Becoming a World Class Leader: Bullying….Beyond Awareness

1. Becoming a World Class Leader: Bullying….Beyond Awareness What Howard County Public School System Leaders Need to Know and Be Able to Do to Maintain Safe, Nurturing, Bully-free Environments

2. Linda Wise Chief Academic Officer

3. Highly effective schools succeed where others fail because they ruthlessly organize themselves around one thing: helping students learn a great deal. This seems too simple an explanation, really. But, by focusing on student learning and then creating structures that support learning, these schools have drastically departed from the traditional organizational patterns of American schools. -Karin Chenoweth

4. Exemplary Instruction Exemplary Instructional Leadership Exemplary Use of Data

5. You must be the change you wish to see in the world. -Mohandus Ghandi

6. Leadership Lessonsfrom Dancing Guy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW8amMCVAJQ

8. Linda Wise Chief Academic Officer

9. Professional Learning and Student Results http://www.learningforward.org/news/jsd/index.cfm

10. Our World-Class Power Grid • HCPSS Mission and Goals • Vision of Exemplary Teaching for Student Learning • Systemic Expectations • The College and Career Advantage • Skilled and Talented Leaders

11. Bullying….Beyond Awareness

12. Outcomes for Today • Increase awareness of how bullying affects the brain and impacts teaching and learning • Discuss how Powerful Practices help to maintain safe and nurturing environments • Examine the critical components of Policy 1060 • Increase understanding of the role of system leaders in assuring policy/legal compliance • Enhance relationships between and among DOI colleagues to strengthen our learning community

13. Pam Blackwell Director, Student Services

14. Bullying in the News Headlines Tyler Clementi Megan Meier Jaheem Herrera Matthew Shepard Phoebe Prince Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover Jamey Rodemeyer

15. “Bullying can have destructive consequences for our young people. And it’s not something we have to accept. As parents and students, teachers and communities, we can take steps that will help prevent bullying and create a climate in our schools in which all of our children can feel safe.” President Barack Obama, White House Bullying Prevention Summit, 3/10/11

16. Outcomes for Today • Increase awareness of how bullying affects the brain and impacts teaching and learning • Discuss how Powerful Practices help to maintain safe and nurturing environments • Examine the critical components of Policy 1060 • Increase understanding of the role of system leaders in assuring policy/legal compliance • Enhance relationships between and among DOI colleagues to strengthen our learning community

17. In Their Voices – HCPSS Students Talk About Bullying Lisa Boarman Coordinator, School Counseling and Related Services

19. In Their Voices – HCPSS Students Talk About Bullying What did you learn from the students? As you think about your role as a system leader, what should we be doing to eliminate bullying?

20. Reasons for Being Teased, Harassed or Bullied

21. Reasons for Being Teased, Harassed or Bullied

22. they call me mean names like short stack, midget, dwarf, retard, idiot and more people say that being black is my disability, I hate this place • Comments About Being Teased, Harassed or Bullied they are teasing me about how I look students make fun of me because of my disabled arm I am Muslim and I wear a head scarf and people make comments about it and I get upset and they say that it is just a joke but I know it’s not “ppl don’t like thtim a redneck they make jokes like ur late for ur clan meetin (expletive) hole (reference to the KKK”) People call me “chink” or “chinaman” or “gay”or “stupid” in school relatively frequently

23. Bullied at My SchoolElementary

24. Bullied at My SchoolSecondary

25. The Bullied Brain – How Bullying Impacts Teaching and Learning Heather Higgins Training Director of the Upside Down Organization

26. BREAK

27. “Principals and school leaders who are most successful in maintaining a safe and respectful school environment are those who put the appropriate structural components in place but then rely on more traditional and visible components of leadership: becoming a spokesperson for civility and respect.” -adapted from Stephen L. Wessler, The Respectful School

28. Exemplary Instruction Exemplary Instructional Leadership Exemplary Use of Data

29. Powerful Practices • Exemplary Leadership • Lead Through Example • Create and Maintain a Respectful School Climate • Communicate the School’s/Program’s/Office’s Commitment to Preventing and Responding to Bullying, Harassment and Other Unsafe Behaviors

