Elementary School Children and Bullying: What to do?

At Jones Elementary, we strive to ensure that each and every child learns how to: Be Responsible; Be Respectful; Be Safe and Be Prepared. We know that setting clear boundaries and setting high expectations help our young people grow up healthy, caring and responsible.

Our goal this month is to highlight respectful communication. We are practicing respectful conversational skills at the lunch table, in our classrooms and through our curriculum.

We realize that many of our young students are communicating during after school hours through use of varied technology. While there are many positive aspects of the use of social media, Cyber-bullying has been on the rise nationally the last 5 years not only with teens but with children as young as 7. Increases in substance abuse and suicidal thoughts and attempts in young people aged 10 to 14 have been linked to Cyber-bullying.

What Can Parents Do?

Attached is a Cyber-bullyingTip Sheet for Parents that provides some helpful ideas. The following Developmental Assets also provide some guidance in dealing with this issue:

Family Boundaries: Family has clear and consistent rules and consequences and monitors the child’s whereabouts.(This would include their whereabouts on their phones and online)

Adult Role Models: Parent(s) and other adults in the child’s family, as wellas non-family adults, model positive, responsible behavior. It is helpful to practice respectful communication by sitting together over a meal and talking about daily events. Parents may also discuss and demonstrate what is appropriate online behavior and language and what is not.

If you are concerned about this issue and would like to discuss it further or would like a parent workshop or presentation offered to address this issue, please contact Mrs. Carpenter our Home/School Advisor at school.

If you are aware of bullying and/or Cyber-bullying occurring among our students at any time, please feel free to call our school to report it or call our Bullying Hotline: 764-6528. You may report bullying anonymously on the hotline.