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JK
Top Member
USA
7307 Posts |
 Posted - 02/17/2008 : 4:36:12 PM
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Bad Apple Bullies
Tips For Queensland teachers: How to deal with workplace bullies.
If you work as a teacher in Queensland, Bad Apple Bullies can destroy your health and your career with malicious gossip and secret sticky notes.
"But I won't be bullied. I'm a good teacher!"
Maybe you will. Maybe you won't. Unfortunately some Education Queensland administrators are Bad Apple Bullies.
Bad Apple Bullies are also known as "serial bullies", "workplace psychopaths" or "socialised psychopaths". (Link)
"It's a talent flight. The best and brightest are driven out. The slugs, the slow-minded, dimwitted sycophants are the bully's allies." ~ (Gary Namie, co-founder of the Workplace Bullying and trauma Institute in Bellingham, Wash., quoted in: Companies must deal with workplace bullies or lose brightest employees; expert, Camille Bains, CBC News: Business, May 8, 2006.)
A rather intense Website with abundant stories, references and links.
Main Website
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Edited by - JK on 02/17/2008 4:38:43 PM |
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JK
Top Member
USA
7307 Posts |
Posted - 04/12/2008 : 01:36:31 AM
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Moses Lake student's hair set on fire
By Candice Boutilier
Apr 08 2008
Columbia Basin Herald
PMMOSES LAKE - School officials and law enforcement are investigating an incident where one student lit another student's hair on fire while riding a school bus last week.
Scott Hagy said his 15-year-old son was riding the bus to Moses Lake High School and a student allegedly lit his son's hair on fire.
He said approximately one handful of the teen's long hair was singed off. His son did not know his hair was burning until several other students told him and started patting it out, Hagy said.
He said he is upset about the situation because his son is often bullied in school for having a form of autism called Asperger syndrome. The syndrome is a developmental disorder characterized by trouble with social interactions and often accompanied by repetitive behavior patterns.
Hagy said he did not feel the situation is being handled properly by school officials and worries his son may be bullied more as a result of reporting the incident.
When the students exited the bus, Hagy's son hit the student who allegedly lit his hair on fire.
He said both students spoke with Assistant Principal Abe Ramirez about the incident.
Janis Hagy said she feels let down by school officials. She claims phone calls are not usually returned by Ramirez or the school resource officer regarding the assault or several other incidents where her son was allegedly bullied.
Janis Hagy said she wants her son to be able to go to school and learn in a safe environment.
She said they have no way of knowing if the alleged offending student was punished because school officials say the information is confidential. School officials told her they are reviewing the situation.
Moses Lake School District Superintendent Dr. Steve Chestnut said the incident is being taken seriously and may have been recorded on surveillance footage filmed on the school bus.
Chestnut said they must determine if the student lit the hair on fire and take into consideration what the police determine. Chestnut said it's possible the hair was not lit on fire.
He said usually if an incident happens on a school bus, the district does not handle the situation. Chestnut said typically bus garage officials investigate the matter and implement punishment, but due to the severity of the allegation, the school district became involved.
Scott Hagy said his son is worried about going to school, but continues attending while worrying if students will bully him.
"Stuff like this shouldn't happen," Scott Hagy said.
Moses Lake Police Capt. Dave Ruffin said if a student lit the teen's hair on fire, criminal charges could be pursued. The suspect could face charges from reckless endangerment to felony assault. He said it depends on the burns and if there was an intent to cause harm.
The victim, if he hit the alleged offender, could also face criminal charges depending on similar factors.
Click Here for source
Take a Stand, Lend a Hand - Stop Bullying Now!
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JK
Top Member
USA
7307 Posts |
Posted - 04/19/2008 : 6:16:29 PM
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Fight caught on video at Montesano High
By Leif Nesheim
Apr 19 2008
The Daily World
MONTESANO — An apparent case of schoolyard bullying at Montesano Junior/Senior High School late last month escalated into a fight that sent one student to the hospital. Another student recorded the incident with a cell phone video recorder.
The victim, a 12-year-old boy in the seventh grade, was shoved into gym lockers and punched several times in the head and stomach by his 14-year-old assailant March 27 before another student stopped the fight, said Montesano Police Chief Ray Sowers, reading from the police report. It does not appear as if the fight was recorded with the intent to post it online as part of the bullying, Sowers said.
The younger boy and fellow students didn’t tell teachers or staff of the incident, which happened during the last class period, Sowers said. Instead, the boy was dropped off by the bus near his home. The boy said he remembers walking to his lawn then waking up to his dog licking his face, Sowers said.
His brother found him and his mother later took him to Mark Reed Hospital in McCleary and called school district officials and police, Sowers said.
The police investigation is wrapping up this week to be forwarded to the county juvenile prosecutor for a possible misdemeanor assault charge against the alleged perpetrator, Sowers said. He did not disclose the boys’ names because they are juveniles.
The school took appropriate action in the case, said Marti Harruff, district administrator.
“It’s a discipline issue and investigation at this time,” she said.
The school characterized the incident as a fight between two students rather than an incident of bullying, said Principal Bob Corley. Corley declined to comment on student discipline. However, the alleged instigator is not in school at this time, Corley said. There are a handful of mostly minor fights each year, Corley said.
This incident began with some name-calling earlier in the day, Sowers said.
“There had been some bullying going on all day,” he said.
Click Here for full story
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Sixth Graders Attend Tolerance Training
By Peggy Maslow
Apr 18 2006
Port Washington News
While the study of the Holocaust is part of the middle school eighth-grade curriculum, the entire Weber Middle School sixth grade visited the Nassau County Holocaust Museum and Tolerance Center in Glen Cove as an anti-bullying exercise.
Arriving on four different days in groups of about 100 students, they later filled out evaluation forms that asked: What was the most important thing you learned about yourself today?
Students wrote: "I learned that I have always been a bystander and I should stick up for others." - "I do bully (others) and I should stop." - " I can put an idea into action and I shouldn't just watch bullying because I am not affected." - "If I try, I can stand up to a bully." - "We need to be more tolerant of others so we can live in a better community." There were also answers to this question such as "I am really interested in the Holocaust."
One unusual student response was, "I learned I could sit longer than I thought I could because the information was really interesting."
After the students arrived at the center by school bus they saw a 15-minute video called Daniel's Story, which gave a brief history of the Holocaust from a German Jewish child's point of view. Then a Holocaust survivor spoke for close to an hour and answered questions. Gloria Glantz, from Port Washington, was one of the survivors who gave testimony.
Next students moved into six smaller groups to have discussions with a facilitator. The Weber students described their own experiences with being a bully, a victim of intolerance, a bystander or a hero, someone who stopped the bullying they saw. They finished the small groups doing an improvisation using one of the experiences told by a student with explicit words that can be said by victims, heroes and bystanders to stop bullies.
Before a pizza lunch, students viewed and discussed two sections of a documentary video called Not in Our Town, which demonstrated how the people of Billings, Montana, banded together as a community to stop racism and intolerance.
After pizza the students returned to their small groups to discuss how to improve tolerance at school or in their communities. Then they tried to devise a plan to implement at school.
Click Here for full story
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JK
Top Member
USA
7307 Posts |
Posted - 04/19/2008 : 6:36:43 PM
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Protecting your kids from bullies
April is Victim's Awareness Month. One local school is using this as an opportunity to prevent bullying.
By Nicole Papageorge
Apr 14, 2008
WINK TV Southwest Florida
CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. - April is Victim's Awareness Month. One local school is using this as an opportunity to prevent bullying.
Everyday this week, students at Peace River Elementary will watch videos on bullying and participate in activities that will teach them how to deal with the problem.
"It's not so important about what happens to the student who does the bullying because that person's being care of," says Assistant Superintendent Dr. Donna Widmeyer. "If I'm the parent of a child who's being bullied what I really should be paying attention to is what is my child learning about how to avoid being a target."
School officials say students who are targeted should always ignore the bully and tell an adult.
Donna Kisil's 11-year-old daughter, who is a student at Peace River Elementary School, was a recent target of a bully. She says her daughter was tormented for months on the bus and was even smacked across the face. She says although Bully Prevention Week is a step in the right direction, she doesn't believe bullies are punished enough.
"Schools should be a safe learning environment and your child should feel safe going to school not feeling sick every morning without having stomach aches and headaches," says Kisil. They need to feel safe, so they can just learn."
STORY COMMENTS
Donna wrote ...The school needs to take more action against the bully and not focus so much on avoiding being a target!!!!!!!
Anonymous wrote ...Being the parent of a 2-year-old, I am so scared to think of what my child may grow up with. When a child can't even go to school because they are physically sick from fear of being bullied, I think that's time teachers and parents stood up and took control. Take responsibility for your child and teach them what is right and wrong. There needs to be much harsher punishment for bullying, parents need to be MUCH more aware of their child's actions. Step up and be a parent!!!!
