Gresham-Barlow School District Tackles Bullying In Several Ways

GRESHAM, OR — We hope you’ve noticed over the past year that we’ve been focusing on bullying and cyberbullying, a confounding national crisis that turns youths’ lives upside down with unimaginable angst and dread, sometimes with deadly consequences. With each story, we’ve heard poignant stories from Patch readers in Oregon and others who were bullied and overcame it, but also many who continue to struggle with the damage done by bullies to their self-esteem.

Many common threads emerged in emails from our readers: Teachers and other educators have suggested everything from first-period decompression time to classroom contracts with students on how they’re expected to treat one another. But for all the readers who said schools need to do more to foster an anti-bullying culture, as many said parents should talk more with their kids about bullying and keep closer track on their social media habits.

And in a loud chorus, they said Americans need to stop wringing their hands and work at all levels to create a world safe from bullying.

That’s one of the purposes of National Bullying Prevention Month, observed annually during October to bring attention to the problem and involve people in Oregon and nationwide in a conversation on how to create a world safe from bullying.

GRESHAM-BARLOW SCHOOL DISTRICT

According to Julie Evans, the Gresham-Barlow School District's executive director of elementary education, GBSD uses the Positive Behavioral Interventions & Support (PBIS) system for helping "children to focus on classroom instruction and experience positive learning experiences in school."

"The use of PBIS techniques and strategies in elementary schools guides staff to provide explicit instruction for students to learn desired behavior in schools as opposed to the use of punitive measures to address students’ misbehavior," Evans told Patch in an email. "We teach routines, procedures and expectations to all students that include classrooms, buses, cafeteria, recess, and other school spaces. We have three main school expectations: Be Safe, Be Responsible, and Be Respectful."

When a child makes a mistake, Evans said, the school's admin team implements a restorative process to help the student to fully understand the full ramifications and consequences of their action. Further, the student is encouraged to repair whatever damage they may have caused as well as take steps to actually repair their relationship with the student they'd wronged.

"There are times that this process cannot be used," Evans explained. "Especially if the student has low cognitive skills, has trauma in their background, or is in a mental state that will not repair, or cause more harm."

Every week, Gresham's schools are conduct what Evan's called "Community Circles," or time set aside for the students in any given classroom to come together "to discuss specific values or qualities that healthy/happy people exhibit," Evens said. "From being safe, to making and keeping friends, to how to solve a disagreement in a respectful way."

School counselors are also available to visit classrooms and provide special lessons on social emotional topics, such as bullying but also for other important aspects of building self-confidence.

"For most of our students, the PBIS framework, Health Lessons, and Social Emotional lessons are all they need to be a successful and safe student at school. We call this type of student one that lives in the green zone," Evans said. "Around 80-90 percent of students fall into this category.

"The second level is the yellow zone, which is typically around 10 percent of the student population," she continued. "This type of student is more at risk. They need a little more support in school like behavior contracts, daily home notes, structured skills groups, and more focused coaching in the area of need.

"The third tier is named Red Zone," Evans said. "This set of children, typically 3-5 percent, need wrap around supports, behavior plans, and possibly therapy/intense counseling. Several of students at this level have a Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and receive Special Education Services."

According to GBSD spokeswoman Athena Vadnais, Gresham High School offers the following:

• Dedicated PBIS lessons — includes defining bullying/harassment, consequences, and how to help someone (See and Speak);
• A Social Justice Club that examines issues within the school and reports to Admin concerns or trends;
• Unity Week — put on by Social Justice/Black Student Union/MECHA/GSA/International Club — that includes evening events for families, and an assembly at the end of the week. This works in conjunction with Leadership and Renaissance Leadership club; and
• An anonymous box in the hallway where any student can drop in a concern about themselves, or another student.

Additionally, on Feb. 5 the GBSD administration will host an Anti-Bullying Assembly, put on by ASA Entertainment.

