School Officials Tackle Bullying

To make learning more enjoyable and safe for everyone involved, county schools counselors are encouraging parents, staff and students to take time to fill out a bullying prevention survey.

The survey, with questions are tailored to apply to staff, young students and older students, coincides with National Tolerance Week, which lasts from Dec. 1 to Dec. 8.

Gayle M. Cicero, a licensed clinical professional counselor and coordinator of school counseling, and Lucia R. Martin, a resource counselor, said recent youth suicides reportedly caused by bully has put more attention on the issue. Both are counselors with Anne Arundel County Public Schools.

For Cicero and Martin, one of their biggest concerns is cyberbullying, which can affect the district's children every day, at any time. They say all types of bullying should be taken seriously.

"To be dismissive about it is dangerous," Cicero said.

Martin said teaching students how to get along will not only help them now, but later in life.

"We want to help them be successful as adults, not just help them graduate from high school," she said.

Since Nov. 8, the AACPS survey has been available for people to complete. They can be completed until Dec. 22.

Some of the survey questions include, "Have you ever in your life been bullied?" "Has a student ever reported to you that she or he has been bullied at this school?" and "How often have you been picked on by other students during the last month?"

Martin said findings from the bullying prevention survey have practical implications. For instance, if many students indicate they are being bullied in a school hall, additional hall monitors would be appropriate.

Bob Mosier, public information officer for AACPS, explained in a media release the district has been administering similar surveys annually since 2005, and the findings are posted online and may be accessed through any of school websites affiliated with the district.

Heather Higgins, licensed certified clinical social worker, teaches bullying prevention courses and works for The Upside Down Organization. UDO provides training for The Children's Guild, a nonprofit organization for children and adolescents from Maryland and Washington, D.C., with trauma disorders, those with autism spectrum disorder and, or, multiple disabilities. 

Bullying may often be done with a sophistication and discretion that makes it difficult for adults to observe and take measures to intervene, according to UDO.

"People should take it seriously, and it does impact [those who are bulled] for the rest of their lives," Higgins said.

Cicero, Martin and Police Lt. J.D. Batten Jr. all agree that it is wise for parents to understand the social networking and technology their children use to communicate with others.

Online social media, such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace can be easily used at all hours to harass others when used on an Internet-capable cell phone, said Batten, Brooklyn Park-based commander of the school safety section of the Anne Arundel County Police Department.

Batten said there is no crime called bullying in the criminal digest of Maryland law, but its affects can be devastating.

"I could insult someone in China instantly," he said. "Technology is not bad. How you use it can be bad."

During instructional time, the use of cell phones is prohibited in schools, Batten said.

The officer said things posted online become a permanent "bulletin board" because information can be retrieved even if the poster deleted it.

Batten said electronic communication often times becomes evidence in cases of cyber bullying.

"We give our kids access to the world, and the world has access to them," he said.

Take the bullying survey here. A passcode, which can be obtained from your child's school, is required to take the survey.