Burton Middle School steps up to bullies

Name calling, spreading false rumors, sending nasty messages on a cell phone or via the internet, and not allowing a student into a group is something the Burton School District wants to eradicate completely from its schools, and something it aspires to accomplish with the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program — a program aimed at preventing or reducing bullying in elementary and middle schools.

“Olweus is not a curriculum but a program that deals with bullying at different levels,” said Sergio Mendoza, alternative education and director of categorical programs. “We hope to kick this off at the beginning of February.”

In the meantime, a committee of teachers, classified personnel and administrators spent part of their winter break training in the program.

Once the program begins, all students will meet in a classroom setting for approximately 30 minutes a week, Mendoza said.

“We will introduce students to what bullying is. It’s not always physical. It’s the name calling and the seclusion of students — that’s all a form of bullying and it has to stop,” Mendoza said. “We also want to educate the kids about where to go for help. We want to educate parents and students and everyone at the school, from administrators down to the custodians.”

The school has been without an anti-bullying program for approximately a year.

“We had tried different companies with bully-prevention programs but they didn’t work out,” Mendoza said. “So we looked for the best thing for the district with a goal of keeping our students safe from elementary to middle school.”

The program chosen is one used nationwide with proven success, Mendoza said, and carries four basic rules that will be taught:

- We will not bully others.
- We will try to help students who are bullied.
- We will try to include students who are left out.
- If we know that somebody is being bullied, we will tell an adult at school and an adult at home.

“The teachers will teach the rules and how to apply them and give them examples on strategies and what they can do,” Mendoza said. “Sometimes a student will see something happening to someone but they don’t know what to do. They don’t know who to turn to. We’ll teach them what they can do, who to tell and how to intervene.”

Though the school has always dealt with bullies, now teachers and other staff have been trained on how to deal with the bullying situations. Students who bully will be given consequences, students who are bullied will be supported by staff, and school staff will continue to meet with the parents of everyone involved. In addition, the school plans to develop a partnership with community members to carry the anti-bullying message community wide, Mendoza said.

Contact Esther Avila at 784-5000, Ext. 1045, or eavila@portervillerecorder.com.