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Schools

Parents and Schools Team Up to Combat Bullying

Last week was part of an international effort to promote respect.

 

Parents, educators and students have teamed up to learn about how to prevent bullying and promote tolerance and respect in the elementary school grades. 

There were a number of events last week for parents and students in the cluster, which includes schools in Centreville, Chantilly and Herndon, to learn how to help promote tolerance and respect. Surveys of students in the cluster showed verbal bullying, teasing, taunting and name-calling, as the most common complaint, said Donna Ford, a school counselor at . 

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“Parents don’t know the best way to handle it and we hope this will help,” Ford said. “We’re trying to teach tolerance for all kids and respect for all kids.” 

Research has shown that approximately 15 percent of a school population are either bullies or their victims, leaving 85 percent as bystanders. This group is the primary focus of the Stand Up 2 Bullying workshop efforts, Ford said. They are being asked to step from the sidelines and have the courage to stop bullying, Ford said. 

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“The power is with the bystanders to stand up,” Ford said. “We are trying to teach them ways to overcome that fear and do something. Yes, it’s hard. But if two bystanders speak up, then the power is in their hands.” 

Events were planned for schools in the cluster all last week, said Hansen. For example, at McNair Elementary, students were encouraged to “Say Peace Out To Bullying,” on Wednesday by wearing 70s-era clothes, tie-dye or hippie outfits.

On Monday, all K-12 students in the cluster received anti-bullying bracelets to wear all week, courtesy of the pyramid’s parent-teacher-student associations, said Mary Coleman, Westfield Parent-Teacher-Student association president.

“All the kids in K-12 came home with a bracelet,” Coleman said. “It was important that everyone in the pyramid get them at the same time. So a student in high school got one and little brother came home with one on the same day.”

“This is a good program and something we have supported,” Coleman said. “As a parent who had kids go through Westfield, I know this is an important issue.”

Parents also participated in a bullying prevention seminar at Westfield Tuesday night. This is the second year for the event, which is associated with Bullying Awareness Week (Nov. 13 – 19), launched by a Canadian educator in 2000, said Melissa Hansen, a school counselor at . 

“Our goals are to develop a plan that emphasizes bullying prevention,” Hansen said. 

There were a number of bullying prevention activities planned, including:

  • Schools developed anti-bullying pledges and students signed these pledges in various ways, including on large banners.
  • Educators taught lessons on bullying prevention and awareness. These lessons include strategies on what to do if students are being bullied or they see another student being bullied.
  • An anti-bullying themed reading day-where business partners brought in books that discuss bullying to read to all of the classes.
  • Some principals are having a coffee event for parents to discuss bullying.
  • In January, many schools will participate in the No Name Calling Week.

The Westfield Stand Up 2 Bullying workshop featured a conflict resolution skit by the Fairfax Improv Troupe, which used actors to show how parents can help reduce bullying and promote an atmosphere of acceptance in their community. The innovative part of the skit involved an audience participation segment where parents grilled the actors, who remained in character, about their reactions to bullying. 

The school district asks parents to talk with their children about their experiences in school and whether they are being bullied. They also suggest that parents encourage their kids to surround themselves with a positive peer group, stand up to bullying and talk with school counselors if they encounter tough situations. 

Helen Urban, a school counselor at , recalled an incident one of her classes had with a bully that was feared by all his classmates. That changed when some of the classmates stood up to him at a kickball game, Urban said.

“They were playing kickball and the bully started screaming,” at a girl from the other team who he said had not gotten on base safely, Urban said. The girl stayed on base and her teammates supported her, Urban said.

“These students have made a statement by their actions that have impacted this bully to the point that he sent a note saying he had no friends that no one liked him,” Urban said. “That allowed me to have a dialogue with him about cause and effect and consequences.”

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