30. Powerful Practices • Exemplary Instruction • Teach, Acknowledge, Model School-wide/Program/Office Behavioral Expectations • Ensure Relationships Between and Among Students, Staff and Families are Positive • Allow Students to have a Voice in Creating Safe School Climates

31. Powerful Practices • Exemplary Use of Data • Engage in Collaborative Planning and Inquiry • Drill Down to Determine the “Why?” • Use Data to Inform Interventions and Supports • Engage All Students

32. Powerful Practices • Exemplary Leadership • How do you model respect in your school/program/office? • How do you communicate behavioral expectations to staff, students and/or families? • Exemplary Instruction • How does each teacher teach school-wide behavioral expectations? • What recognition programs are currently in place for recognizing student academic, behavioral and attendance successes? For recognizing staff in your school /program/office? • Exemplary Use of Data • How is Goal 2 data shared with faculty and staff? With program staff, offices? With parents? • How are you using the results of the climate survey to improve school climate?

33. Powerful Practices • Choose one of the powerful practices – Exemplary Leadership, Exemplary Instruction, Exemplary Use of Data. • Share with a colleague how you demonstrate this practice as an system leader in your school/program/office.

34. Know Your Policy Lisa Boarman, Coordinator, School Counseling and Related Services Rosanne Wilson, Specialist, Positive Behavior Supports

35. How To Vote Standard texting rates Capitalization doesn’t matter, but spaces and spelling do TIPS

36. Mark Blom General Counsel

37. Legal Issues • When Bullying Becomes Illegal • Cyberbullying (FACEBOOK, etc)

38. HARASSMENT AND BULLYING The Office of Civil Rights Perspective When does student bullying violate discrimination laws?

39. U.S. Dept. of Education (OCR) Issues: Dear Colleague Letter: Harassment and Bullying Explains interplay between school policy and discrimination law

40. Dear Colleague Scenario What appropriate actions were taken to address the issues? What other actions could have been taken?

41. Dear Colleague Scenario • Counseling for the perpetrators about their conduct • Publically labeling the incidents as anti-Semitic • Reaffirming the school’s policy against discrimination • Publicizing the means by which students can report harassment • Providing teachers with PD to recognize and address anti-Semitic incidents • Conducted outreach to involve families and community groups in preventing future harassment

42. Federal Discrimination Laws • Discrimination on the basis of: • Race • Color • National Origin • Sex • Disability 2. That is severe, pervasive, or persistent Our policy is different

43. Why did OCR Issue the DCL? • To highlight the difference between bullying (governed by Board policy) and illegal harassment (governed by law) • To remind schools that by limiting responses, they may fail to consider if the misconduct is in violation of a students’ federal civil rights

44. OCR’S MESSAGE In following bullying protocols, DO NOT overlook the obligation to comply with federal standards for federal civil rights offenses.

45. Federal Standards • Make immediate investigation • Take action reasonably calculated to: • End harassment • Eliminate the hostile environment • Address its effect • Prevent its recurrence

46. How to Meet School’s Obligations Under Federal Standards Broader distribution of policies Providing training to staff Making sure students/parents know how to report incidents Immediate investigation

47. How to Meet School’s Obligations Under Federal Standards(cont’d) 5. Providing tutoring or services to victim 6. Counseling to harasser 7. Separating the harasser and victim 8. Disciplining harasser

48. How to Meet School’s Obligations Under Federal Standards(cont’d) 9. Conducting follow up inquiries with victim, witnesses, friends 10. Action to prevent retaliation 11. Respond to cyberbullying 12. Involve school team in response 13. Leadership

49. CyberbullyingWhen Administrators Must Intervene • Substantially or materially disrupts the operation of the school • Interferes with the educational process or climate • Utilizes school-owned technology

50. What Should Schools Do About Cyberbullying Be Proactive – 1. Communicate the Board’s policy on bullying 2. Educate staff, students, and parents on the dangers of bullying Be Reactive – 3. Conduct prompt, thorough investigations 4. When appropriate, take prompt, effective, remedial action (not limited to punishment) 5. Don’t be deterred from action simply because you may not be able to punish