Category Archives: bullying

Bullying ‘prank’ by sophomore’s classmates draws community outrage to support Whitney Kropp

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Students at Ogemaw Heights High School in West Branch, Michigan thought it would be hilarious to elect someone they considered unpopular  to the Homecoming Court.  Little did they know their cruel bullying prank would rally the town’s support for the young woman who was the butt of their “joke.”

Bullying prank brings supportive response from home town

Sophomore Whitney Kropp saw her Michigan town come to her defense in response to a bullying bad joke by her classmates.

In the small town of West Branch, MI, located a half hour north of Saginaw, the 16-year-old sophomore, Whitney Kropp, won the election.  The Detroit News   reports that after her election her classmates pointed at her and laughed when they passed her in the hall.  The male student who was elected with her, a popular football player, quickly withdrew because he didn’t want to be associated with her.  Francis X. Donnelly (email: fdonnelly@detnews.com) reported in the Detroit News story.  Some cyber bullying was involved, too, in the form of cruel Facebook messages.

Word of the bad joke quickly spread around the town, reminding some alums of bullying they had experienced years ago, as if the bullying had occurred recently, the newspaper reported:

A Facebook support page was created, quickly drawing hundreds of messages of encouragement. The page has more likes (more than 3,500) than the town has people (2,100).

“A bank account was opened for Whitney Kropp’s homecoming expenses but wasn’t needed.  So many businesses donated services that everything was covered.”

Local businesses stepped up:

For the homecoming dance Saturday, businesses will buy her dinner, take her photo, fix her hair and nails, and dress her in a gown, shoes and a tiara. For the homecoming game Friday, residents will pack the football stadium so they can cheer when she is introduced at halftime.  They will be wearing her favorite color (orange) and T-shirts with messages of support.  A 68-year-old grandmother offered to be her escort.

An alumnus of Whitney Kropp’s high school, who was also the victim of bullying as an underclass member, recorded a video in support of her, which appeared on The Huffington Post.  Bullying also plagued an alumnus of Whitney Kropp’s high school. He created a video in her support.

Restorative Practices in Response to Bullying Gain a Slight Foothold in Schools

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School has been back in session in the U.S. for awhile now and officials are dealing with bullying issues once again.

There is spotty evidence that some districts are looking beyond Zero Tolerance policies and automatic expulsion or suspension of kids who bully their classmates. In these districts, there is a conscious policy choice to use restorative practices first instead of punitive practices such as expulsion and suspension.

In the Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, School District, schools are implementing a comprehensive change program to address bullying, known as the SaferSanerSchools Whole School Change Program, developed by the International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP).

Rather than reflexively opt for immediate expulsion or suspension of kids who bully others, these districts are attempting to bring the bullied and the bully together with all their classmates into restorative circles to address the misbehavior as a community. The goal is accountability and community restoration rather than isolation, alienation, suspension, expulsion and stigmatization. It’s a first step toward interrupting the schools-to-prison pipeline.

It’s a risky proposition, and it takes more time than a rigid “throw the bully out” approach. But it holds the real possibility of keeping the bullying offender and the bullying victim together in community, rather than placing one more child in the school-to-prison pipeline. The statistics on expulsion and suspension are clear: each incident of suspension or expulsion increases the child’s chances of ending up in prison.

Programs such as SaferSanerSchools requires participation of the entire school community, from students and teachers to administrators, parents and even cafeteria and janitorial staffs. Successful implementation requires involvement of the entire community, since bullying affects everyone in the school community.

In one dramatic example:

Suspensions, expulsions, fights, bullying and other forms of poor student behavior dropped at Freedom and Liberty high schools during the 2011-12 school year, documents show.
The improved discipline picture is a reversal of 2009-10 and 2010-11 when infractions went up in the Bethlehem Area School District‘s two high schools as part of a district-wide increase of 36 percent.
Compared with the 2010-11 school year, suspensions dropped 20 percent to 978 in 2011-12. The number of students in suspension three times or more went down 43 percent to 493 at the two high schools over the same time frame, according to the Code of Conduct report, which separates offenses into three levels of severity.

