Bullying prevention starts with a safe climate to report it
UPDATE: The Center for Education Safety, a part of the Missouri School Boards’ Association, partly works to connect school districts with resources to help combat bullying.
This could include anti-bullying curriculums and programs schools can utilize.
John Warner, a former school resource officer and part of CES, works to spread these resources throughout the community every day.
He said one service they provide is Behavioral Risk Assessment Training for staff and faculty, which is a way to see change in a student long before they turn to violence that can include suicide. He said this is key in identifying issues early.
“There are things you can do to surround that kid with some useful information,” he said. “Maybe talk with their parents or guardians, find out if there’s bullying issues going on.”
He said that the “see something, say something” process also has to come with doing something.
“Any of the steps in the bullying process is about what can we do to help this kid in this situation,” he said. “Part of that is contacting parents and making sure they know what’s going on, part of that is letting that kid’s teachers know that there are some issues.”
This also includes staff at schools as well, such as custodial staff or cafeteria workers. They can report as well.
Above all, Warner said the climate and culture of a community is key. If students or children see that their school or community is behind them, they’re more likely to report bullying.
“Kids see bullying of their classmates. and if the culture of the school is we’re going to do something about that, then the reporting is an easy process,” he said. “That school has to let those kids know that this is an okay thing to report, and that we’re going to support you when you report it.”
You can find resources for bullying prevention here at the MSBA Center for Education Safety website, or at this site.
ORIGINAL STORY: Hickman High School is teaming up with Columbia College to help combat bullying.
On Wednesday, both schools are celebrating “unity day” as part of bullying prevention month.
Students at both schools are encouraged to wear orange and participate in Unity Day.
Columbia College will hold an open Q&A about bullying along with resources available from 5 to 7 p.m. in Launer Auditorium.
Hickman’s Helping Our Peers Everywhere Club will be giving out pledge cards about how to prevent bullying during lunch.
According to Columbia Public School spokeswoman, Michelle Baumstark, the district started tracking bullying reports in February 2017.
Here is a breakdown of the number of bullying reports the district received.
