School Districts Offer Variety Of Programs To Prevent Bullying

TAMPA BAY, FL – It begins as early as preschool. Almost instinctively, 3- to 5-year-old children pick out the one child in class who is different. It may be the way the child behaves, the color of his skin or a pronounced disability he displays.

For whatever reason, this child becomes the target of teasing and bullying that may follow him throughout the next 12 years unless parents and educators act now.

That’s why child behavior experts say the time to instill the anti-bullying message isn’t in middle school when bullying can be much more psychologically damaging. It’s in preschool when children are just beginning to develop empathy and a moral code of conduct.

Just ask Wesley Chapel father, Steven Stallone.

Two years ago, he filed a criminal complaint with the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office after his son was bullied at his preschool. The bullying incidents led to his son coming home with severe injuries.

It was incidents like this that prompted the nonprofit Hillsborough County organization Champions for Children to launch its Kids on the Block anti-bullying program.

Founded in 1977 and affiliated with the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County Champions for Children is dedicated to preventing child abuse through programs geared to educating the parents.

But as the nonprofit heard more complaints about bullying among children, it became obvious that parents weren’t the only ones guilty of child abuse.

Sometimes, it was the kids that were abusing their peers.

That was the impetus behind forming Kids on the Block in 1994.

Kids on the Block is a troupe of educational puppeteers that perform personal safety education shows about child abuse and bullying prevention at public and private elementary schools throughout Hillsborough County.

The puppet shows teach children to recognize inappropriate, harmful behavior and to seek help.

In the form of interaction with a colorful crew of puppets, Kids on the Block takes its message directly to the kids.

Afterward, the children are asked to write letters to the puppets, which are then used to identify students who may be experiencing bullying.

Coining the phrase, “Bully Busters,” the Hillsborough County Criminal Justice Office's campaign against bullying has been embraced by both the Hillsborough County School District and the Hillsborough County Commission, which formed an anti-bullying advisory committee committed to curbing or eliminating the age-old schoolyard bullying as well as the cyber-bullying that’s become so prevalent through social media.

Hillsborough County Schools Superintendent Jeff Eakins said the school district as well as every individual public school within the district has now adopted an anti-bullying policy with specific actions outlined to deal with various types of bullying in all age groups.

We want to hear from you. Do you have a story to tell about bullying or cyber-bullying, a suggestion about how to stem it or an event to publicize? Comment at the end of the story, or email dann.white@patch.com and copy bullies@patch.com. You can post Bullying Prevention Month and many other events right on Patch by clicking here.

While adopting an anti-bullying policy helps to ensure that each case of bullying is handled consistently, that alone won’t prevent bullying.

That message has to go directly to the bullies who may not even be aware that their teasing is a form of bullying and to the bullied to give them the confidence to tell an adult what is happening, said Eakins.

That message is delivered to students in a variety of programs including Hillsborough County’s popular “rappin' cop.”

A former Tampa Police school resource officer, Officer Lawrence White is now in charge of Hillsborough County’s Bully Prevention Program. He’s made it his mission to spread an anti-bullying message through rap music.

"I'm just trying change the mindsets of the students," White said. "Let them know that there is a way to solve any problem the right way."

He started rapping in 1995 while a resource officer at Franklin Middle School in Tampa.

"We had so many incidents with fighting and I wanted to figure out a way that I could help stop the fighting," White said. “I know young people like music and rapping so I thought I’d do it in a way that also sent a message.”

Now he brings his performances to schools throughout the district using rhyming lyrics and a catchy beat that captivates elementary and middle school students.

“If it’s wrong – don’t do it! Bullying, fighting, putting others down. The bigger students pushing the smaller ones around.”

"Ignore that stupid stuff, ignore that stupid stuff. What you going to do? What you going to do when they talk about you?"

Within those lyrics are an easy-to-remember anti-bullying message that reverberates in the students’ memories long after the performance is over.

“So many students are really injured when they’re bullied, even to the point where some kids hurt themselves. We want to do all we can to eliminate bullying wherever we are. We can make a difference,” said White.

White’s message also gives permission for bullied students to say, “Stop! I don’t like that. I’m going to report you,” without worrying about being called a tattle-tale.

White is scheduled to visit schools throughout October, National Bullying Prevention Month.

Collins Elementary School Principal Rebecca Sargable said she was fortunate to host White at her school last October and is looking forward to having him back this year.

“The message he brings is perfect for Bullying Prevention Month,” said Sargable. “It’s a fun way for the kids to rap and remember the important message to be kind, be caring to one another. No hurt. No harm.”

To reinforce the anti-bullying message, Tampa Bay schools will take part in National Unity Day on Oct. 24.

On that day, all students are encouraged to wear orange to show they’re united for “kindness, acceptance and inclusion.”

PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, adopted the “wear orange” campaign in 2011, and it’s quickly spread throughout the country.

“Orange provides a powerful, visually compelling expression of solidarity,” said Paula Goldberg, executive director of the PACER Center, in a press release. “Whether it’s hundreds of individuals at a school wearing Orange, store owners offering Orange products, or a community changing a landmark to Orange, the vibrant statement becomes a conversation starter, sending the supportive, universal message that bullying is never acceptable behavior.”

On National Unity Day, Sargable also encourages her students to take the pledge, “I will not bully others.”

“We’re preparing them for life, making sure they’re the best little people they can be. We all want to live in a world where there’s no hate, no hurt, no harm,” said Sargable.

Beyond the familiar pushing, shoving and name calling that marks schoolyard bullying is the more subtle cyber-bullying that’s become epidemic among high school students.

Although cyber-bullying doesn’t leave bruises, it can be even more damaging in the long run, according to Oliver Massey, a professor with the Department of Child and Family Services at the University of South Florida and a member of the county’s Anti-Bullying Advisory Committee.

"It's very clear that academic attendance and performance suffer, and social withdrawal occurs," said Massey.

He said it’s the parents who are the first line of defense for cyber-bullying.

He encourages parents to keep an eye on their child’s social media pages for indications that their child is a victim of cyber-bullying. He also advises parents to watch out for signs that their child is a victim of cyber-bullying such as social withdrawal, slipping grades, anxiousness and begging to stay home from school.

Parents and students can report bullying on these websites and hotlines:

• Pinellas County Schools
• Hillsborough County Schools
• Pasco County Schools
• Polk County Schools
• Manatee County Schools
• Sarasota County Schools (hotline) 1-877-7BE-BRAVE.

Students and parents can also contact

Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay at 1-800-873-8477 or the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay 813-964-1964.

For more information on the Bully Busters Program, contact the Criminal Justice Office at 813- 276-2126.

Video via Hillsborough School District

(For more local news from Florida, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here.)