and an adult at home.