Scott wrote ...Strict Punishment that other students can see will be a great deterant to future occurances.
Tabby Williams wrote ...The school needs to give the bullies more severe punnishments. If they do, the bullies and their parents would take it more serious.
JimT wrote ...The comment by the school about dont worry about the bully,we need to focus on what the victim can do to avoid being a target is obscene-would Wink support this statement if the subject was rape? The intent of Kisil's interview was that the school was NOT addressing the issue & was NOT disciplining bullies who slapped & punched her daughter-in fact she was told that if her daughter defended herself she would be suspended. Placing the blame on the victim only encourages bullies.
Click Here for full story
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JK
Top Member
USA
7307 Posts |
Posted - 04/19/2008 : 6:53:21 PM
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Workplace Bullying Not Only Unfair But Bad for Business
Apr 14 2008
KTIV-TV Sioux City
When you think of bullying, most of us image a problem between students.
But teachers can bully other teachers too.
Monday, West High School invited nationally renowned speaker Doctor Gary Namie to give a presentation on workplace bullying.
Dr. Namie is widely regarded as the leading expert on workplace bullying.
He told West High teachers, staff, and administrators that bullying is not only unfair, but bad for business.
Dr. Namie, "Bullying is a distraction. It takes teachers off of the mission. It dilutes the power of the district and the focus of the district."
Click Here for source
Workplace Bullying: It's Got To Stop
Apr 14 2008
KTIV-TV Sioux City
Bullying isn't just a playground problem.
Teachers can also feel bullied at school by other teachers.
One Sioux City high school tried to bring about change to that Monday.
Adults bullying their co-workers is a bigger problem than you might think. In fact, according to research done by the Workplace Bullying Institute, it's most common among teachers and nurses.
"They're helpers, they're pro-socially-oriented," said Dr. Gary Namie, the founder of the Workplace Bulling Institute. "And they're really ripe to become targets."
Namie is widely regarded to be the leading expert on workplace bullying, and he spoke to teachers, staff, and administrators Monday at West High School about the issue.
"Bullying is a distraction," he said. "It takes teachers off of the mission, it dilutes the power of the district and the focus of the district."
"It isn't just about students," said Jim Vanderloo, West High's principal. "It's about adults, it's about the workplace. And we're not insinuating that West High has an issue, but we're firm believers to being proactive to reactive."
"I think we've all experienced some bullying," said Marcia Waitt, a psychology and sociology teacher. "And I think that when you have it brought out to light, it makes you think how other people are effected."
The breadth of workplace bullying is startling. According to a Zogby survey done last September, 37 percent of American workers, roughly 54 million people, have been bullied at work.
Dr. Namie said if you believe you're being bullied at work, the best thing to do is document it, build a case, and present your case to company leaders.
The Workplace Bullying Institute is currently lobbying for legislation in 13 states that would classify workplace bullying as harassment, punishable by law.
Click Here for source
Click the link to receive a free customizable brochure (MS Word template) that can be reproduced and given to parents - "The seven highly effective steps to keeping your child safe" - Click Here for Link
FREE School Bus Safety Ads & Photo Library
Post Check, Hostage Takeover, Bus Fire and special effects photos now available Free to use at websites, in newsletters, memos, the local press, letters to parents and more. This is a very popular Website. If you can't get in bookmark the page and try again later.
There is no school bus driver shortage!
Properly train, effective support and pay that retains. |
Edited by - JK on 04/25/2008 09:40:02 AM |
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JK
Top Member
USA
7307 Posts |
Posted - 04/19/2008 : 7:02:58 PM
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This sounds like a case of workplace bullying
By DR. JOYCE BROTHERS
SYNDICATED COLUMNIST
April 14, 2008
DEAR DR. BROTHERS: I have a problem that is making me sick. I have a good job that I enjoyed for three years, until a new supervisor came into the office. Although I was nice to him and did my work as usual, he started to totally ignore me and my efforts. He never speaks to me and asks others to review my work. I am the only one in the office being treated this way, and I have asked him if I have done something to offend him, but he just looks at me and walks away. What can I do? -- L.A.
DEAR L.A.: You made the right move in trying to talk with your supervisor about the problem first. It's always a good idea to try to clear the air first to prevent any misunderstandings. But you may need to take further steps to correct the situation. There's a great deal of difference between a friend treating you this way and an employer doing so. It sounds like you may actually be a victim of workplace bullying. A recent study presented at the International Conference on Work, Stress and Health found that being bullied at work actually affects workers more than sexual harassment. Not that being bullied is somehow more serious than being sexually harassed -- it's just that employees are better trained in what exactly constitutes harassment, and systems are already in place to deal with the problem. Workplace bullying is not so clearly defined and is harder to recognize. We usually equate the term "bullying" with some very obvious form of physical or verbal confrontation, but the reality often is far more subtle. You don't need a black eye to prove that you've been bullied. Gather witnesses and seek out higher management for a solution before it goes any further.
Click Here for source
Click the link to receive a free customizable brochure (MS Word template) that can be reproduced and given to parents - "The seven highly effective steps to keeping your child safe" - Click Here for Link
FREE School Bus Safety Ads & Photo Library
Post Check, Hostage Takeover, Bus Fire and special effects photos now available Free to use at websites, in newsletters, memos, the local press, letters to parents and more. This is a very popular Website. If you can't get in bookmark the page and try again later.
There is no school bus driver shortage!
Properly train, effective support and pay that retains. |
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Mr. Dave
Senior Member
United States
120 Posts |
Posted - 04/26/2008 : 1:53:56 PM
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I am not sure I want to write this post. I have been away a fue years, I don,t remember why I left the forum. This thread on the hostile workplace sounded interesting. I found a hostile tread instead. To those attacking JK I say if you do not have anything to say on the tread don't post , just go on your way. Do not tease the bear. To JK please don't go for the bait. Please try not to dominate the discussion. I know some of your qualifications and it erks me to see you abused. However I can see how you set yourself up as a target.
To all consider this as a conersation. Develope a rythem Listin, Think, speek, Listin, Listin, Think, Think, Think, speek, etc.
salom dave |
Shiny side up
Greasy side down |
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JK
Top Member
USA
7307 Posts |
Posted - 04/26/2008 : 9:50:08 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Mr. Dave
... I can see how you set yourself up as a target. ...
Yes, looks like I did. I'm glad you're back. Missed your excellent posts and insight in to this profession. (jk)
FREE School Bus Safety Ads & Photo Library
Post Check, Hostage Takeover, Bus Fire, Danger Zones and special effects photos now available Free to use at websites, in newsletters, memos, the local press, letters to parents and more. This is a very popular Website. If you can't get in bookmark the page and try again later.
There is no school bus driver shortage!
Properly train, effective support and pay that retains. |
Edited by - JK on 04/26/2008 9:56:50 PM |
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JK
Top Member
USA
7307 Posts |
Posted - 04/26/2008 : 11:55:25 PM
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"We believe if some action is not taken against these boys they will keep bullying smaller kids at school. This as been going on for a year with no action on the part of the school to stop it. These boys are old enough to know this type of behavior is wrong. But if someone doesn't do something, it will just keep on happening because they are not made to accept any responsibility for their actions." ~ Dalton's mother, Aimee Woodring
STORIES
Glenpool: School told to submit tape in assault case
The district says student privacy laws forbid it from turning over the videotape from a school bus.
By NORA FROESCHLE World Staff Writer
Apr 3 2008
Tulsa World
GLENPOOL, OK -- A subpoena has been issued ordering Glenpool Public Schools to turn over a videotape from a school bus that could contain evidence of an alleged assault that's being investigated by police.
The school district says it cannot release the tape because it is considered a student record and therefore is protected by federal law.
A complaint was filed Feb. 14 with the Glenpool Police Department on behalf of the victim, a seventh-grader at Glenpool Middle School.
According to a police report by Sgt. James Harris, the victim was "punched in the head by one subject and possibly burned with a lighter by another" on a Glenpool school bus on the afternoon of Jan. 31.
Aimee Woodring, whose son is the victim, said school officials discouraged her and her husband from filing a police report immediately after the incident.
"We were told that we could not file a police report until the school reviewed the tape with the school resource officer," Woodring said.
"I am not one to make waves, but we have spent the last two months trying to get a response from the school."
Doug Mann, the school district's attorney, said neither he nor anyone else with the district discouraged the filing of a report with the police.
"That didn't happen," he said. "Glenpool schools would not presume to tell anybody" to file or not file any report.
The police report states that Harris requested the videotape from the school's transportation director, Johnny Barnes, but was told that it could not be released without Superintendent Kathy Coley's consent.
The city's Police Department then sought help from the Oklahoma Attorney General's Office, which filed the subpoena seeking the videotape.
According to the subpoena, the school district has until April 15 to turn over the tape, the police report states.
