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"A Person is being bullied when he or she is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more persons"

- Dr. Dan Olweus

 

Did You Know...

  • 160,000 kids skip school each day for fear of being bullied.

  • Children that are identified as  bullies by age 8 are 6 times more likely to be convicted of a crime by age 24.

  • Bullying begins in elementary years, peaks in grades 6 to 8 and persists into high school.

  • 1 out of 10 victims of bullying are traumatized, that this fear continues to affect their lives long after they are out of school

- US Department of Justice

 

Words and Actions Can Hurt Me

Lee's Summit CARES

Bullying Newsletter

1st Edition

2nd Edition

Bullying Prevention

Bullying or Normal Peer Conflict...What Parents Need to Know

Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me."  Certainly you have heard the adage, however we know it's not true.  Words and actions can and do hurt, often times leaving emotional scars well into adulthood.  But isn't it normal for kids to pick on each other?  Isn't this a rite of passage that all children experience?

All children are subject to occasional teasing behavior or aggression.  Social skills are developmental.  Children gain a greater capacity for empathy, compromise and kindness to others as they mature cognitively and emotionally.  Some children are repeatedly targeted.  This is not normal peer conflict.  The later is referred to as bullying.

So whose problem is it?  Often times bullying is viewed as a school issue.  Research shows that bullying is most often reported at or around school grounds but we also know that bullying can and does take place off school property.  The Lee's Summit School District has many resources and programs in place at the schools to address this issue.  Our desire is to support these efforts by providing parents with a forum to discuss bullying and to receive sound information and resources.

I Can Make A Difference - Bullying Prevention Program

Thanks to a grant from the Milton W. Feld Trust,  the I Can Make a Difference bullying program has been developed.   This innovative program uses clips from popular movies to illustrate examples of bullying. Students are led through a process that helps them to identify different types of bullying, the three players in each bullying situation and ways each could have made a difference in stopping the bullying. Students also learn reasons why bullying happens and become more aware of the devastating impact it has on it’s targets.

Outcomes from the program show students being more likely to inform adults of bullying situations and more capable of handling situations if they were to be targeted personally or witness a bullying situation. After completing the program 91% of students felt they could make a difference in stopping bullying.  This program was facilitated to 1,450 students in 2007.

If you are interested in scheduling the program please contact our facilitator, Kerri Gray at 816.347.3009.