Monroe-Woodbury announces initial results from bullying survey

Findings reveal 45 percent of students say they’ve witnessed or experienced bullying CENTRAL VALLEY — Some very preliminary results of a bullying survey given to Monroe-Woodbury School District students last spring show the district’s eight schools are not immune to the problem of students harassing other students. The biggest overall finding, according to Dr. Eric Hassler, was that 45 percent of students said they had seen someone being bullied or experienced some form of bullying themselves. Within that number, the majority of responses were students indicating they saw other kids being picked on versus those students saying they were being picked on themselves. The survey was the district’s first in five years, said Hassler, the principal at Central Valley Elementary who is overseeing the survey project. Going forward, he added, students will now be surveyed annually to assess changes based on these updated findings. The district surveyed a sample size of 1,066 students in the fourth and fifth grade levels on the elementary level, 714 students in the middle school and 713 students in the high school. Not reported Within that 45 percent, added Hassler, 60 percent of students said they did not report the bullying incident to an authority figure, whether that was a teacher or parent. “That concerns us and that’s something we’re addressing,” he said. “We’re continuing to take a look at communication and what may be reasons why students are not reporting what happens. They way kids respond to bullying is a critical component. We have to rely on the kids involved to bring us information and let us know what’s going on so it can be addressed immediately.” Survey results revealed students on the elementary level reporting they primarily experienced physical or verbal bullying. Hassler used incidents that may occur on the playground or unwelcome comments as examples. Social bullying However, students on the secondary level reported greater incidents of social bullying (Hassler used participation exclusion as an example) and cyber bullying, though to a lesser extent. A particular finding of note, Hassler said, was only 15 percent of respondents saying they have experienced cyber-bullying. “We thought that number was going to be high but it wasn’t,” he said, noting the access secondary school students have to the Internet and its varied social networking sites. “It’s low compared to what we thought.” Hassler said there is still an enormous amount of information to review. “We are going through the data to find trends,” said Hassler, who has reported the preliminary findings to the district’s Anti-Bullying Committee. “This is a work in progress and it will be an ongoing process so long as bullying is something that kids feel is occurring.” Ongoing efforts Survey questions were worded differently on the elementary and secondary level due to the maturation levels of students. The district used surveymonkey.com as the host for the elementary and high school surveys while the middle school used Olweus - the bullying prevention program developed by the Hazeldon Foundation and Clemson University. The middle school will begin using this program next fall. As part of the district’s anti-bullying initiatives, he said, the elementary version of the Olweus program will supplement the current elementary anti-bullying program next fall so students begin to hear the Olweus philosophy and terminology at a younger age. The district is also in the process of upgrading its anti-bullying awareness link on its Web site to provide additional information and resources to parents. The survey results will also be posted online once all final work is completed. “We’re looking at everything,” said Hassler. “The types of bullying. How effective are we in the classroom. Intervention. The issues that Monroe-Woodbury is experiencing are the same that districts encounter everywhere. We are no different than others and they are no different than us.” The issues that Monroe-Woodbury is experiencing are the same that districts encounter everywhere. We are no different than others and they are no different than us.” Dr. Eric Hassler, Central Valley Elementary principal who is overseeing the Monroe-Woodbury School District’s bullying survey reporting process What is bullying? A person is bullied when he or she is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other persons, and he or she has difficulty defending himself or herself. This includes these three components: Bullying is aggressive behavior that involves unwanted, negative actions. Bullying involves a pattern of behavior repeated over time. Bullying involves an imbalance of power or strength Source: Norwegian researcher Dan Olweus, creator of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program.