Coley confirmed Wednesday that a videotape of the incident exists. She said she was unaware of the police request for it but knew of the attorney general's subpoena.
"The video is considered an educational record of the student and as such falls under the federal law," Coley said. "We are working to fulfill all the requirements of the federal law."
Mann said the release of the videotape falls under the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
"The courts say that video of kids on a bus is considered student information under FERPA," he said. "We have an obligation to tell all the kids on this videotape that this has been subpoenaed. We have to have permission or waiver from every kid's parents."
The fact that the videotape could contain evidence of a crime does not change the district's position, he said.
Woodring said her son has been bullied repeatedly on the bus and in the hallways at the school.
The assailants no longer ride the bus, she said.
Coley said she believes that Woodring has a meeting this week with an administrator, but she has not heard of further incidents of bullying.
Mann said the district conducted an investigation and took appropriate action.
Click Here for source
* * * *
School releases tape of bus assault
Apr 14 2008
Tulsa World
GLENPOOL -- Superintendent Kathy Coley Monday provided Glenpool Police Chief Dennis Waller with a videotape the police department had requested from the school district in February. ...
Click Here for full story
* * * *
Assault and battery charges filed against Glenpool teens
Updated
Apr 24 2008
Glenpool Post
... Dalton's mother, Aimee Woodring, said "We believe if some action is not taken against these boys they will keep bullying smaller kids at school. This as been going on for a year with no action on the part of the school to stop it. These boys are old enough to know this type of behavior is wrong. But if someone doesn't do something, it will just keep on happening because they are not made to accept any responsibility for their actions."
"I want charges against them to be filed and the matter to go to court. As least that way, they will realize there is consequences for their actions."
Glenpool Middle School Principal Danna Garland said "We took immediate, disciplinary action, actually rather stiff action, the next day after the incident was reported. It was dealt with in the most appropriate manner possible." Garland said she could not reveal what disciplinary action was taken.
Click Here for full story
FOR KIDS
Take a Stand, Lend a Hand - Stop Bullying Now!
- FREE VIDEO DOWNLOADS -
FREE School Bus Safety Ads & Photo Library
Post Check, Hostage Takeover, Bus Fire, Danger Zones and special effects photos now available Free to use at websites, in newsletters, memos, the local press, letters to parents and more. This is a very popular Website. If you can't get in bookmark the page and try again later.
There is no school bus driver shortage!
Properly train, effective support and pay that retains. |
Edited by - JK on 04/27/2008 12:04:03 AM |
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sbd37091
Senior Member
93 Posts |
Posted - 04/27/2008 : 5:02:35 PM
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The biggest forum bully that I know of is "JK".
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guzaldo
Advanced Member
421 Posts |
Posted - 04/28/2008 : 04:43:25 AM
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| He does have his serious flaws, I just put is down to SMS, a sad childhood and delusions of grandeur. |
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sbd37091
Senior Member
93 Posts |
Posted - 04/28/2008 : 6:41:07 PM
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| I agree with you guzaldo. JK is a legend in his own mind. |
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JK
Top Member
USA
7307 Posts |
Posted - 04/28/2008 : 8:29:58 PM
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Why Employees Leave
by Martyn Carruthers
Systemic Solutions
Most employees leave their work for reasons other than money - and your organization can correct these reasons. Most leaving employees seek opportunities that allow them to use and develop their skills. Leaving employees want more meaning in their work. They often indicate that they want to use their qualities and skills in challenging teamwork led by capable leaders.
Managerial staff cite "career growth" and "leadership" as the major factors that influence attrition and retention, together with "opportunities for management" "ability of top management" "use of skills and abilities" and work/family balance
Professional employees cite concerns about "supervisory coaching and counseling," "company direction" and interesting work
Clerical employees voice concerns such as "type of work," "use of skills and abilities" and opportunities to learn
Hourly employees notice whether they are treated with respect, have capable management and interesting work.
Employee attrition costs 12 to 18 months’ salary for each leaving manager or professional, and 4 to 6 months' pay for each leaving clerical or hourly employee. According to a study by Ipsos-Reid, 30% of employees plan to change jobs in the next two years. Do the math and discover how much your company may pay for attrition.
Employee Orientation
New employees who attend a positive orientation program are 70% more likely to be with the company three years later (Corning Glass).
Mergers/Acquisitions
Lee Hecht Harrison, a HR consulting firm, advises, "Far more employees will leave following a restructuring than are laid-off or terminated as a result of downsizing. This lost talent, and cost can be minimized through good communication."
Exit Interviews
Exit interviews provide an excellent source of information of internal problems, employees' perceptions of the organization, underlying workplace issues, and managers' leadership abilities.
Ineffective Managers
High employee turnover can be recognized and properly attributed to poor managerial performance, emotional intelligence and ineffective leadership. Poorly selected or improperly trained managers can be expensive...
A Workforce Magazine article, "Knowing how to keep your best and brightest," reported the results of interviews with 20,000 departing workers. The main reason that employees chose to leave was poor management. HR magazine found that 95 percent of exiting employees attributed their search for a new position to an ineffective manager.
People don’t leave jobs, they leave managers! Replace managers who will not develop relationship skills.
(This article was edited from a longer transcript)
Click Here for Website
Click the link to receive a free customizable brochure (MS Word template) that can be reproduced and given to parents - "The seven highly effective steps to keeping your child safe" - Click Here for Link
FREE School Bus Safety Ads & Photo Library
Post Check, Hostage Takeover, Bus Fire, Danger Zones and special effects photos now available Free to use at websites, in newsletters, memos, the local press, letters to parents and more. This is a very popular Website. If you can't get in bookmark the page and try again later.
There is no school bus driver shortage!
Properly train, effective support and pay that retains. |
Edited by - JK on 04/29/2008 10:59:24 AM |
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guzaldo
Advanced Member
421 Posts |
Posted - 04/29/2008 : 05:20:37 AM
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| Interesting web site - please post the URL for this article on "Systemic Solutions" I can't seem to find it. |
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guzaldo
Advanced Member
421 Posts |
Posted - 04/29/2008 : 3:09:12 PM
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(This article was edited from a longer transcript)
You added the above when I asked for a link to the actual article, now did you take some liberty and add your own text to make some sort of point? Come on fess up.
Just supply the link so we don't think you are just making things up again. |
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Sandra (Ennis) Nunn
Top Member
Canada
1180 Posts |
Posted - 04/29/2008 : 7:19:32 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by guzaldo
(This article was edited from a longer transcript)
You added the above when I asked for a link to the actual article, now did you take some liberty and add your own text to make some sort of point? Come on fess up.
Just supply the link so we don't think you are just making things up again.
I think this links to the quoted article guzaldo: http://www.systemiccoaching.com/attrition.htm |
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JK
Top Member
USA
7307 Posts |
Posted - 04/29/2008 : 7:27:42 PM
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Students support anti-bully bill
By Brittany Benner
Apr 29 2008
Tampa Bay's 10 News
Tallahassee, Florida -- Students are taking action when it comes to stopping bullying and they are lobbying for anti- bully laws.
Dozens of teens are taking advantage of the time left during Florida’s legislative session, making the trip to Tallahassee to voice their support of an anti-bullying bill.
“I’ve been bullied almost all of my life and I know how it feels,” said 13-year-old Loraina Nunez Del Arcle.
The bill is called “Jeffrey Johnston Stand Up For All Students Act,” named after a teen who committed suicide as a result of bullying.
Jeff’s mom rallied support for this legislation with these students for the third year in a row. This time, they’re looking for more online regulation.
“It’s important for parents to realize the dangers that their kids actually are facing on the Internet,” said Audra Martin, MISS UCF.
This bill would prohibit all bullying on schools grounds and online. No matter where the bullying takes place, teachers and authorities would be able to discipline students.
It also provides immunity to people who report bullying, and it would require that both the victim and the bully’s parents are notified.
“We’re here to tell people that they’re not alone and we’re trying to stand up for them as well as standing up for ourselves,” said student, Sadie Pavel.
And by standing up for new legislation, they hope will stop bullying.
Anti-bullying legislation passed Florida’s House of Representatives, but still awaits approval from Florida’s Senate and Governor Crist.
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JK
Top Member
USA
7307 Posts |
Posted - 04/30/2008 : 12:41:13 AM
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Parents sue son’s bully, threaten school district
Boy, 16, says his tormentors first targeted him in elementary school
By Mike Celizic
Mar 26 2008
TODAYShow.com contributor
They started picking on Billy Wolfe in elementary school. In middle school, the assault of vicious words was joined by fists. In high school, it's the same.
When bullies in one Arkansas community, feel the need to beat somebody up, they look for Billy Wolfe.
“I’m not completely sure,” the 16-year-old boy said on Wednesday on TODAY when asked why his life has been one of black eyes, cuts and bruises.