A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE

Once viewed as a childhood “rite of passage” that toughened kids to handle the pressures of adulthood, bullying and its more insidious digital twin, cyberbullying, is seen by many experts as a major public health issue — on par with heart disease, cancer and diabetes — with devastating and often long-term effects like the loss of self-esteem, heightened anxiety and depression.

We want to hear from you. Do you have a story to tell about bullying or cyberbullying, a suggestion about how to stem it or an event to publicize? Comment at the end of the story, or email Travis.Loose@Patch.com and copy bullies@patch.com. You can post Bullying Prevention Month and many other events right on Patch's Gresham calendar here.

Statistics vary, but an aggregate of 80 different studies on bullying suggests one in five American students between 12 and 18 is bullied at some point during their middle or high school years. Traditional bullying — name calling, public humiliation, isolation, physical violence and that sort of thing — occurs most often, with 35 percent of kids reporting they’ve been targeted in one of those ways. The studies cited by the PACER Center, which established National Bullying Prevention Month, show that 15 percent of kids surveyed report being cyberbullied.

And though it occurs less often, cyberbullying — which has resulted in a disturbing string of suicides by adolescents and teenagers — is especially hard to stop. While experts say most cyberbullied kids don’t kill themselves, the long-tailed internet makes a taunt live longer than one flung on the schoolyard. Kids can escape traditional bullying in the safety of their homes, but because social media is so intertwined with how kids communicate, they never really escape it.

READ: Bullied To Death: When Kids Kill With Words

And because cyberbullies have the stealth of anonymity, “empathy tends to fade to zero,” NoBully.org founder Nicholas Carlisle told Patch.

He was knocked around 40 or so years ago as an awkward 12-year-old. The torment persisted through high school, but as tough as it was, his experience was markedly different from the torture kids endure today, he says — and it’s not just that he was attacked in a physical as opposed to online space.

“Online, you can’t see the whites of their eyes,” Carlisle said. “If you can see someone, that’s often a break upon people’s aggression — not always, but it does seem to have some break upon crossing the line.”

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The full consequences of bullying on the brain aren’t fully understood, but kids who are targeted by bullies in childhood and adolescence are at increased risk for psychological problems that can stretch into adulthood, according to experts. In the moment, bullied kids may be unable to sleep or suffer a range of stomach issues and headaches. Later on, they’re at risk for depression, anxiety, and alcohol and drug use.

OCT. 24 UNITY DAY

Among the marquee National Bullying Prevention Month activities is Unity Day, observed on Wednesday, Oct. 24, when everyone is encouraged to wear and show orange to send a message that no child should ever experience bullying.

“Orange provides a powerful, visually compelling expression of solidarity,” Paula Goldberg, the executive director of the PACER Center, said in a statement. “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.”

Here’s more about Unity Day:

THE BULLY MENACE: WHAT’S AHEAD

During October and beyond, several experts have agreed to answer readers’ questions about bullying, ranging from how to keep their kids from becoming targets to what to do if their kids are the bullies. We’ll also delve into some of the issues surrounding bullying —

Take a look back at some of the stories in our series:

• America’s Shameful Truth About School Shooters And Bullying
• They All Failed Changed Child: Malden Bullying Detailed
• Bullies, Their Targets The Same In A Surprising Number Of Cases
• ‘Everyday, I Wear Your Words,’ Teen Tells Bullies In Video
• Teen’s ‘I Wear Your Words’ Video Inspires Nashville Songwriters
• Bullying Of Mallory Grossman, 12, Spelled Out In Wrongful Death Lawsuit
• Poetry Teacher Helps Bullied Kids Open Their Tortured Minds
• Why These Kindergartners Start Each Day With A Simple Handshake

If you have a question or want to share your story, please email bullies@patch.com.

Written by Beth Dalbey, Patch National Staff, with additional reporting from Oregon Editor Travis Loose.

Photo via Shutterstock