Brick School Officials: Anti-Bullying Program Working
Fights down this year, coordinator says
An anti-bullying and character education plan deployed throughout the Brick school district is working, and the numbers prove it, school officials say.
"I think we're moving in the right direction," said Earl Mosley, the district's anti-bullying coordinator. "We just have to keep it up."
Over the course of the first year the anti-bullying program was built into the curriculum, fights were down, Mosley said.
State violence and vandalism data, released to the public in October, showed assaults district-wide dropped from 81 the prior year to 52 last year, and the number of fights dropped from 49 to 26.
So far this year, record keeping by school staff shows fewer incidents than last year.
The work is not done, however, Mosley said. School staff surveyed students about bullying and the effectiveness of character education, and they were candid in their responses.
"Overall, they said we were doing okay, however we're still missing some spots," said Mosley. "There are things that the kids don't tell us, and we have to get better at making ourselves more accessible to the students."
Overall, however, Mosley said students are more open to reporting conflicts to school authorities than ever before.
Lee Lee
9:58 am on Friday, December 21, 2012
Really??? Keep telling yourself this! Kids are bullied daily!
M22
1:48 pm on Friday, December 21, 2012
Sorry but this is a bunch of garbage. The number of incidents that are reported to the public are down. What goes on behind closed doors is another story.
brick strong
6:56 pm on Friday, December 21, 2012
They only tell you what the public needs to hear not the truth...Its all about having good stats...That's not the only program with false results...
kate
8:59 am on Saturday, December 22, 2012
There will always be bullying. You can teach.kids whatever you want and there will still be those with low self esteem who bully others to feel good about themselves. I always hear about ways to spot if your kid is being bullied, like if they become depressed, withdrawn, etc...how about teaching parents how to recognize if their kid is BEING the bully and intervene on that end. I think often parents of the bully look the other way and don't realize or care about the effect it has on other children because its not their kid being bullied.
EllenS08723
7:39 am on Sunday, December 23, 2012
This is total BS! My son just disclosed about a week ago that he has been a victim of consistent bullying for the last 1.5 years ar BTHS . He is special needs and this stuff was going on right under the watch of special education teachers that didn't notice he was upset or didn't care enoughr to notice. It culminated and I found out about it, not because teachers saw or other students or staff, but because my son who has low frustration tolerance made an inappropriate comment about what he wanted to do to the kids bullying him and HE was suspended and forced to see a psychiatrist. Victimizing the victim or what?
Brick schools falls short AGAIN for victims and special needs. Not surprising.
EllenS08723
7:39 am on Sunday, December 23, 2012
This is total BS! My son just disclosed about a week ago that he has been a victim of consistent bullying for the last 1.5 years ar BTHS . He is special needs and this stuff was going on right under the watch of special education teachers that didn't notice he was upset or didn't care enoughr to notice. It culminated and I found out about it, not because teachers saw or other students or staff, but because my son who has low frustration tolerance made an inappropriate comment about what he wanted to do to the kids bullying him and HE was suspended and forced to see a psychiatrist. Victimizing the victim or what? Brick schools falls short AGAIN for victims and special needs. Not surprising.
Team Dawg
12:58 pm on Saturday, January 12, 2013
As children's book writers and elementary school presenters on the subject of bullying and the importance of character education it is unfortunate to continue to hear such stories. It is important for schools to continue to find innovative ways to approach this subject. The answer lies in changing the overall culture and in building the confidence in our children to communicate these and any other problems they may have. It is a process that will take time and we all need to work together to make it happen.