With his mom, Penney Wolfe, at his side, the Fayetteville, Ark., student watched as videos play. One shows a bully jumping him on the school bus and slamming his head against the window. Another, taken by a bully’s accomplice, shows a kid getting out of a car at Billy’s bus stop, walking purposefully up to him, and slugging him in the face.
“They get away with it, so they think they can just keep doing it,” Billy told TODAY co-host Matt Lauer. “I don’t really know what started it. Maybe ’cause I moved here in elementary school and it followed me all the way to high school.”
Click Here for full story
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Bullying costs school $4M
Parents of a student at Hillel School of Tampa sue after a bully breaks their son's arm.
By COLLEEN JENKINS
Oct 23 2007
St. Petersburg Times
TAMPA -- After a bully attacked Danny Heidenberg at Hillel School of Tampa, his parents complained to the principal of the Jewish community day school.
When the bully broke 12-year-old Danny's arm in January 2004, they sued.
On Monday, a Hillsborough jury ordered the school to pay $4-million for failing to keep Danny safe.
Now 16, he has permanent nerve damage in his left hand and likely won't be able to follow in his surgeon parents' footsteps. The verdict sends a strong message to schools, the family's attorney said.
"Schools have to wake up to the point that bullying is serious and supervision is serious," said David Tirella, an attorney with Cohen, Jayson & Foster. "They allowed a bully to escalate."
Hillel officials and their attorney would not comment.
Jurors, some of them parents and grandparents, had to decide whether Danny's injuries resulted from unavoidable roughhousing between preteen boys or the school faculty's inadequate supervision of bullying.
The issue isn't unique to Hillel, a private school on Fletcher Avenue. During the 2006-07 school year, Hillsborough public schools reported 266 bullying incidents. Officials concede such incidents are vastly under-reported.
Click Here for full story
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Parents settle suit for alleged bullying by their children
Father faults them and school district for the two year of taunts his son endured
By S.L. WYKES
Oct. 15 2005
San Jose Mercury News
SAN JOSE, CALIF. - The parents of students accused of harassing a classmate have settled a lawsuit filed against them and a San Mateo County, Calif., school district where the alleged name-calling occurred.
Lawsuits against the parents of alleged bullies are rare, with school officials usually the first to be accused of not doing enough to stop bullying. But Shaposhnikov v. the Pacifica School District and John Roes 1-10 may be part of a new approach to finding legal fault — and somebody to pay financial damages — when bullying goes unchallenged, experts say.
In this suit, Mark Shaposhnikov alleges the district allowed his son, a competitive dancer, to be taunted with homosexual slurs for two years in middle school, in violation of federal laws forbidding harassment and discrimination. Shaposhnikov says he met many times with school officials — and that nothing changed until he filed the lawsuit.
Vicarious liability
"Our position was 'OK, school, you're responsible,' and the school came back repeatedly and said, 'No, we're not. We communicated with the parents and repeatedly told them about this,' " said Paul Smoot, the attorney representing the Shaposhnikovs.
So, the suit used a legal principle called vicarious liability, the idea that parents are responsible for their children's behavior — in this case, "intentional infliction of emotional distress," Smoot said.
Six of the parents of alleged bullies named in the suit have settled, but terms of the deal are confidential, Smoot said. The other four parents have not been located.
Click Here for full story
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Does your State have an Anti Bullying Law? - For Parents & Students
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Edited by - JK on 04/30/2008 6:39:03 PM |
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JK
Top Member
USA
7307 Posts |
Posted - 04/30/2008 : 11:13:34 AM
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"(This article was edited from a longer transcript)
You added the above when I asked for a link to the actual article, now did you take some liberty and add your own text to make some sort of point? Come on fess up. Just supply the link so we don't think you are just making things up again."
"The biggest forum bully that I know of is "JK""
"He does have his serious flaws, I just put is down to SMS, a sad childhood and delusions of grandeur."
"I agree with you [name]. JK is a legend in his own mind."
----------------------------------
Incredible. This hostile workplace thread is a perfect place for bullies and wannbe's to demonstrate their talent amongst all the hostile workplace bullying data and resource links provided. (jk)
More at this link, an entire thread that began with an invention – a false assumption, a rumor - or could it be called a lie? One poster was noncompliant to the clique's status quo.
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Edited by - JK on 05/13/2008 8:28:45 PM |
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CPSBUS67
Senior Member
USA
113 Posts |
Posted - 05/13/2008 : 6:55:25 PM
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| WOW for a post about bullies there sure are alot of them posting here(this is my opinion which I am entitled to by federal law)It appears that we all have the same overall objective incommon so.............cant we all just get along????????????.....................OH and I find Alot of JK's posts helpful so keep em commin JK |
GIVE ME A THOMAS AND NO ONE GETS HURT!!!!!!! |
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JK
Top Member
USA
7307 Posts |
Posted - 05/13/2008 : 9:36:08 PM
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Legal Leap for Workplace Bullying
The First U.S. "Bullying Trial" - Indiana
The Indiana Supreme Court found no error in the trial court's ruling that allowed Dr. Namie's "expert" testimony. According to the court, the term "workplace bullying" can be used because the phrase is "like other general terms used to characterize a person's behavior...." It also found that the trial court did not err in refusing to instruct the jury that workplace bullying, in and of itself, is not illegal.
Workplace Bullying Gains Legal Ground
Workplace Bullying Institute (WBI)
April 11, 2008
BELLINGHAM, WA - On Tuesday this week the Indiana Supreme Court rendered its decision in the so-called “bullying trial.” By a 4 to 1 vote, the Court affirmed the trial jury’s verdict against Dan Raess, M.D. for his intimidating assault of Joe Doescher, former chief perfusionist and original plaintiff in the case. It restored the jury’s award to Doescher of $325,000. [Raess v. Doescher, No. 49S02-0710-CV-424, Indiana Supreme Court, 4/8/08]
Mr. Doescher won the March, 2005 jury trial in Marion County Court; Raess’ appeal reversed the verdict; Doescher’s Supreme Court oral arguments were heard on Oct. 10, 2007.
At trial, Gary Namie, PhD, Director of the Workplace Bullying Institute (WBI), testified that Dr. Raess a “workplace abuser.” The success of the Raess appeal was partly based on admission of that expert testimony.
In the Supreme Court’s reversal of the appellate court the justices commented that “workplace bullying could ‘be considered a form of intentional infliction of emotional distress.’” Emotional distress is an acceptable basis for employment litigation; workplace bullying has not been.
“For too long, American employment law has ignored base cruelty in the workplace. This welcomed decision by the Indiana Supreme Court sends an encouraging message that workplace bullying should be taken seriously by our legal system,” says Suffolk University Law
Professor David Yamada.
There are no current American laws against workplace bullying. The WBI-Legislative Campaign is responsible for anti-bullying legislation (written by Prof. Yamada) introduced in 13 states since 2003. Three bills New York state bills are active in 2008. Earlier in 2008, bills died in Washington, Vermont & Connecticut.
“This legal opinion will certainly bolster the workplace bullying movement,” says Gary Namie, He predicts that the farther-reaching effect beyond litigation will be to “legitimize workers who are bullied but disbelieved.”
April 11, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Workplace Bullying Gains Legal Ground:
Indiana Supreme Court
bullyinginstitute.org Click Here for Website
Contact:
Joe Doescher, 317-783-6713
Gary Namie, WBI, Bellingham, WA, 360-656-6630
David C. Yamada, Suffolk Law School, Boston, MA , 617-573-8543
Case documents can be found at: Click Here for resource
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Edited by - JK on 05/13/2008 9:42:43 PM |
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JK
Top Member
USA
7307 Posts |
Posted - 05/13/2008 : 10:01:56 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by CPSBUS67
.............cant we all just get along????????????...........
Unfortunately bullies and their wannabe's are on an entirely different agenda than just getting along would provide for. The recent Indiana Supreme Court decision is already referred to in other states as a valid reference to acknowledging "Workplace Bullying" as a legal term that refers to a form of harassment in the workplace. Workplace bullies are falling under the limelight more often these days, their malbehavior presented and understood from this thread's resources can help both employers and employees define the malbehavior and then proceed to put a stop to workplace bullying before the courts do. Over 4,000 visits to this thread as of this post would suggest interest in this topic is adequate. Thank you for posting your excellent thoughts. (jk)
SuccessFactors [a California software company] has you sign a statement saying you won't be an a**hole, and they fire you if you are. ~ Story, 'Beating back the office bully' Click Here for full story Featured on Page Two (scroll down to story).
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Edited by - JK on 05/26/2008 08:13:29 AM |
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JK
Top Member
USA
7307 Posts |
Posted - 06/13/2008 : 10:03:10 AM
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Dad of Anderson Middle School student sues over beating she took on bus in 2007
By Megan V. Winslow
June 12, 2008
Scripps Newspaper Group, Martin County
STUART — The father of an Anderson Middle School student beaten by classmates on her school bus in 2007 is suing the Martin County School Board for negligence.
