District Administration - November/December 2011 - (Page 38)

Create an Anti-Bullying Program with Resources You Have role. All adults should be trained on best practices and common gaps in supervision of students. Structure and Discipline Students want a climate characterized by order, structure and discipline. They typically do not directly ask for it, as most educators and parents know. But they do want it. Discipline must be applied in a firm, fair and consistent manner. Discipline does not have to be abusive or prisonlike in nature. It does need to be firm and consistent though, and educators do a disservice to children if they fail to provide such a climate. Bullying occurs where order and structure is lacking. Create an orderly and structured environment in the classroom and common areas, and you will reduce bullying throughout the school. Criminal and Civil Law Behaviors that would be considered bullying may include acts such as assaults, threats, menacing, sexual assaults, intimidation, extortion and disrupting the school environment. Most school discipline policies and student conduct codes already address these behaviors. Administrators can use their disciplinary process to address such misconduct. But some incidents being labeled as “bullying” also constitute a crime. And some of these crimes are felonies, not just minor misdemeanors. When students are sexually assaulted or beaten to the point of bleeding, having broken limbs and being knocked unconscious, the offenses are crimes and should not be diminished to a more generic characterization of “bullying.” School administrators can and should engage the police and criminal justice system when serious crimes occur. And parents may, in some cases, need to turn to civil litigation to pursue remedies against the offenders—and in some cases, those schools and their leaders—that show a deliberate indifference to obvious safety problems. 38 November/December 2011 California Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law last summer a bill that requires public schools to include lessons about the historical contributions of gays and lesbians. School Climate Strategies Defining school climate is difficult, but most schools already employ climate strategies that address bullying. These involve dealing with issues including respect, trust, diversity, belonging and connectedness to the school and peaceful resolution of conflicts. School climate strategies contribute to the prevention of bullying and are part of many schools’ strategies for safety. Mental Health Support One of the most overlooked issues is the undiagnosed, under-treated and/ or untreated mental health needs of stu- Effective Communication Plans School administrators typically acknowledge having these strategies in place. But most fail to view them collectively as their school’s anti-bullying program approach. And most administrators who are employing these strategies under-communicate their efforts to parents and their school community. School leaders should develop a formal plan for communicating their anti-bullying programs to students, staff and parents. Often school administrators are doing the right thing. They are just not letting their stakeholders know they are doing it until a crisis occurs and, at that Discipline doesn’t have to be abusive or prisonlike in nature. dents. Dave Cullen and Peter Langman independently authored the books Columbine and Why Kids Kill: Inside the Minds of School Shooters, respectively, with both authors concluding that the poor mental health conditions of the school shooters they studied, not bullying from others, caused these perpetrators to shoot. School alone cannot assume the full responsibility for youths’ mental health needs. But schools can and do play a role. School psychologists, counselors and social workers can and should play a major role by assessing student mental health needs and coordinating professional intervention services. point, they are fighting an uphill battle to convince their community they already have adequate anti-bullying efforts in place. Most school administrators do not need to create new programs or buy vendordriven products. They do, however, need to assess their current practices and coordinate strategies into a comprehensive and wellcommunicated anti-bullying program. DA Kenneth S. Trump is president of the National School Safety and Security Services (www.schoolsecurity.org), and author of the book “Proactive School Security and Emergency Preparedness,” (Corwin Press, Thousand Oaks, CA, April 2011). District Administration http://www.schoolsecurity.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - November/December 2011

District Administration - November/December 2011
Contents
From the Editor
News Update
Inside the Law
Administrator Profile
District Profile
CIO news
How to Update Your Network on a Budget
The Importance of IT Team Unity
Creating an Anti-Bullying Program With the Resources You Have
The Ultimate Empowerment Program for Parents
Taking the Helm in Cheating Scandals
Readers’ Choice: Top 100 Products
New Directions
Professional Opinion
Problem/Solution
Going Mobile

District Administration - November/December 2011

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