Restorative practices and restorative circles allow the victims to be heard, the harms done to them to be recognized. Restorative practices even permit the bully to say why he or she was aggressive in the first place. Using restorative practices, all members of the community share in the process, expressing their experiences of the harms that have been done by the bullying of their fellow community members. All members of the community, all stakeholders, share a part in the communal response.

Ideally, even the parents of the bully and the bullied are present for the restorative circle conference. For restorative practices to have their maximum effect, all parties participate in these restorative circles, or accountability sessions, as the community asserts its values. Ideally, the bully and the bullied are restored to community and neither is stigmatized or ostracized.

For more information about restorative practices, contact:
IIRP Graduate School
531 Main St.
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA
(610) 807-9221

‘Bully’ premieres in NY and LA this weekend…an unabashed request that you spread the word

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Documentary "Bully" premieres in NYC and LA

"Bully" premieres in NYC and LA this weekend. Please help spread the word to make the grand opening a success.

At long last, Bully premieres this weekend in New York and Los Angeles, although the producers’ dispute with the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) over its rating of the documentary has not been resolved.

Fairnessworks has been covering the documentary, Bully, for many months.

Here is an appeal from Lee Hirsch, director and producer of the Bully Project.  Contact all your friends in NYC and LA and urge them to make the premier a success:

Struggles over ratings of the documentary have not been resolved.  Lee Hirsh and his supporters have been pleading with the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA)  to give the documentary a PG-13 rating, so the people whse lives have been most affected by a bully can get in to see it on their own, without parental permission or presence.  So far, MPAA has only been willing to declare it “Unrated.”

Here is the appeal from Lee Hirsch.  Please forward this posting to social media (Facebook, Twitter, Digg and LinkedIn) and help build a large audience for this powerful documentary.  With a nationwide rollout coming quickly, the rating issue presents a serious impediment to the documentary in reaching its target demographic.

From the producer and director:

“When I began work on Bully, the documentary film confronting the bullying crisis in America, I never imagined it would start a movement as big as this.

This week alone, millions of people across the globe connected over the film’s anti-bullying message, and thousands more signed the pledge to stand up for the 13 million kids who are bullied each year in the U.S.

Now the film faces a critical opening weekend in LA and New York City. Will you help make the film’s opening a huge success by spreading the word to everyone you know?

Please take action here:  http://action.thebullyproject.com/spread-the-word

The film has become a challenge to the status quo and given voice to those who struggle with bullying every day. But we need to make sure the film reaches the kids and communities who need to see it the most. This is your chance to act.
Bully opens in New York and LA today — Friday, March 30 — so we need you to act now and make sure everyone you know in those cities goes to see it…
You can also read and share articles about the film and find out when it will come to your city.  I hope you will help us by using this powerful resource to get others involved. This film means so much to me — thank you for your support.
Lee Hirsch
Director/Producer
The Bully Project”

 

Here is the trailer for the documentary:

 

Big Bird and NY Professor Take Bullying to the (Sesame) Street

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“I wanted to join a club called the Good Birds Club,” Sesame Street’s Big Bird tells Jamie Ostrov, a psychology professor. “They didn’t want me because my beak was too long and I was too big and too yellow.”

Developmental Psychology professor Jamie M. Ostrow

Professor Jamie M. Ostrov joins with Sesame Street's Big Bird to teach preschoolers how to handle bullying.

Ostrov is featured in a series of web-based videos to accompany a recent episode of the new season of “Sesame Street.”  In his recent appearance opposite Big Bird and his furry friends, he counsels the “Sesame Street” characters on what to do when confronted with aggressive behavior, physical bullying and verbal bullying.

“Essentially, my research is geared towards preschoolers, which is the target audience of ‘Sesame Street,’” explains Ostrov, a developmental psychologist at New York’s State University at Buffalo.   His work has led him to join federal efforts to develop a uniform definition of bullying, and to adapt bullying prevention materials for young children. He also served as a consultant to the Children’s Television Workshop, creator of Sesame Street and Big Bird, for its bullying prevention initiative.

In the video, when Ostrov suggests to Big Bird and friends that they find a grown-up

Sesame Street's Big Bird

Big Bird takes bullying to the street...Sesame Street

and report what has happened, the blue muppet named Rosita worries about being labeled a tattletale.

