U.S. Department of Education issues guidance about prevention of bullying

The U.S. Department of Education issued guidance to schools, colleges and universities Tuesday about how to make sure they prevent bullying.
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said there are no new laws or regulations, and that the guidance is to emphasize the importance of bullying prevention. The guidelines make it clear what the obligations of educational institutions are: Stop bullying from happening, fix why it happened and prevent it from happening again, said Russlynn Ali, assistant secretary for civil rights.
“We think in this country that bullying should not exist,” Duncan said in a conference call Tuesday.
He said the goal is to raise awareness about the steps schools must take to end this “silent epidemic.”
The guidelines include information about bullying and harassment based on race, national origin, sexual and gender-based harassment and disability harassment.
In extreme cases and as a last resort, schools can lose federal funding if they don’t comply, Ali said.
Bullying in schools is widespread and causes a range of problems, from low self- esteem and having trouble in school to acts of violence and suicide, Melody Barnes, White House Domestic Policy Council Director, said in the same teleconference.
She said early next year the White House will host a conference to educate about tools to prevent bullying and to hopefully spark a dialogue about the ways the community can prevent bullying.
“We’re all facing the same challenges,” Duncan said. “We’re going to highlight those who do it well and challenge those with their head in the sand.”
Canonsburg Middle School is one of the schools trying to take a proactive approach, said Principal Greg Taranto.
The school had a kickoff for its Olweus Bullying Prevention Program Friday and will begin classroom sessions next week, he said. Teachers wrote a song and performed it during the kickoff and several students had their own performances as well.
“Teachers did a really nice job with it,” Taranto said. “Kids love it.”
Part of the idea behind the program is to empower bystanders, to let them know that they hold the power to help stop bullying, he said.
Taranto said there was not one incident that led to the implementation of the Olweus program. However, research shows that bullying peaks at the middle school level in grades five through nine, he said. Research also shows Olweus to be an effective way to reduce bullying.
He said the school will use the program to target bullying that happens on school property as well as cyberbullying.
Cyberbullying is more viscous than ever and hard to control, Taranto said. The school is also teaching students how to use social networking tools appropriately to help prevent cyberbullying.
The school is not alone in its efforts.
Trinity recently had a stakeholder survey in which teachers and parents named their top concern as bullying.
As a result, Superintendent Paul Kasunich recommended that the district implement the Olweus program in addition to its other bullying prevention efforts.
Trinity School Board heard a presentation about the program and how it would work in the district last week and may vote on whether to use Olweus next month.
Federal resources about bullying prevention are consolidated at www.Bullyinfo.org.