The father is seeking in excess of $25,000 from the School Board, the School District’s transportation department, the bus driver and the driver’s assistant to pay for his daughter’s medical expenses, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Martin County Circuit Court.
On May 7, several students on the bus participated in harassing the girl, and she was eventually beaten and bloodied, according to the lawsuit and law enforcement reports about the incident.
The four defendants were negligent by failing to supervise the children, according to the lawsuit.
Although the bus driver and the assistant were arrested and charged with child neglect for failing to stop the attack, the State Attorney’s Office dropped the charges after an investigation.
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Edited by - JK on 06/13/2008 10:10:33 AM |
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JK
Top Member
USA
7307 Posts |
Posted - 06/24/2008 : 12:05:06 PM
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Battling bullying
After trying several avenues to resolve the situation, the mother has become frustrated at what she perceives as a lack of attention to the issue of bullies in Island schools.
TERESA WRIGHT
Jun 21 2008
The Guardian, Prince Edward Island
Excerpts - (long article)
On the first day of Grade 1, a group of students held him down while they shoved sand into his mouth. And it’s been more of the same ever since, she said.
“He had to face this kind of thing every day. Every day he was dealing with threats and bullying and humiliation. Every day,’’ the boy’s mother said, holding back tears.
And when he started junior high earlier this year, the bullying continued in new forms.
It wasn’t just happening at school. It was also occurring at the boy’s bus stop.
Many days he would often miss the bus on purpose to avoid facing his aggressors. Once, the boy would not leave his room for three days in an attempt to avoid going to school.
“I didn’t understand what was going on and he wouldn’t tell me anything,’’ his mother said.
“Finally I found out through other children that the bullying was ongoing. And the fact that he had to face that every day, he just went into deep depression and refused to leave his room because there was no way he was going to school.’’
After trying several avenues to resolve the situation, the mother has become frustrated at what she perceives as a lack of attention to the issue of bullies in Island schools.
“It’s a sad, scary situation, but bullying is definitely alive and well on P.E.I.,” she said. “I suspect a lot of people don’t want to believe that.”
Bullying among children is not new. But the level of awareness about bullying often comes in waves — brought forward by a situation that hits newsstands in bold headlines.
On P.E.I., an incident a few weeks ago involving a 17-year-old boy threatening another student with an axe aboard a school bus was the most recent event to bring the issue of bullying to the forefront.
Click Here for full story
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Edited by - JK on 06/28/2008 07:57:00 AM |
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JK
Top Member
USA
7307 Posts |
Posted - 06/28/2008 : 07:51:41 AM
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Suit filed against School District #81, Bus Company for fight
Court documents say she'd been warning teachers about problems she'd had with another girl.
Jun 26 2008
KREM 2 NEWS, Spokane, Washington
SPOKANE -- A Spokane mom claims no one did anything to help her daughter while she was being punched and beaten on a school bus, and now she's filed a lawsuit against Spokane public schools.
That fight between two Rogers High School girls happened back in February.
And according to court documents the victim says no one from the district -- or even the bus driver -- helped stop it.
The lawsuit names the district, first student -- the company that runs the busses, and the parents of the girl accused of beating her up.
Because both girls are underage we don't know their names, but according to court documents, this was not just a little fight.
It started at Rogers, when Melissa Bradley’s daughter got on the bus.
Court documents say she'd been warning teachers about problems she'd had with another girl.
Both girls got on the bus, and Bradley’s daughter says she was immediately attacked.
Court documents say she was punched, slapped -- had her hair pulled -- and was thrown on the floor of the bus, and the beating continued from there.
Bradley says the bus driver just stood there until someone broke up the fight, and her shoulder was dislocated -- and her arm was turning purple.
Paramedics took her to holy family for treatment, but Bradley says no one at the school tried to give her daughter first aid.
Bradley was out of town when we stopped by her house.
A family member said she probably wouldn't want to talk to us.
And because it's an ongoing lawsuit -- both the Spokane school district and first student said they can't talk about it.
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Edited by - JK on 06/28/2008 07:53:57 AM |
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JK
Top Member
USA
7307 Posts |
Posted - 06/28/2008 : 09:10:29 AM
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Court order ban for bully?
In the Children's Court last week, the parents of his alleged victim said the Education Department failed to act to protect their son from daily attacks. They are considering suing the State Government for neglect, arguing the department failed in its duty of care.
Ainsley Pavey
June 29, 2008
The Courier-Mail /Queensland Newspapers, Australia
A HIGH school student accused of bullying may be legally banned from going near his 12-year-old victim.
In a landmark court case, the 13-year-old Year 8 student is facing an application for a peace and good behaviour bond, which could prevent him attending his school on the Darling Downs.
In the Children's Court last week, the parents of his alleged victim said the Education Department failed to act to protect their son from daily attacks. They are considering suing the State Government for neglect, arguing the department failed in its duty of care.
"The department has been treating (the accused boy) with kid gloves, yet he is running riot," said the alleged victim's father, who cannot be named for legal reasons.
"When we complained to the school, we were told our son had anger-management problems. The school is 100 per cent liable, yet will not admit any liability."
The case will be considered at a hearing early next month.
The court could ban the student from going within a certain distance of his alleged victim, which could keep him out of the school grounds.
The father told The Sunday Mail: "Thousands of parents would go through this every day, and the schools don't want to get involved."
The alleged victim, who has been put on detention himself over the conflicts, says he is subjected to regular threats of assault, including blows to the back of the head.
The mother of the alleged bully has defended her son, despite admitting he had a history of schoolyard violence which included being suspended from primary school for bullying.
She said he was recently suspended for five days following an attack.
"He is not totally out of control," the mother said.
"I am not saying he is 'a home angel and a street devil'. I have had a lot of contact with the principal since the incident and (the boy) has been removed from the class. There is not much more the school can do." She said she would fight a court order, on the grounds her son was too young.
A check of court records shows there is no case in Queensland of a student being granted such a bond over another student for bullying.
However, in the New South Wales city of Newcastle, a 13-year-old school bully was placed on an 18-month good behaviour bond in September 2003 after grabbing a small boy by the neck and demanding he give him $5 the next day.
Queensland Education Minister Rod Welford last week defended Nerang State High School, where an alleged bully has avoided suspension despite attacking a former fellow student at a bus stop.
Education Queensland has declined to comment on whether it has breached a duty of care to the alleged victim in the Darling Downs case. A spokeswoman for Education Queensland said only: "Under common law, teachers owe to all students a duty of care to adhere to a reasonable standard of care to protect them from foreseeable harm.
"The department respects the process of law and will respect the terms of any decision made by the court."
She said the school had a responsible-behaviour plan in place as part of last year's introduction of the state-wide Code of School Behaviour.
Commissioner for Children and Young People Elizabeth Fraser said if students were not satisfied with a school's response, they could raise concerns with the commission's complaints team, which could be an advocate for them.
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JK
Top Member
USA
7307 Posts |
Posted - 06/28/2008 : 09:32:31 AM
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Marshfield Middle School Students find problems on school buses
Middle schoolers ask adults for their help in solving behavior issues
By Sydney Schwartz
Jun 27 2008
The Patriot Ledger | Quincy, MA
MARSHFIELD — Furnace Brook Middle School students say the community needs to examine student conduct on school buses.
The middle school SMAC Team, or “Students Making a Community,” found in a survey that many instances of bullying and disruptive behavior have taken place on school buses.
The survey found that on school buses, students eat and drink, including foods that others could be allergic to, handed out drugs or alcohol, and left trash behind.
Students said they witnessed verbal abuse, bullying, fighting, and sexual harassment on buses, and a few said they never felt safe riding the bus.
And many students said buses were overcrowded, and they saw students on the wrong buses, standing in the aisle and being disrespectful to the bus driver.
“There are a lot of students who drink and eat on the bus. They leave trash,” Principal Al Makein said. “It’s an uncontrolled environment.”
Seventy-three students said their greatest safety concern was eating and drinking, 155 said bullying and harassment, 127 said disruptive and dangerous behaviors, 285 said inappropriate language and 248 said overcrowding.
Makein said the survey was conducted by and of sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders and the results have not yet been fully analyzed, but he indicated the results should not be taken lightly.
He said there is a need for the school community to examine student conduct on buses and take steps to improve safety. He recommended a task force be set up.
“I don’t mean to paint a negative picture,” he added. “My SMAC Team felt the need to bring this forward ... We really have work to do.”
Makein said administrators have concerns about students who are aggressive, fight or throw things on buses. He said students have told him about other students who bring drugs on buses.
Oftentimes, he said, students go home on other buses or to the Boys and Girls Club after school without alerting anyone, leading to overcrowding. Students also stand up before the bus comes to a complete stop. At least one student has been injured, he said.
