Hamilton County Schools Focus on Anti-Bullying Programs
The goal is to stop bullying before it starts in kindergarten through 2nd grade.
A group of Hamilton county teachers and parents got together Wednesday to hear about some new programs for the youngest students.
Bullying has always been a fact of life. It’s not always so obvious as in this video prepared by anti-bullying organizations.
But it is now getting a lot more attention in schools these days.
The Hamilton county council of PTA’s is helping schools deal with it—and the victims are sometimes the youngest and most vulnerable.
CATHERINE WELLS, HAMILTON PLACE "What we found was that there’s not really a lot of programs for those younger grades for the kids that are just entering school….yet they still face some of those bullying problems
Hamilton Place is promoting Shark Patrol kits…shark means Students Help Achieve Respect and Kindness. They feature a character called Capt. McFinn. Its for kids in kindergarten through second grade. The kits have teacher resource guides , hand puppets and c-d’s—all aimed at those who commit and those who are victims of bullying.
CATHERINE WELLS "To talk ..to really help kids understand what it means to be a friend. Instead of focusing on the word bullying, anti-bullying .turning it into a positive message for the children."
The school district is also trying to be pro-active.
KAREN GLENN, DIRECTOR, STARS PROGRAM "Unfortunately sometimes we get parents when there’s an issue…but we’d like to engage them earlier…so that we can problem solve..and we can work together to make sure that every child is safe at school."
Hamilton Place has taken part in the program for three years. It salutes schools that create posters and focus on the problem.
Posters created by the participating schools will be displayed in the mall during October, which is National Anti-Bullying Month.
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