“Oh no, Rosita. That’s not tattling,” reassures Ostrov. “That’s reporting. Reporting is important when our friends are hurt. It’s important to find a grown-up to report it so our friends can stay safe.”

Ostrov’s research centers around understanding the development of types of aggression in children ages 3 to 5.  One of those subtypes of aggressive behavior is bullying. All bullying is aggressive behavior, Ostrov explains, but not all aggressive behavior is bullying.

His research addresses what Ostrov calls “forms and functions” of aggressive behavior. “Forms” of aggression are ways aggression is displayed. “Functions” are the reasons why children behave in aggressive ways.

“Distinguishing between the various forms and functions of aggression has important implications  [pullquote]All bullying is aggressive behavior, Ostrov explains, but not all aggressive behavior is bullying. [/pullquote]for understanding the development of aggression and bullying in children,” Ostrov says.

Previous studies in the social development laboratory, which Ostrov directs at Buffalo, have shown that children who are victimized by their peers become the aggressors over time, and that the type of victimization that they experience predicts the type of aggression that they display with their peers over time.

“Thus, children are likely learning from peer victimization experiences how to become an aggressor,” says Ostrov.

Anti-bullying bill: Did NJ go too far?

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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545640

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

 Reporter Chris Jansing posed the question on NBC Nightly News last Wednesday (Sept, 7, 2011).  Her report focused on the implementation of New Jersey’s Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights, signed into law January 6, 2011, by Gov. Chris Christie.

Both houses of the New Jersey legislature passed the anti-bullying bill in November 2010, with strong bipartisan support and wide margins.  Driven by the highly publicized case of homophobic cyber-bullying, resulting in the suicide of Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi, the law is considered the strongest, most comprehensive anti-bullying legislation passed so far in any of the 50 states, as governments attempt to address  social problems with stringent laws.

Several sources included in Jansing’s report cited the unintended consequence of adding strain on school systems imposed by the new anti-bullying bill — systems already dealing with a host of social problems in addition to violence and bullying in schools.  Specifically, they pointed to the additional training requirements, the appointment of anti-bullying specialists in each school and the manadatory requirement to report all incidents of bullying.  [pullquote]Is zero tolerance blocking flexibility right up front?[/pullquote]
The issue not addressed so far is whether yet another “Zero-Tolerance” policy is the wisest approach to social problems.  In its laudable, swift passage of the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights, did the legislators have to impose a zero-tolerance policy, which inherently diminishes the ability of teachers and administrators to use wisdom and discretion in incidents which are unique and complex?

Is the zero-tolerance approach to social problems just another example of “get tough on crime” laws which provide emotional satisfaction to voters and policymakers, but which bring a host of unintended results and court orders?  One need look no further than the crisis in prison overcrowding, which can be traced directly to the passage of “get tough” policies such as “three strikes and you’re out,” or mandatory sentences for specific offenses.

Certainly, bullying in schools and communities, cyber-bullying and violence of all kinds demand swift and wise responses.  But the question should be asked:  why not address child welfare through a range of options — including mediation, peer counseling, anti-bullying curricula such as this and this,  and books — as part of broader focus on creating what Dr. Tom Cavanagh has called a “culture of care” in schools?

Raising these issues about zero tolerance policies is not intended to detract from the value of the landmark legislation now being implemented in New Jersey.  I applaud this bold and comprehensive effort to address the range of social problems posed by bullying, harassment and violence system-wide. In fact, maybe these actions in New Jersey will play a role in “helping seat-of-the-pants peacemakers see they are not alone.”

Summer Camp Counseling Ain’t What it Used to Be

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There was a time in the ancient past when the biggest dangers of summer camp meant mosquito  bites, chiggers, lots of swimming and conoeing, stupid handcrafts, mystery food and fun with friends.

It still means all that, but today’s camp counselors, who are often on the forefront of peacemaking and conflict resolution, now have to watch out for cyber-bullying.  So many campers today have access to cell phones and text messaging, the issue of cyber-bullying has come to the attention of risk managers, the insurance people who stand to lose big bucks if abuse occurs to kids at summer camp.