“There’s a false sense of immunity that once you leave school property you’re on this big yellow car that you can do what you want,” Superintendent Middleton McGoodwin said.
Makein expressed the need to examine bus safety in the school improvement plan, which he submitted to the school committee on Tuesday. Committee members recommended that Makein put together a group in his school.
McGoodwin recommended including parents, administrators, and teachers in a solution. He said a group could work with the bus company and develop some strategies and protocols.
The SMAC team was set up last year, after the New England League of Middle Schools assessment report indicated that students wanted an opportunity to be heard in how their school operates.
Last year, the SMAC team surveyed middle schoolers to see if they wanted the opportunity to eat a morning snack. The district later implemented a snack program.
This year, the team focused on student safety and behavior on school buses that transport students to and from school each day, McGoodwin said.
“Students have become involved and empowered. They want to make a good school a great school,” McGoodwin said. “They have identified an issue. They’re coming to the adults and saying let’s work together.”
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JK
Top Member
USA
7307 Posts |
Posted - 06/28/2008 : 11:04:14 AM
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REGIONAL NEWS
Only bullies benefit from legislation: victim
He began cutting himself and using drugs to cope with the situation, which, he said, was not dealt with by teachers or the principal to whom he confided.
By: Teresa Latchford
Jun 26 2008
yorkregion.com | Canada
After years of being bullied, one York Region student says school boards do little to help victims.
Daniel Sebben, formerly a Huron Heights Secondary School student, dropped out of school after persistent bullying that began in elementary school.
A group of his peers began to make comments about his sexual orientation, uttering the words “gay” and “faggot” in the halls, on the bus and even in the classroom.
He was afraid to attend school after having been told to “watch his back” and had difficulty concentrating in class as he was constantly thinking about running into his aggressors in the halls.
“It was horrible,” he said, slumped in a wooden kitchen chair.
“I tried my hardest to ignore all of it, but, eventually, after so much, it takes its toll on you.”
The harassment continued to escalate and one incident even resulted in violence.
In a classroom, Daniel stood up for himself when one of the bullies called him gay.
His peer picked him up from his seat, pushed him three times and then slapped him in the face, he said.
The parents were called into the school, but Daniel’s mother, Karen, chose not to press assault charges against the other student.
“It was the biggest mistake I ever made,” she said, fidgeting with a piece of paper at the kitchen table of their Newmarket home.
“I thought I didn’t want to take it that far because it was just a kid with his own problems, but I should have.”
She didn’t know the bullying had been recurring until one day after school when Daniel returned home and broke down emotionally, revealing all he had been keeping to himself.
The next year was tough as Daniel continued to attend school, but was becoming more emotionally distraught.
He began cutting himself and using drugs to cope with the situation, which, he said, was not dealt with by teachers or the principal to whom he confided.
“I was looking to relieve the pain and escape anyway I could,” he explained. “It really made me hate school.”
The bullying ripped the family apart as Mrs. Sebben tried to help her son manage, but soon felt overwhelmed. Both sought professional help, where Daniel was diagnosed with a disorder similar to post-traumatic stress syndrome.
At least one of the students was suspended and disciplined, but it did little to change the behaviour, Mrs. Sebben said.
Instead of inconveniencing his tormentors, Daniel was moved to an alternative bus stop as a partial solution to the harassment.
“I was the one who was put aside,” Daniel explained, crossing his arms on his chest.
“I had to change bus stops and I was the one who had to change my class schedule so I wouldn’t be in the same class as them and I didn’t do anything wrong.”
With the recent approval of Bill 212 — an education amendment act on progressive discipline and school safety intended to promote a more progressive and constructive approach to student discipline — Mrs. Sebben and Daniel are angry it states nothing about protecting or offering services for victims.
The bill outlines when a suspension or expulsion should be considered, when investigations should be conducted by the principal, and when programs, such as anger management, should be offered by the board to rehabilitate the offender and get him back into the classroom.
The goal is to get students who have done wrong, including bullies, to sort through their issues and rekindle the relationships that have been broken to minimize the loss of instructional days, public school board spokesperson Ross Virgo said.
“We find it far more beneficial to restore those relationships than to simply apply a punishment,” he said, adding three-day suspensions make it hard for students to catch up with lessons.
A restorative meeting was offered to give Daniel the opportunity to confront his bullies and talk through the situation to find a solution, but he refused the opportunity because he was terrified at the thought of facing his bullies, since he always tried to avoid them.
An independent psychologist also advised against it, considering Daniel’s emotional state at the time.
The policy in the public board is there for the teacher and, if needed, the principal to deal with the reported situation before it escalates. If the situation is more serious, for example assault causing harm, the police are called.
“We don’t throw up our hands and give up when addressing any situation,” Mr. Virgo said.
Mrs. Sebben disagrees.
After attempting to follow the appropriate steps to get help, she was repeatedly told by staff, principals and trustees, “My hands are tied”, even though discipline is outlined in Bill 212 as at the discretion of the principal.
A parent cannot go directly to the board as privacy laws do not allow her to know how the other student was punished.
She has sent numerous e-mails to school trustees and the school board and has had a meeting with her MPP, but still hasn’t found a solution or answer to her question as to why there is no legislation for victims, but there is a 22-page bill outlining programs for aggressors.
There is no legislation outlining programs for victims, but rather the help is in the form of policies and funding, Ontario Education Minister Kathleen Wynne admits.
The province has funded bully prevention programs, provided money to hire more child and youth workers and funded the Kids Help Phone, all which are for victims, she explained.
“We provide the money so the schools can support these students,” she said.
Psychologists are on staff for students who need help, Mr. Virgo confirmed, but Mrs. Sebben and Daniel were only offered services after he had been seeing his own professional for one year.
As for a family such as the Sebbens, who are dissatisfied with the solution, there are other paths to take, depending on the severity of the bullying, he explained.
If there are clearly legal ramifications of harassment, the case can be taken to the Human Rights Commission, Mr. Virgo said.
Daniel tried his case with the commission and a settlement was reached, although the details cannot be discussed, according to the commission.
The ministry is also working with a safe schools action team that will present recommendations to the minister regarding gender violence and homophobia, Mrs. Wynne said.
“When they make their recommendations, it may change the way we handle victims and bullying,” she said.
Daniel and his family have put the pieces back together and have been able to overcome the situation, but would hate for another family to have to go through the same situation.
Daniel will head back to school this fall, but urges the ministry to create more equality for victims through legislation.
“I would like to see more support for kids like me who really need it,” he said. “It was terrible and I don’t think it’s fair for victims to not feel safe going to school and not being able to get help when they need it.”
Click Here for source
Read the full version of Bill 212 at This Link
Click the link to receive a free customizable brochure (MS Word template) that can be reproduced and given to parents - "The seven highly effective steps to keeping your child safe" - Click Here for Link
FREE School Bus Safety Ads & Photo Library
Post Check, Hostage Takeover, Bus Fire, Danger Zones and special effects photos now available Free to use at websites, in newsletters, memos, the local press, letters to parents and more. This is a very popular Website. If you can't get in bookmark the page and try again later.
There is no school bus driver shortage!
Properly train, effective support and pay that retains. |
Edited by - JK on 06/28/2008 1:11:14 PM |
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JK
Top Member
USA
7307 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2008 : 01:20:38 AM
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Beating Back the Bullies
By Kaitlyn Pratt
Jul 08 2008
WSAV TV NEWS 3
GEORGIA - NEWS 3 found out the bullying topic went all the way up to the gold dome in Atlanta, but nothing happened. Georgia lawmakers considered a bill that would give added protections against school bullies, but that bill never even made it to a vote - and we wanted to know why. It's a disappointment for a family who says there needs to be action now.
"She cried out, and nobody came to help her," Don Cooper recalls.
The Cobb County father gets choked up, telling how bullies tormented his 10-year-old on the school bus.
"They had hit her before, pulled her hair, grabbed her backpack. But something happened different this time. Our daughter was sitting at the back of the bus, and essentially the two girls said, let's get her, and started to pull her clothes off and ... " he breaks off.
It happened in 2006. But his daughter is still struggling. "There's still times she wakes up in the middle of the night. And what she says is, 'The worst part, is nobody came to help." ...
Click Here for full story
Free customizable brochure (MS Word template) that can be reproduced and given to parents - "The seven highly effective steps to keeping your child safe" - Click Here for Link
FREE School Bus Safety Ads & Photo Library
Post Check, Hostage Takeover, Bus Fire, Danger Zones and special effects photos now available Free to use at websites, in newsletters, memos, the local press, letters to parents and more. This is a very popular Website. If you can't get in bookmark the page and try again later.
There is no school bus driver shortage!
