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Pasco Schools To Take On Bullies

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By RONNIE BLAIR rblair@tampatrib.com

The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 19, 2008

ST. LEO - Pasco County schools and other schools across the state are poised to take on bullies like never before.

A new state law requires school districts to adopt policies on bullying; the state offers a template on what should be included.

The policies are to take effect by Dec. 1. The Pasco County School Board, which gave its version initial approval Oct. 21, was scheduled to give the policy the final nod Tuesday.

An anti-bullying policy is nothing new for Pasco, though.

For years, it has had a policy that covered most aspects of bullying. More than two years ago the district added cyber bullying to deal with the fact young people had added cell phone text messages, Web sites and Internet chat rooms to their arsenal.

"Pasco has been very proactive," Sherri Dunham, a student services supervisor for the school district, said last week.

The Legislature decided this year to make all districts get tough with bullies. Lawmakers approved the Jeffrey Johnston Stand Up for All Students Act, named for a Cape Coral student who committed suicide in 2005 after being the victim of a classmate's bullying.

The law requires districts to report all instances of bullying or harassment and to notify the parents of the bully and the parents of the victim.

Dunham was among several speakers who participated last week in a workshop on bullying at Saint Leo University.

"As educators, we have an obligation to have systems in place so our students are safe," said Candace Roberts, an assistant professor in the university's department of undergraduate education.

Rande Matteson, who chairs Saint Leo's criminal justice department, said the actions of a bully can lead to criminal charges and to civil litigation. He gave as an example the Hillel School of Tampa, a private school that was successfully sued by the parents of a boy who suffered damage to his arm because of the actions of a bully.

In many cases, today's bullies face a bleak future, growing into adult criminals.

"Our jails are full of bullies," said Matteson, who is the author of "Bully Beware! How to Fight Back with Florida Law on Your Side."

The stereotype of a bully might be an oversized boy with a scowl, but bullying isn't strictly a guy thing. Girls bully each other, too, the experts say.

Boys tend to physically or verbally assault their victims. Girls are more likely to play on their victims' emotions by excluding someone from the group or spreading gossip and rumors.

"Girls are more sneaky," said Galo Alava, assistant professor of health care administration for Saint Leo.

Lynn Young, a student services supervisor for the Pasco County School District, helped develop the bullying program at Centennial Middle School, which went into effect four years ago and has been used as a model by other schools in the district.

At Centennial Middle, a first offense leads to a parent conference and both the student and parent must sign a letter acknowledging they are aware further incidents could lead to more punishments.

After a second offense, the student is suspended for three to five days and must attend a bullying workshop.

The third offense results in a five- to 10-day suspension. The fourth offense brings an expulsion recommendation, though only the school board - not the principal - can expel a student.

Bullying has a number of detrimental effects on the victims.

Young said victims suffer from stomachaches and headaches. Their grades drop. They skip school. They come to dislike school.

Victims of bullying also can't always count on sympathy from adults, who sometimes view bullying as a rite of passage and don't take it seriously, Young said.

While bullying can happen anywhere, most often it occurs at school.

"That's why we need to address it in our schools," Young said.

One of the keys to a good bullying policy, Young said, is to develop an atmosphere that encourages students, staff and parents to report bullying behaviors, and to ensure that those who report the activities are protected.

Training the staff on how to deal with situations is also important, she said.

Sometimes the parents of bullies are mortified to learn that their children are hitting or harassing classmates. On other occasions, though, when the parent of a bully is called in to the school, Young said, it quickly becomes clear where the bully learned the behaviors.

Reporter Ronnie Blair can be reached at (813) 948-4218.

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