By:Angela Marshall
Legislators look to end hate-based taunting in New York schools
While school violence in the form of loaded guns makes national headlines weekly, a quieter, less shocking phenomenon continues to plague local schools. It begins in grade school with name-calling, pushing and taunting. And it doesn't take long for kindergartners to first become aquatinted with the concept of a school bully.
However, here in Rockville Centre administrators are taking a proactive step to curb the pattern. Carol Burris, South Side High School principal, said that many new initiatives will be implemented next school year, including a week of respect programs. "We're trying to make students more cognizant of the language that they're using with each other," Burris said.
At the end of the week, the students will be asked to sign a pledge to remove offensive language from their speech.
While many might think that the consequences of being bullied are minimal, others reeling from the March 5 shooting in California are facing its harsh realities. Friends of Andy Williams, the 15-year-old boy charged with shooting to death two classmates, said he complained of being bullied in the weeks prior to the murders.
Even before that shooting, some New York State legislators decided it was high time the fear caused by bullying was removed from the classroom. Identical bills are being moved through committees in both the Senate and Assembly addressing the need for dignity for all students.
The legislation, sponsored in the Assembly by Education Chair Steven Sanders (D-Manhattan) and in the Senate by Thomas Duane (D-Manhattan), addresses the kind of hate-based bullying that recently has been cited as a contributing factor in school violence and requires educators to implement comprehensive policies aimed at preventing it.
The dignity act would require school administrators, teachers, parents and students to recognize and address bias-related behavior that interferes with student safety and learning. According to a memorandum attached to the Senate bill, the purpose of the act is to "afford all persons in public schools an environment free of harassment and discrimination based on actual or perceived race, national origin, ethnic group, religion, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender or sex."
Members of the Assembly Education Committee voted overwhelmingly in favor of the act, 25 to 2, on March 20. It will next go before the Assembly Codes Committee.
Among its key provisions are developing rules to prevent and respond to discriminatory violence; incorporating discrimination awareness and sensitivity into civility, citizenship and character education curricula; establishing teacher, staff and administrative training guidelines for dealing with diversity, reducing discriminatory behaviors and reporting incidents of discrimination and bias harassment to the State Education Department.
Members of the Dignity for All Students Coalition praised the assembly for the recent move. They also addressed the concern that some people might interpret the bill as an attempt to push homosexual lifestyles.
"This legislation does not force students to accept gay kids, immigrant kids, deeply religious kids or disabled kids," said Ross Levi, legislative council for the Empire State Pride Agenda and co-facilitator of the coalition. "It simply offers protection for certain groups whose differences make them frequent targets. As long as the law requires students to be in school, then schools need to be harassment-free zones where kids can reach their full potential."
SH: Rockville Centre takes proactive step
Rockville Centre administrators are not waiting for legislation to tell them they need to end bullying. In addition to the respect week, many other programs are already in place.
Starting next year, incoming freshmen will be required to take an Academic Horizons course in which they will study the topic "Facing History in Ourselves."
In addition, students will be asked to engage in service activities "to make South Side High School a more respectful and civil school," Burris said.
High school students are already asked to help one another with problems, in the form of conflict resolution mediation.
Those students believed to be at risk are continually monitored by a team of counselors and administrators. The team meets regularly to review students who might be experiencing emotional difficulties, Burris said.
"I'm training the adults in the building on conflict resolution skills as well," she said. Some staff members have already been trained in a conflict and peace studies program at Columbia University.
SH: Middle school battles bashing
A similar approach is being taken at South Side Middle School,
according to Principal Tom Ricuprio.
"Our policy is we have no tolerance," Ricuprio said of student bullying on campus.
Each year, a number of sixth-graders are selected to participate in the school's Achieving Sex Equity Through Students program. The students go through a series of sensitivity training workshops on topics such as sexual harassment and bullying.
They in turn share their knowledge by performing similar programs in classes for their peers. A modified version is also provided for fourth- and fifth-graders.
Students must also take a human relations course. "We feel it's a priority within our curriculum," Ricuprio said.
A section on violence will be added for seventh-graders next year. Ricuprio feels this will empower the students to deal with issues related to bullying.
Middle-school students also participate in a peer mediation program similar to the one in the high school. Students are trained to facilitate conflict resolution. "It's a win, win situation," Ricuprio said.
The principal doesn't believe either the current programs or the proposed bill will end bullying. However, he does feel they help. He said setting parameters is important because it gives students a clear picture of what's right and wrong. "It allows them a better opportunity to change their behavior."
