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School Department takes proactive stance on bullying

Date: 2/10/2010

Feb. 10, 2010.

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor



CHICOPEE -- Bullying is taken "very seriously" in the city's schools and a key to addressing problems is for students to talk about incidents with parents and teachers, according to Alvin Morton, the assistant superintendent for student support services.

"If you don't know about it you can't do anything about it," he told Reminder Publications.

Every incident of student harassment is investigated with the principal looking at information from all sides, he said.

"Is there a true firm definition of bullying and harassment?" Morton asked. "We take every instance seriously and do the investigation."

While teasing may be different than bullying, neither is positive, he added.

Rather than reacting to issues, Morton said the department's stance has been one of being proactive by instituting a number of programs and steps.

"We're trying to have wrap-around services," he added.

The department uses the Michigan Model program to prevent violence as well as the Second Step program to identify impulsive behaviors and help create more socially competent students, Morton said.

There are peer review boards in the city's two high schools to mediate issues between students before harassment or violence can take place. The review boards don't include dating issues, Morton, explained, but there is a program to educate student on safe dating practices.

Prior to the suicide of Phoebe Prince in South Hadley, the department had already planned to have training for staff members from teachers to bus drivers on recognizing suicidal signs in students. The training is planned for March.

Morton said it is difficult to keep statistics on bullying, but the department uses the results from an annual survey sent to parents to address issues such as bullying, body image and substance abuse.

He said the rate of return is 70 percent. The answers are broken down by the individual schools and the principals meet with their staff to address them.

The department also has programs that provide positive reinforcement for good behaviors, he said. That positive reinforcement extends into athletics with two programs that address steroid use with boys and nutrition and exercise programs with girls.

The School Department is planning a community meeting to discuss these issue in April, Morton said. The meeting is "not a knee jerk reaction" to the student suicide in South Hadley or the one last year in Springfield, he added.

"Kids should feel safe and comfortable in school," Morton said, "If they don't, they can not learn."