Published: August 23, 2007 08:22 pm

Henry expands anti-bullying program

By Johnny Jackson

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As the new school year ratchets up a notch, schools are looking to prevent the lesser-talked-about roadblocks in education.

This fall, the Henry County School System plans to gradually expand its Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, an attempt to stop problematic bullying before it starts.

“We have seen an increase in the cyber-bullying that takes place among teenagers,” said Robyn Mullis, principal at Union Grove Middle School. “Some forms of bullying are more subtle than others. (But) all types of bullying are damaging — just in different ways.”

The Olweus program is geared toward reducing and preventing bullying problems in elementary and middle schools to help improve peer relations.

“I have found that low self-esteem tends to be a factor for those that bully and those that are bullied,” said Mullis, whose school will implement the program this fall. “I believe that it is important for students to learn to respect each other, respect their differences.”

Parents and teachers, she said, can talk with their students about the causes of bullying and ways to prevent it. Students should inform their parents and teachers if they feel they are being bullied.

“Communication is the key to providing a safe and comfortable environment,” she added.

The Olweus program, created by Dan Olweus of the University of Bergen in Norway, designed to help teachers and administrators like Mullis identify and address causes of bullying, has been implemented in more than one dozen countries around the world.

The program is currently in eight Henry County schools — Fairview, Hampton, McDonough, Pate’s Creek, Stockbridge, and Wesley Lakes elementary schools, along with Luella and Union Grove middle schools. It will begin in four other schools that will undergo training on Sept. 26-27.

According to Family Resource Coordinator Anna Arnold, the schools have a team of people ranging from school personnel to parents who are given two days of training in the program.

“The heart of the Olweus philosophy is empowering bystanders to act against bullying,” Arnold said in a statement Thursday. “Less than 10 percent of students are active participants in bullying incidents. The Olweus mission is to convince the other 90 percent or more to not tolerate bullying behavior, and to take certain steps when they encounter it.”

Arnold, along with Matt Isenberg of Stockbridge Middle School, also is a nationally-certified Olweus Bullying Prevention Trainer.

“Our actions as educators in reacting to bullying, connecting with youth, modeling positive behavior and empowering bystanders to respond in a variety of ways, are the keys to reducing bullying in school and the foundation of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program,” said Arnold. He also is the system’s Safe and Drug Free Schools coordinator.

The Olweus program complements such anti-bullying and conflict-resolution programs as “Love and Logic” and “Good Touch, Bad Touch” implemented at schools throughout the school system.

“The Olweus Bullying Prevention Model is the NO. 1 bullying prevention program in the world,” Arnold said. “We expect to see great results from our efforts as we move toward becoming an Olweus Bullying Prevention school system.”

The Henry Daily Herald
38 Sloan Street, McDonough, GA 30253