Properly train, effective support and pay that retains. |
Edited by - JK on 07/11/2008 01:22:40 AM |
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JK
Top Member
USA
7307 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2008 : 01:59:45 AM
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Press Release
Bullying Prevention Focus of Upcoming Workshop for San Diego Area Teachers, Counselors, Principals
Monday July 7 2008
Bully Safe Schools, LLC
FORT WAYNE, Ind., July 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The new school year is right around the corner, and preparing for it means making sure students are safe from one of the most common forms of school violence -- bullying. National bullying prevention expert Tricia Peterson, MFT of San Jose will be in National City on August 12 to lead a one day Bully Busters workshop at the Comfort Inn South Bay.
Bully Busters is a research-based bullying prevention program for kindergarten through middle school. It has been proven to improve teacher skills and confidence in preventing and dealing with all forms of bullying -- from teasing and name calling to social exclusion.
"I'm really excited about Bully Busters because students like it and school staff like it. It uses principles that are easy to understand and to put in action. It addresses all the aspects of the bullying problem and gives principals, teachers and counselors tools to start using right away when they return to school," says Peterson. "When schools use this program and implement it throughout the school, they begin to see reductions in bullying and the school climate improves overall. When students are happier and less stressed out, school becomes a more relaxed and friendlier place. That translates to a better learning environment."
The support team leader workshop is an effective and cost efficient way to begin Bully Busters implementation for the upcoming 2008-2009 school year.
"We promote a whole school approach so everyone is on board. That is by far the most effective way to reduce bullying," Peterson says. "The best way to accomplish that is with a support team. A support team is made up of an administrator, a teacher from each grade, a counselor or social worker, a parent and several support staff members such as bus drivers, playground aides and cafeteria workers. This workshop will help people learn how to organize and lead a Bully Busters support team at their school."
To register, visit http://bullysafeschools.com/website/workshop.htm or call 877-869-5437.
About Bully Safe Schools
Bully Safe Schools, LLC ( http://www.bullysafeschools.com ) provides a wide range of bullying prevention services, including online Bully Safe Surveys for students and staff. Bully Safe Schools trainer/consultants are masters or doctoral level professionals with an average 17 years experience working with children, parents and schools.
Source Link: Bully Safe Schools, LLC
Free customizable brochure (MS Word template) that can be reproduced and given to parents - "The seven highly effective steps to keeping your child safe" - Click Here for Link
FREE School Bus Safety Ads & Photo Library
Post Check, Hostage Takeover, Bus Fire, Danger Zones and special effects photos now available Free to use at websites, in newsletters, memos, the local press, letters to parents and more. This is a very popular Website. If you can't get in bookmark the page and try again later.
There is no school bus driver shortage!
Properly train, effective support and pay that retains. |
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JK
Top Member
USA
7307 Posts |
Posted - 07/12/2008 : 3:37:52 PM
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“Don’t Feed the Bully' has been critically acclaimed for helping kids become aware of bullying behavior and solve situations before they become violent. It has won the Top Choice Award for best teen novel from Flamingnet.com." Amie Slevin, Noblesville Ledger
Comedian hits bully pulpit
Four-step agenda for beating (not beating up) bullies: 1. Staying calm; 2.) Assessing the likelihood of violence; 3.) Having a thick skin and sense of humor; 4.) Collecting evidence.
By Dan Craft
dcraft@pantagraph.com
Bully, bully for Brad. Comedian-author Brad Tassell, that is, whose life has been dominated in recent years by the brutish and the belligerent.
His award-winning book for teen and pre-teen boys, "Don't Feed the Bully," has become a hit with not only teen and pre-teen boys, but also teen and pre-teen girls, all of whom have been taken with his meditation on the wages of bully-dom.
His comedy act for grown-ups mines humor from the current state of American society, where our sense of entitlement has led to every adult's assumption that he or she is smart and everyone else on the planet is not.
They're raving idiots, in fact.
Both sides of the Tassell tussle will be on display this weekend in Bloomington.
At 3 p.m. Saturday, he takes over Barnes & Noble Booksellers' kids' corner for a 3 p.m. show, offering a mix of comedy, singing, magic and clowning, all of it keyed to themes explored in "Don't Feed the Bully."
That night, he heads over to the Tree House Comedy Lounge on Ireland Grove Road for two shows (8 and 10:30 p.m.), both geared to an older sensibility, but still addressing, with a spoonful of mirth, society's penchant for bullying its way through life.
"I wasn't a great target for bullies as a kid," Tassell admits. "But I was bullied some."
And, much to his own disappointment, he worked the other side of the fence, too.
That first-hand experience has found its way into the book, which won the Top Choice Award as Best Teen Novel. It's framed as a teen version of a hardboiled Raymond Chandler-style detective story targeting that tough-to-crack male readership beginning at around age 10 and peaking at about 14.
The hero is Hannibal Greatneck III, a sixth-grade student who becomes a private * after he finds a cage in the middle of his classroom.
The cage is there because the school has decided to deal with its bully problem by handing over all the power to another bully. Hannibal must find the clues, outwit the villains and put the school back in the hands of students and faculty.
Tassell's goal with the tale: To snare the short attention spans of notoriously book-phobic boys in the above-named age range via the catnip of an easily managed, funny, hip detective story.
In Brad's day as a fickle 12-year-old, it was the "Encyclopedia Brown" detective series that kept his eye glued to the printed page and craving more with each turn of the text.
"Don't Feed the Bully," he says, has been engineered to exert maximum of the literary equivalent of sex appeal.
Call it size appeal: The book was physically designed to be "taller and thinner" so that its chapter stops and 128 pages of text wouldn't seem so psychologically daunting.
"Boys, especially those in the 11-to-12 range, have trouble making the jump to good literature and chapter books, so we made this longer and thinner," Tassell says.
In addition to taller and thinner, the story also offers a hidden four-step agenda for beating (not beating up) bullies: 1. Staying calm; 2.) Assessing the likelihood of violence; 3.) Having a thick skin and sense of humor; 4.) Collecting evidence.
Along the way, Tassell seeks to raise the reader's sense of self-esteem.
Though he wasn't a poster child for bully victim as a kid, Tassell does point to two pivotal moments in his coming of anti-bully age.
The first was in junior high school, when the short, red-haired, freckled, big-nosed, braces-wearing Tassell decided to face the bully music. He did it by walking past a stretch of schoolyard where the bullies smoked and jeered. Instead of taking the detour, per usual, Tassell walked right by the group and endured "the dumbest insults I ever heard in my life."
Eventually a police car drove by, and "I think they (the bullies) were kind of glad it was over, too, because unless they started hitting me they had nothing."
After that, Tassell knew that confronting your worse fears, rather than fleeing them, was entirely feasible.
On the other hand, Tassell found himself playing devil's advocate when he found himself teasing a fellow student with the kind of wounding comments kids are known for.
"I learned I could be kind of a mean bully, even though I was 4-foot-8 and 97 pounds," he says. "I learned you can really hurt people with the things you need to say to be able to make fun of them."
Tassell didn't set out to become a best-selling, award-winning novelist for young people. He began his career in comedy, then dabbled in other forms of writing, eventually producing a half-dozen books in various genres, for both adults and kids.
These days, his stand-up comedy gigs have taken a back seat to his authorial pursuits, especially since the success of "Don't Feed the Bully."
But as a veteran of around 10 past appearances at the Treehouse Comedy Lounge, he decided to turn his Bloomington trip into a homecoming of sorts.
The grown-up shows, he assures, "aren't dirty," but they're keyed to adult matters like marriage, child-rearing (he has a 5-year-old daughter of his own working her way toward the "Don't Feed the Bully" demographic) and, yes, our society's prevailing sense of entitlement at all costs.
"My comedy show has kind of taken a turn toward talking about how, as adults, we've become bullies in society, where we go through the McDonald's drive-through and some kids leaves the pickle off the hamburger and we scream at them like they've murdered somebody because they forgot the pickle."
Tassell, of course, turns it into a joke: "By the way, if, as adults, you drive through a McDonald's and you think your order is going to be right, then you're the idiot!"
Still, he notes, "When we get older, suddenly everyone else becomes stupid, and it gives us the right to be as mean as we can be to them."
Whether via kids' books like "Don't Feed the Bully" or stand-up routines aimed at the kids' elders, Tassell's main goal in life is, first, to make everyone laugh, and, second, to make everyone realize that what they're laughing at is also serious business demanding a cure.
Laughter being the best medicine, "my concept is to be funny and to have fun and hope that some great lessons end up sticking, like a good bowl of oatmeal, to the ribs."
Click Here for source
Free customizable brochure (MS Word template) that can be reproduced and given to parents - "The seven highly effective steps to keeping your child safe" - Click Here for Link
FREE School Bus Safety Ads & Photo Library
Post Check, Hostage Takeover, Bus Fire, Danger Zones and special effects photos now available Free to use at websites, in newsletters, memos, the local press, letters to parents and more. This is a very popular Website. If you can't get in bookmark the page and try again later.
There is no school bus driver shortage!
Properly train, effective support and pay that retains.
