County Congress Works To Prevent School Bullies

By MEGAN HUSSEY

Tribune correspondent

Published: June 19, 2008

WESLEY CHAPEL - The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says 15 percent to 25 percent of students are bullied.

That could mean they're being hit or kicked, teased or called names, intimidated through gestures or social exclusion, sent insulting messages through e-mail, or sexually harassed.

A bullied child can suffer severe emotional and physical consequences from the experience.

Wednesday's seventh annual The American Dream Congress focused on bullying.

"Children who are bullied are more likely than other children to have lower self-esteem and higher rates of depression, loneliness, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. They are also more likely to ... avoid attending school and have higher school absenteeism rates," read a flier presented at the conference, which was held at the Center For the Arts at Wesley Chapel High School

"Bullying: Beyond the Schoolyard" addressed the subject from a variety of viewpoints. Started in 2002, The American Dream Congress is an assembly of Pasco community leaders and residents seeking to alleviate social problems. This year, participants sought to find preventive measures and long-term solutions to the problem of bullying.

"We pledge as a community that we can pull together to take a total community approach to problems we agree on," said The American Dream organizer Bob Loring, executive director of East Pasco Toys For Tots.

"And bullying falls into that category."

Keynote speaker Heather Fiorentino, superintendent of Pasco County schools, agreed.

"Bullying is not a phase, and we cannot accept it," she said. "When we see it we must do something about it."

Fiorentino cited a statistic stating that 39 percent of students across the country don't feel safe in school.

"That is not acceptable," she said.

On a broad scale, Fiorentino suggested legislation and grass-roots efforts to address and prevent bullying in schools. She also suggested that parents stay involved in their children's lives and monitor what they watch on TV and in movies.

She encouraged open communication between parents, school officials and students.

"It's time for us as a society to say, 'It's not funny. It's not cool.' It's time for us to put a stop to bullying," she said.

As a means to this end, state Rep. Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, discussed House Bill 669, the Jeffrey Johnston Stand Up For All Students bill. It was named for a Fort Myers student who, after being bullied incessantly at school and online, took his life. The bill was signed June 10 by Gov. Charlie Crist.

It regulates the development of programs and policies at school, district and state levels to prevent bullying, and to counsel bullies and their targets.

When implemented, these policies are intended to facilitate the identification, prevention and reporting of bullying.

"This bill is not going to stop bullying, but it can create a culture that frowns upon it," Weatherford said. "How can you expect kids to learn at school if they're scared all day?"

Zephyrhills police Officer Daniel Hill agreed.

"As a school resource officer, I see firsthand a lot of the bullying taking place," he said. "It saddens me when I see a frightened young man or woman afraid to raise their hand and answer a question in class, afraid of what someone next to them might say."

Hill discussed methods of dealing with bullies, from school-based programs such as in-school detention and out-of-school suspension, and legal remedies such as restraining orders.

Several representatives of Sunrise of Pasco County Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Center also were on hand at The American Dream Congress. Terri O'Brien, director of community education at Sunrise, discussed the correlations between bullying and domestic violence later in life, both of which can involve elements of intimidation, sexual harassment and gender bias.

"In both cases, our first goal is victim safety," she said. "Our second goal is to stop the abuser. ... The key to all of this is that we have a plan."

O'Brien said that student involvement is crucial to any community anti-bullying plan, and, as an example, she cited the work of the Pirates of Peace, a Sunrise-sponsored club at Pasco Middle School that promotes diversity and fights bullying and discrimination.

"Intervention is good, but we need to look into prevention," she said.

Christina Bates, social change community organizer at Sunrise of Pasco County, suggested a number of projects and activities - many available through the agency - in which community members and organizations can join the fight against bullying. They can volunteer with local bullying-violence prevention programs and committees, and host guest speakers and training workshops at their schools and agencies.

Sherri Dunham, supervisor of Prevention Programs and Safe and Drug-Free Schools services, described the differences between playful teasing between friends and bullying.

"Bullying is purposeful, involves an imbalance of power and is continual," she said.

Dunham also revealed that, worldwide, a child is bullied every seven seconds.

Bullying everywhere needs to be stopped, said Hill, of the Zephyrhills police.

"We need to say, 'No more violence,'" he said. "Not here, not in Pasco County."