What Can Be Done?

Yesterday I wrote about the judge who did like the anti-discrimination law and went his own. Today I write about ways to stop bullying and harassment in schools.

There was an editorial in the Bangor Daily News about way to stop bullying and harassment of transgender students.

How Maine schools can protect transgender students, model respect, fairness
Dec. 4, 2012

Maine schools must provide a safe environment for all students, including transgender students. Those who have a gender identity different from the sex they were assigned at birth are not being given enough protection, let alone the type of welcoming atmosphere that encourages learning.

They list…

• Language. Students and teachers’ language sets a school’s tone.
• Positive representation. Schools should not make the gay or transgender experience invisible.
• Bathrooms. Transgender students should have access to bathrooms that respect their gender identity…
• Names. Forms should have a space for a “given name” and a “chosen name,” and school IDs should reflect the chosen name.
• Housing. At residential high schools and on college campuses, having a floor or wing of a dorm that is designated as friendly to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people — and their allies — helps keep students safe.

I have covered these ways for a safe school before, but the list shouldn’t end there. To paraphrase Hillary Clinton, it takes a whole village to make a safe school. In a paper that I wrote during my internship at True Colors for the Safe School Coalition about what has worked in other parts on the nation to stop bullying showed that you have to have an integrated approach that involves not only students, teachers and school administrators, but also the community. You must also include the parents, the courts, the police, the clergy, the village… everyone. You have to work to change the community culture. In my report (You can read the whole report here.) I said,

Furthermore, in a paper by California Department of Education (2002) titled, “What We’ve Learned About Safe and Effective Schools “ they found that anti-bullying intervention had to start early, not just in the middle or high schools, but in the elementary schools. The report stated that “Teachers in Beaverton Oregon elementary schools who were trained to spot children with anti-social behaviors who were then taught how to play together. The program reduced suspensions from 175 a year to less than a dozen.” (p. 12) Some of the other findings to reduce bullying according to the report were, teaching respect for others, generate self-respect, and reward achievement. (p. 13 & 14) They also report that,

Create community connections—A dynamic partnership with the community includes volunteers and mentors in the classroom, health and family services on campus, community members on every committee, and recognition and incentive programs for the students. (California Department of Education, 2002, p. 16)

In addition, the report points out that the community involvement should include law enforcement agencies and parents. It also reported that the parental involvement should begin before their children start kindergarten. (p. 16) Another article found that there was a direct correlation between bullying, school climate, parental involvement and academic achievement. The article stated,

In one of the only comprehensive studies of bullying among middle school students where schools were a unit of analysis, results suggest that schools with less bullying are characterized by positive disciplinary actions, strong parental involvement, and high academic standards (Ma. (2002) as cited in Espelage & Swearer, 2003, p. 377)

The article goes on to state the importance of teachers attitudes and community engagement to end bullying. The article notes after-school programs, recreational centers, churches, libraries, etc. all contribute to reducing bullying in schools. It does “Take a Village” to change the culture. (p. 378) In a 2004 article in the Journal of Counseling and Development, they found a reduction in bullying by using an intervention program that involved, students, teachers and parents.

Schools should explore the implementation not only of programs that assist bullies and aid their victims but also of those that strengthen the positive relationships between teachers, bullies, victims and all the other students who also lose a sense of security and academic accomplishment as a result of being bystanders to bullying. (Newman-Carlson & Horne, Summer 2004, p. 259)

The article stated that after 2 years the frequency of bullying decreased by 50%. (Olweus (1993) as cited in Newman-Carlson & Horne, Summer 2004, p. 259)

Bullying can be stopped but it can’t be stopped with one school assembly a year, it takes a continuous effort. One of the things that I say when I teach diversity is “we are not here to get your acceptance or to change your beliefs, but we are here to have you respect other people’s views and beliefs.”