Any parents, teachers, students or administrators out there dealing with bullying? I am a mom and the last two years have been a nightmare for me when it has come to bullying at my children's elementary. Our boys have been pushed, punched and their lives threatened over and over again. I've realized that I've been trying to put out little fires all along and haven't focused on the big problem. Today I did something about it. I called a meeting to discuss the problems I have faced at my children's school.
Administrators,
After much consideration, research and the realization that
bullying is a major problem at [our] Elementary, I would like to meet to
discuss the [district] policy on bullying.
In my own experiences with the staff at [our] Elementary, I have found that in almost every case the [district] policy was not followed
and sometimes unknown by the teachers, school counselor, secretaries and
principals. I have a long list of specific incidences of my family’s
experiences, but this email is not about addressing those issues. It’s too late
for my older two children. This is a call to action so my younger two boys will
not have to experience the neglect and incompetence of those adults entrusted
with the care of keeping them safe at school.
As we are coming to the end of this school year and
preparing for the next year, I’d like to propose that the [district] policy be read
and that teachers and staff be trained on bullying. They should read the
definition to know what it is, that it should be reported every time, how to report
it and how to follow through with an investigation.
I would also suggest a school-wide assessment be conducted.
From talking to other parents, I would guess that bullying is more widespread
than you may imagine. Also, talking to the students about tools they can use
when they are being verbally or physically assaulted would be an excellent
starting point in a discussion regarding bullying. “Tell the teacher” cannot be
the only solution we give our students because, in my experience, the teachers
do nothing—they do not report it to the principal like [district] policy dictates, the
principal does not always conduct an investigation when it is reported, they do
not contact the parents of the students involved and they do nothing to prevent
future bullying from occurring. I do agree that the teacher should be told, but
what other tools are available and acceptable for the students to diffuse the
situation? “Tell” is the only solution my children have ever been given by the
school and because it is so ineffective and worthless as a solution, is it any
wonder my children have experienced threats to their life, physical assaults
time and time again to their body and name calling all without even one bully
report being filed on their behalf by the [elementary school] staff. The staff spends all of
kindergarten and first grade training the students to not tattle and not tell
and then wonders why the students have a hard time talking to their teacher
when they are being hurt or made afraid by another student. This is a problem.
I feel our school is completely uninvolved in this serious
problem. I would like to see consistency. I’d like to see teachers, staff and
administrators being on the same page when it comes to bullying—following the
district’s established policy. Our district has a Zero Tolerance policy, but I
would not say that it has been even remotely enforced at [our elementary school]. In fact,
I would say that bullying is happening, that reports are not made specifically
so no one has to enforce the Zero Tolerance policy of our district. I would
like to see training implemented to watch for and prevent bullying, especially
at such places as the lunchroom, recess and at PE, Art and Music. There should
be links on the school website for bullying resources and help, information
sent home to parents regarding bullying and rallies to get the community
involved in anti-bullying campaigns. There should be signs in the classrooms
and this bullying epidemic should be discussed in classrooms.
How can the students, parents, teachers and administrators
work together to curb this depressing statistic of bullying rising in our area
and promote a safe school environment for the students at [our] Elementary? These are questions that I and other concerned parents of students
at [our elementary] would like to have addressed.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Bigley