Many summer camps are operated by churches for their youth groups.  In today’s environment, camp counselors have to look beyond first aid and the usual adolescent adventure and experimentation.  Now, they also have to be concerned about cyber-bullying.  Unless camps totally prohibit cell phones, their campers are often able to send bullying messages for and about their fellow campers.

The threat has caught the attention of insurers who attempt to protect against this liability.

As a recent posting pointed out:
afety issues are clearly evolving at church summer camps operated on Church property, contracted out to others onsite or at distant locations. Increasingly, the physical and emotional dangers children and teens face on school grounds are traveling seamlessly to camp, aided by technology and changing patterns in group behavior among young people. Learn how you can keep the youth in your care safe.

This message is from an agency which insures the Episcopal Church.  But, given the millions of dollars the Roman Catholic Church has had to divert from critical social programs simply to pay for egregious past abuse and neglect, it’s understandable that insurers of camps across the religious spectrum would voice their concern.

 

Serving on the front lines with youth today entails much more that it did just a few years ago.  Bullying and abuse happens digitally, perhaps as much as it does in person.

Counselors and parents will benefit from reading the guidelines at this site.

Will your kids’ camp be on the alert for cyber-bullying?

 

 

 

 

Parents of Troubled Teens — Start Your Search Here

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Parents of troubled teens, and their teachers and counselors, live with the likelihood that their rapidly maturing children might soon face the court system.  Suddenly the child who seemed so full of promise might face the very real prospect of facing a juvenile court referral.  From that point, the probability of having a child in the justice system is a nagging threat.  The fear is always lurking that their “golden child”, their beloved son or daughter,  might soon face expulsion for bullying, or become a defendant in a bullying case.  Some, who fear that the taunts of their children’s classmates may be true, and that their child might really be gay, lesbian, or transgendered, worry that their kids might be bullied and suffer lifelong scars, or even death.

[amazon_enhanced asin="0979841127" /]In 21st Century America, the threat of violence is always a possibility.  Even middle-class, peaceful families know that they are not immune.  Not only in America, but in Canada, England, Australia, New Zealand…in any so-called developed nation around the world, parents walk a thin line between responding to classroom discipline and facing an escalation in the system’s treatment of their child.

At fairnessworks.p1r8.net, we are looking for ways of bringing concerned parents into constructive contact — early in the process, before “juvie” or jail  — with methods of intervention and conflict resolution which can save the future of their troubled teens.  The goal of this blog is to link parents like these with well-established methods of responding to youth crises, such as Restorative Justice and peacemaking circles.  Creating a Culture of Care in the schools is a possible solution, with practitioners who know how to implement these programs.  Hope for restoration is not a false hope, and the possibility of linking to alternatives to punitive and retributive justice is a viable option.

We include a wealth of links to alternative methods at fairnessworks.  Look at the categories and tags in the column at right, click on them, read and follow up on them, if you are the parent (or concerned adult) in the life of a troubled teenager.  Post your comments here and reach out for help.  If you have read this far, you are a “seat-of-the-pants peacemaker,” and you are NOT alone.  You are the person we want to reach at fairnessworks.p1r8.net.

As the editor and publisher of this blog, I am not the counselor you might need.  But I will do my best to link you to the help you are seeking.  Remember, you are not alone.
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“Bully” Helps Middle Schoolers Confront School Violence

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Matthew Kuehlhorn

You might not think of a middle school counselor as a “seat-of-the-pants peacemaker.”  If your child is facing daily bullying, you might see him in a different light.  If your child is withdrawing from life, suddenly uncommunicative, maybe you think about talking to the school administration.  If you are lucky, you will find someone like Matthew Kuehlhorn.

Matthew Kuehlhorn is a Colorado middle school counselor who is passionate about helping create a community of care in schools.  He is exploring ways of implementing Restorative Justice methods in his workplace — your child’s school.  At my invitation, he submitted the following.  Recent postings in fairnessworks.p1r8.net have featured examples of programs which implement restorative, peacemaking methods.  Matthew’s efforts are a timely example of what an individual can do to help create peace.

Matthew is passionate about a graphic novel entitled, Bully.  I hope you will check this out and find ways to implement his peacemaking passions into your own local school.

