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Pinellas School System Aims To Nip Bullies In The Bud

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 16, 2009

PINELLAS PARK - Look a person in the eye. Address them by name. Say thank you.

These basic civilities serve as the foundation of an anti-bullying course introduced Thursday in Florida for the first time.

The course, called R Time, was developed in England. On Thursday, it was brought to Pinellas Central Elementary School by Bill Voors, director of Bully Safe Schools, based in Fort Wayne, Ind.

"We're going to be talking about good manners today," Voors told a group of 6- and 7-year-old first-graders. He then paired off students using animal cards and went through a string of exercises that emphasized friendly and polite behavior between two people.

Voors' appearance was part of a $4,000 pilot program paid for with federal funding, said Jan Urbanski, supervisor of the Pinellas County school district's Safe and Drug-Free Schools program. In addition to Voors' expertise, which he is passing on to teachers, the amount pays for manuals and instructional materials, she said.
Stephen Thompson
More Students Need Free Meals
LAND O' LAKES - The percentage of Pasco County students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals is on the rise and expected to top 50 percent by the end of February, the school district reported Thursday.

Even more families may be eligible and the district is encouraging anyone who has had a change in income or in family size to fill out an application.

"There's definitely a rise in need," said Emily Mark, a dietitian and marketing coordinator for the district.

Parents or guardians can pick up applications at any Pasco County school. The free and reduced-price meal program is federally funded and participation is based on family income and size.

For example, children in a family of four qualify for free meals if the family's annual income is $27,560 or less. The children would qualify for reduced-price meals if the family's income is $39,220 or less.

Ronnie Blair

Another Tower Sparks Concern

NEW TAMPA - Buoyed by a decision at Coleman Elementary School not to install a cell tower on campus, parents at Pride Elementary are mobilizing to get one removed.

More than 20 parents from Pride, Coleman and Hunter's Green elementary schools gathered Thursday at the New Tampa Regional Library for the first meeting of Parents Against Cell Towers at Schools.

The group hopes to attract parents opposed to the approval of cell towers on school campuses, said David Meckley, who has a son at Pride.

School district spokeswoman Linda Cobbe said it's unlikely the tower will be dismantled because the school must complete the terms of a 10-year contract. Pride gets $24,000 a year for leasing space on the tower to two carriers.

Kenneth Knight

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