Chester County schools combat bullying with early intervention

When state education department officials asked parents this year to list their main concerns for their children, bullying – not surprisingly – emerged as a top issue to address, Chester County school district officials say.

That survey result is one reason Chester County guidance counselor Felicia McGowan says she and others at Lewisville Elementary are part of a school-wide effort to curb problems such as name-calling and more serious bullying behaviors that can cause youth depression.

District officials say bullying in the classroom, on the playground and on buses is a problem, not just in Chester County schools but in districts across the nation. Other local school districts say they too are tackling the problem, including in York where the district has a bullying prevention program.

Teachers and principals have tools to intervene when children are bullied, but too often students “don’t tell – they’d just rather handle it themselves,” McGowan said. But, she said, that rarely renders long-term solutions.

“As educators, we need to be more mindful and make it a more welcoming environment for our students to (tell adults about bullying),” she said.

Soon, Lewisville Elementary will experiment with a confidential reporting method – like a bullying box – in hopes students will feel more comfortable speaking up if they aren’t worried about being stigmatized as a “tattle tale” by their peers, McGowan said.

“That’s the main thing: not wanting to be seen as a crybaby ... Not having another name when you already feel like you’re being bullied.”

Last week, Lewisville educators took a specialized approach toward teaching third-graders about the effects of bullying. The hourlong activity at the Richburg school focused on children with disabilities who may be at a higher risk of being bullied.

Mary Ann Weir, Chester County’s teacher of the year, brought the idea for “Awareness: The Key to Friendship” to Lewisville Elementary Principal Wanda Frederick earlier this year. Weir, a 26-year education veteran, teaches third-graders at Lewisville.

The activity featured “stations” where Lewisville High School Teacher Cadet students helped the third-graders experience hands-on simulations of being blind, being deaf, being in a wheelchair, and a range of learning disabilities.

“The purpose is to bring awareness to students with disabilities who may have been bullied or will be bullied in school,” Frederick said. “It gives students another perspective ... of how these students will feel if they’re bullied in the classroom, outside of the classroom or just in the real world. It’s not a good feeling.”

Third-graders were brought into the school gym in two groups to visit the stations. Weir introduced the activities by asking the students to define bullying.

Their responses showed the students understand what bullying is. Mean jokes, one boy said. Pushing someone down, a girl said.

Weir asked them to consider whether all people looked the same or behaved the same in school. “No,” the group said in unison, without hesitation.

The next question was harder. Weir asked the third-graders if all people learned the same in school. About half the group said “yes” hesitantly, while others caught on that the correct answer could be “no.”

Weir explained that their morning activity visiting the stations would demonstrate that some children have physical or mental differences that can affect the way they learn. Some people may need extra time to take a test. Some teachers may need to wear a microphone to help some students hear lessons.

The hands-on approach to learning about disabilities should help the third-graders be more sensitive to those who look, act, or learn differently, Weir said. In elementary school, she said, many of the students may not have yet met anyone with a disability.

“But, in real life, they will be socialized. They need to be aware of how to act socially around people that are different,” Weir said.

Frederick said the activity also was a learning experience for some teachers who may not have yet taught a child with a disability.

In South Carolina, anti-bullying lessons are not part of the required classroom curriculum. Frederick said the importance of teaching children social skills in school is sometimes overlooked.

“We’re so inundated with teaching to the standards (and) our report card grade, we forget there are other aspects of education. You have to address those other aspects or you won’t see the achievements.”

Frederick calls that approach teaching “the whole child.”

McGowan agreed, saying if bullying is left unchecked in school, the problem can lead to children being distracted in class and falling behind or refusing to go to school, hurting the student’s attendance and grades.

She encouraged parents to probe deeper with questions if they suspect their child is being bullied. Warning signs, according to McGowan, can include: a child feeling or seeming to be isolated or crying or acting out in an effort to avoid going to school in the mornings.

If a child mentions possible bullying or being picked on at school, McGowan suggests parents ask their child directly if they are afraid to go to school because of the behavior.

“When someone is picking on you continuously ... that’s when it’s bullying,” McGowan said. “It’s not really bullying if you’re doing it back and forth.”

This story was originally published October 29, 2015 at 9:47 PM with the headline "Chester County schools combat bullying with early intervention."