BULLYING CAN BE STOPPED

1. BULLYING CAN BE STOPPED Mr. Carl Williams, Assistant Principal Dr. Marilyn Highland, Principal Sarasota School of Arts and Sciences

2. How it started • Sexuality issues reported • Health classes 2/28/11 • Increased number of bullying related deaths • Interest on campus with only a few students and their desire to stop bullying • Design of Anti-bullying bracelets on campus • Creation of the Anti-Bullying Committee

3. Initial Flood of Reporting • After initiating the “Open Reporting” we initially received on average 10 reports per day (for about 2 weeks) • Shared across 5 people: Principal, 2 Assistant Principals, School Counselor, Security Aide • Students showed a certain level of comfort with knowing they could report without feeling intimidated (changed culture)

4. Reporting Process • Statement of Witness/Subject report • Appointment Request • Can be anonymous • Can be slipped under any teacher’s door or placed into any teacher’s mailbox (will then be turned in to Admin) • Anyone can report • Reports investigated immediately

5. Bullying? • Nationally, bullying has risen to levels higher than ever, but the word “bullying” cannot be taken for granted • While every report is properly investigated, there are times when it just isn’t bullying • Parents like to hear that there really isn’t bullying as much as they like to hear that a case of bullying has been effectively handled

6. Dangers of Bullying • Physical = Inferiority • Verbal = Confrontation • Cyber = Confusing Thoughts • Non-verbal = Isolation • Text messaging = Rumors • Any of these can lead to mental bullying which is the most dangerous and leads to depression, injury, or death

7. Anti-Bullying Committee • Started in March of 2011 • Approximately 75 student committee members (and growing) • 2 student representatives for each grade level • Hold monthly meetings organized and facilitated by representatives • Address relevant and current issues • Decision making body

8. Communication with Families • Incoming 6th Grade Parent Meeting • Connect Ed • Team News (Online and Hard Copies) • School Newspaper • School Website • PTSS Meetings

9. City/County Involvement • On Site visits from County Law Enforcement to speak to student body • Assistance from School District (ie: resources we may not have) • Yearly presentation for families with City Law Enforcement, Government Leaders, and Professional Counselors*

10. Making it Contagious • Our students spread the word that bullying will not be accepted • What started as a staff driven concept has now become student driven • Our families are very well aware of the zero tolerance policy. We constantly receive families to our school who were referred by others due to this fact.

11. Keys to Success • Positive Promotion • Level of trust and confidence in reporting • Consistency with investigations • Effective Decision Making • Tolerance and acceptance for all • Support from inside and outside sources • Strong consequences when applicable

12. How do we know it works? • The methods of reporting have been utilized • The level of bullying related incidents have decreased significantly • The reputation in the community of the school has been noted as one with “true” zero tolerance • Other schools have contacted us about anti-bullying measures • Morale of the students and staff has risen

13. Interesting Facts • The Anti-Bullying Committee started at SSA+S has garnered local and statewide attention including interviews with Fox and ABC News • A Facebook page was put together by our first grade level representative (8th grade) which accumulated 7000 followers in the first week • While the number of reports has risen (approx. 4 per week), the number of referral incidents has dropped (approx. 1 per month)

14. Contact Information • Dr. Marilyn Highland, Principal (941) 330-1855 ext 204 marilynhighland@ssas.org • Mr. Carl Williams, Assistant Principal (941) 330-1855 ext 202 carlwilliams@ssas.org