School Officials Put Bull's-Eye on Bullying

Melrose school officials have a stern warning for bullies: harassment won't be tolerated in any activities associated with the learning environment, in school or at home.  School administrators will be taking extra measures to prevent bullies, particularly cyber-bullies, from "creating an atmosphere of fear and anxiety." 

Melrose Public Schools adopted anti-bullying legislation in 2007, but local officials are working to update policies based on the new anti-bullying laws that were passed in the State House last month.  

The new proposed policy updates the 2007 legislation by prohibiting emotional aggression, cyber-bullying, and oral or written threats through electronic means.  Melrose School Committee member Kristin Thorp will be leading next week's discussion on implementing the state's new anti-bullying legislation.  Thorp serves as the chairwoman of the School Committee's policy and planning subcommittee. 

"There really isn't much in the law that we haven't already done," Thorp said.

Schools have worked with the Melrose Alliance Against Violence (MAAV) to implement trainings and anti-bullying curriculum for teachers and students.  Rebecca Mooney, Executive Director of MAAV, said the trainings closely follow programs pioneered by Norwegian researcher Dr. Dan Olweus, an expert on bullying prevention.  Mooney said that Olweus' techniques have shown a 50 percent reduction in bullying.

"In any group of people, there will be a few that will bully others," Mooney said. "The grand majority [of students] are bystanders." 

Teachers and parents are encouraged to be proactive with students, creating an environment where bystanders feel encouraged to come forward.  Mooney said that 121 Melrose Public School teachers completed anti-bullying training last year.  She is focusing on training with a "whole school approach" in mind, where everyone in the school community works to create a positive school climate.  She stressed the importance of promoting connections between staff and students, as well as setting clear rules and consequences for bullying.

School officials have the right to impose disciplinary action on any students who violate the anti-bullying policies.  Disciplinary actions include detention, suspension, involuntary transfer to another school district, and expulsion for the most serious offenders.  In order to comply with the new state legislation, schools will have to submit age-appropriate instruction on bullying prevention.  School officials will provide more specific guidelines when school handbooks are published at the beginning of the fall term.

The Melrose School Committee will work alongside school administrators to determine how to enforce the new legislation.

"We're seeing a response to a growing trend across the country," said Superintendent Joe Casey.  Casey emphasized the need to work closely with parents and students to make sure anti-bullying programs are successful.

"Part of this might be an education piece for parents," Casey said.  "Cell phones have changed many aspects of what we do — time and space are now transcended by technology." 

As a result, Casey said that cyber-bullying is much more difficult to track.  He said the first step is educating staff about all of the measures they can take to prevent bullying.  This summer, Casey and his staff will work with the School Committee to determine what changes need to take place in policy and procedure. 

"This issue is not a new issue — it's in the public eye right now," Mooney said.  She agreed with Casey's assessment that technology has changed the situation because kids communicate with each other in so many new ways. 

"Home isn't necessarily a safe haven [from bullying]," she said.

Anti-bullying trainings will be provided to all staff members, including bus drivers and coaches, two groups that Thorp said might not have been fully aware of the policies in the past.   Thorp expects that policies will be fully developed in July, when Melrose school principals will be updating handbooks for the coming school year.  She said that transparency is important and that parents will need to be pro-active in order for the legislation to work.

"Enforcement is much more difficult," Thorp said, "especially if we don't see it happen." 

MAAV will be leading many of the fall trainings, including sessions for all parents and students at the elementary school level.  Trainings for staff and parents last approximately an hour and a half.  In the training session, MAAV addresses forms of bullying, the effects of bullying on bullies and targets, and best practices on how to effectively respond to bullying.   The hour-long student training MAAV offers focuses on encouraging student bystanders to take action to help classmates who might be targets of bullying.

"A lot of changes in the law are at the school level and not at the School Committee level," Thorp said.  "We're making sure that when we do become aware [of bullying], we take it seriously, and we do something."

The Melrose School Committee is scheduled meet on Tuesday, June 8 at 7 p.m. in the Melrose Aldermanic Chamber.  The anti-bullying legislation draft for Melrose Public Schools can be found by clicking here (PDF). For more information about the Melrose Alliance Against Violence anti-bullying program, visit MAAV's website.