Bully is an educational illustrated novel.

An illustrated novel

The book is designed to “Ignite the Voice Within” classroom, as he terms it.  Bully is an illustrated novel that teaches relationship building skills and introduces restorative justice practices and theory.

Bully is an amazing story where characters talk directly to middle school readers. The story is emotionally charged and very real for students in today’s classrooms.

After speaking with an educator who used this book in individual sessions, Matthew says, she remarked:

“I have had readers tell me that they have not finished a book in five years. They love this book and have a high interest in finishing it. The book offers great conversation topics which can affect student behavior in our school–for the better!”

Students report this book being like “real life” and the feedback has been amazing.

Bully is 130 pages, which are broken into five sections with “Ignite Now” lessons offered.  Lessons teach:  how to listen, how to tell our story so it gets heard, how to feel empathy, and the book concludes with introducing talking circles and restorative justice.

The book is authored by Teresa Milbrodt, a published short story author and Creative Writing Professor at Western State College of Colorado.  Compelling illustrations were created by Nathan Kubes, a freelance artist, also in Gunnison, CO.

What other people say about Bully:

“I had students, who had not finished a book in years, unable to put this book down.”
Middle School English Teacher

“This is like Real Life”
7th Grade Student

“I recommend this book for students, parents, teachers, counselors, administrators and those people interested in education.”
Dr. Tom Cavanagh

Dr. Tom Cavanagh

 

Dr. Cavanagh, whose current focus is on creating a “Culture of Care” in schools,  has published a review of Bully which can be viewed at:

http://restorativepracticesinschools.blogspot.com/2010/11/new-book-addresses-bullying.html

If you are a school teacher or counselor, and have ideas about reaching the potential peacemakers in your local community, please share your comments below.  I’d suggest this mental exercise:  what Google searches would your students’ parents enter to find help for their concerns troubled teens?

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Restorative Justice Lesson: What a take on “an eye for an eye”!

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If you click no other link today, please click on this one: on “Paintball Justice.”  You can download a pdf of the paper, if you feel especially geeky.  (Hint: feel geeky.)

Dr. Tom Cavanagh’s new blog merits a few moments of your time!  You may be familiar with “The Paintball Case,” but if you aren’t, you’re in store for an amazing example of how Restorative Justice can give an entirely new, 21st Century, application to the ancient Hebrew law of proportionality in retribution, “An eye for an eye.”

To many of us “post-moderns,” the retributive practice of lex talionis may seem simultaneously common sensical, fair, yet still barbaric.  When you consider the preceding historical practice went something like this —  an entire tribe must give it’ s life for an offense of any kind against one’s own tribe — lex talionis sounds awfully reasonable.

Dr. Tom’s blog  case of Paintball Justice shows the amazing outcomes that can emerge from an offender who, in a community of accountability and restorative justice, offers an amend that is far greater than any court might impose.  It’s a worthwhile lesson for the criminal justice system.

Please share your responses here by commenting on this posting.  If you find it helpful, tell Dr.  Cavanagh.  (Self-promotional note:  tell him you saw it on www. fairnessworks.p1r8.net.)  He may be reached at cavanagh.tom@gmail.com.

Spoiler alert.  Read the pdf before reading the following:

District Court Judge Fred McElrea, of Auckland, New Zealand, a pioneer in the application of restorative justice processes in the courts, made these comments about “The Paintball Case”:  “I think this a great case study – informative, educative and insightful.  What was most impressive was the boy’s offer to donate part of his eye if that would bring back her sight.  The second reaction I have is to marvel at the way in which restorative justice helps build community bonds that were not there before – for example, the common interest and empathy of the two families.  Lastly, it brings home how simple it really is to get these things going!  That is because this sort of process is second nature to most people, whereas the court process is an artificial, ritualized procedure that obscures people’s real feelings and desire for reconciliation.”

Tomorrow’s National Day of Silence Highlights Bullying of LGBT People

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On Friday, April 15, students across the U.S. will engage in a nonviolent, peaceful protest against the daily abuse LGBT people endure year-round in silence.

On the National Day of Silence hundreds of thousands of students nationwide take a vow of silence to bring attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in their schools.