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JK
Top Member
USA
7307 Posts |
Posted - 07/22/2008 : 1:43:04 PM
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Just a note that the Transportation Research Board, MaineWay Services, along with the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) and Daecher Consulting is conducting a study focused on the special safety concerns of school bus drivers and operations. The survey, Project MC-21, asks very little concerning bullying, hostile bus environments and hostile facility workplace environments, but does provide an abundance of open comment areas. The final results of the survey will be available through the Transportation Research Board in 2009, but individual information provided by survey takers will be kept strictly confidential. The on-line survey can be taken at the VTTI Website. VTTI Press Release and Direct Link to Survey
Note II: J. J. Keller is promoting a variety of solutions to help identify risk factors and keep employees, and the workplace, safe.
The service presents, "Workplace Violence - an Increasing Concern in Today's Workplace," mentioning that, "Although hard to measure, the consequences of workplace violence are very real - compensation costs. Loss of productivity. Personal tragedy."
I do not know enough about J. J. Keller to lend much insight into the quality and effectiveness of their services. Perhaps someone here does. (jk)
Links to Training Resources:
Winning Workforce: Raising Your Employees' Awareness - Violence in the Workplace - Help employees understand the different forms of violence, the warning signs, and what to do if a violent - or potentially violent - situation arises.
Ready Response Supervisor Training - Violence in the Workplace - A hostile work environment can affect employee morale and productivity. Learn how to resolve conflicts plus how to spot potentially dangerous individuals and situations.
FREE School Bus Safety Ads & Photo Library
Post Check, Hostage Takeover, Bus Fire, Danger Zones and special effects photos now available Free to use at websites, in newsletters, memos, the local press, letters to parents and more. This is a very popular Website. If you can't get in bookmark the page and try again later.
There is no school bus driver shortage!
Properly train, effective support and pay that retains. |
Edited by - JK on 07/29/2008 2:24:53 PM |
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JK
Top Member
USA
7307 Posts |
Posted - 07/26/2008 : 03:32:20 AM
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10-Year-Old Fends Off Bus Bullies With Pea Shooter
Reporting Cindy Hsu
Jul 25 2008
WCBS-TV New York
NEW YORK (CBS) ¯ On Staten Island a little boy said he'd had enough of being bullied on the school bus, so he decided to fight back.
But what he did got him arrested and handcuffed.
Martha Frank is upset with her 10-year-old grandson for fighting back with a pea shooter. Anor Frank said he'd been bullied on the school bus for weeks.
"They jump me on the bus and beat me on the bus, and there's a big girl, she's way bigger than me and she stomped her foot into my chest," Anor said.
On Wednesday he fired back with a bean.
"I said, 'OK, leave me alone,' and he was still bothering me like pushing me around, and I just shot him. I didn't mean to shoot him. I was trying to get him to leave me alone," Annor said.
Police arrested and handcuffed Anor. He said the police kept him handcuffed in the squad car and then cuffed him to a chair at the station house.
"My hand was hurting, and I was dizzy and I was crying," Anor said.
When Annor's uncle arrived, he was shocked.
"I asked the officer next to him,' I know you got the handcuff on his hand' and I felt really bad because he's 10 years old and the officer said, 'I can't take the handcuffs off his hand.' I said 'Why?' He said, 'Because I have to complete the paperwork before I remove the handcuffs,'" Emmanuel Frank said.
Frank says his nephew was handcuffed for over an hour, at times with his hands behind his back. They ended up in the emergency room, later that evening because Anor was complaining about the pain in his hand.
Anor will be back in family court next month to deal with the bean shooting incident. Meanwhile his grandmother says she's now considering legal action against the police.
CBS 2 HD reached out to the police, but has not received a comment.
Police say the victim's family told them they wanted Anor arrested, but wouldn't comment on the use of handcuffs in the case.
Click Here for source
School bus driver survey
Project MC-21: Special Safety Concerns of School Bus Drivers Click Here for story
Free customizable brochure (MS Word template) that can be reproduced and given to parents - "The seven highly effective steps to keeping your child safe" - Click Here for Link
FREE School Bus Safety Ads & Photo Library
Post Check, Hostage Takeover, Bus Fire, Danger Zones and special effects photos now available Free to use at websites, in newsletters, memos, the local press, letters to parents and more. This is a very popular Website. If you can't get in bookmark the page and try again later.
There is no school bus driver shortage!
Properly train, effective support and pay that retains. |
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JK
Top Member
USA
7307 Posts |
Posted - 07/29/2008 : 2:06:43 PM
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WBI 2008 SURVEY ON CO-WORKER RESPONSES TO WORKPLACE BULLYING
The workplace Bullying Institute is conducting a new survey, this time focused on the targets perspective of co-workers reactions to bullying in the workplace. No personal identification information is gathered.
Link To 2008 On-Line Survey
Last Year's Survey
The Workplace Bullying Institute
2007 U.S. Workplace Bullying Survey
September, 2007
Zogby International conducted 7740 online interviews of a panel that is representative of the adult population of the U.S. This is the largest national scientific survey of the phenomenon in the U.S. to date. WBI wrote the survey.
Key Findings
Workplace Bullying is an Epidemic -- 37% of American workers, an estimated 54 million people, have been bullied at work. It affects half (49%) of American workers, 71.5 million workers, when witnesses are included. [Section 2]
Bullying is Same-Gender/Same-Race Harassment -- Ignored by Current Laws Bullying is 4 times more prevalent than illegal forms "harassment." [Section 4]
American Employers Can and Do Ignore Bullying -- In 62% of the cases, when made aware of bullying, employers worsen the problem or simply do nothing [Section 4], despite losing an estimated 21-28 million workers because of bullying. [Section 8]
There Oughta Be A Law -- [The Workplace Bullying Institute-Legislative Campaign at workplacebullyinglaw.org is attempting to effect anti-bullying state laws. 13 states have introduced the WBI Healthy Workplace Bill since 2003.]
Most Bullies are Bosses -- the Stereotype is Real
72% of bullies are bosses. 55% of those bullied are rank-and-file workers. [Section 5]
Bullying Most Strongly Affects Women -- Women are targeted by bullies more frequently (in 57% of cases), especially by other women (in 71% of cases). [Section 3]
Bullying is a Public Health Hazard -- For 45% of bullied targets, stress affects their health. 33% suffer for more than one year [Section 7]
Bullied Individuals are not "Sue Crazy" -- Many Fail to Even Complain Only 3% of bullied targets file lawsuits. 40% never complain. [Section 7]
Perpetrators Suffer Little Despite Inflicting Suffering. -- Targets have to stop the vast majority of bullying (77%) by losing their jobs despite being the ones harmed. [Section 8]
Click Here for source
Zoby International Survey Results
Zogby International conducted 7,740 interviews to create a representative sample of all American adults in August, 2007. The margin of error was +/- 1.1 percentage points.
Tri-fold Brochure (PDF)
Sheet flyer (PDF)
The 2003 WBI Report on Abusive Workplaces
FREE School Bus Safety Ads & Photo Library
Post Check, Hostage Takeover, Bus Fire, Danger Zones and special effects photos now available Free to use at websites, in newsletters, memos, the local press, letters to parents and more. This is a very popular Website. If you can't get in bookmark the page and try again later.
There is no school bus driver shortage!
Properly train, effective support and pay that retains. |
Edited by - JK on 07/29/2008 2:49:06 PM |
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JK
Top Member
USA
7307 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2008 : 06:40:00 AM
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NOT JUST IN AMERICA
Bully victim Alex Wildman takes own life
Bruce McDougall
Aug 01 2008
Herald Sun, Australia
BULLYING has claimed the life of a boy, 14, who hanged himself at home after a series of violent run-ins with schoolmates.
The teen's death, directly linked to bullying, has traumatised his family, school friends and an entire community.
Alex Wildman, a year 9 student at Kadina High School at Lismore, northern NSW, was found dead in his home on Friday.
Sources said that Alex, whose funeral was held yesterday, moved to Lismore from Ingleburn in Sydney's southwest seven months ago.
They said he was attacked in the July school holidays and again last week.
It is understood Alex took his own life on Thursday and his body was found on Friday morning.
Fellow students said the sports-loving boy was picked on after getting into a fight.
His mother, Justine Kelly, was too upset to comment on the reasons for her son's death.
But Ms Kelly said: "It (bullying) is the only thing I can put it down to."
Lismore police confirmed they were investigating the death but said it was not considered suspicious.
Bullying seriously affects tens of thousands of students every year.
A female student at Kadina High said yesterday Alex had been in a fight last week and became a target again.
Yesterday his coffin was adorned with paraphernalia of the sports he loved -- soccer and motorcycling. ...
Click Here for full story
* * * *
Govt workers allege bullying
Grahame Armstrong
Aug 02 2008
Perth Now - Australia
PRIVATE investigators have been called in to sort out a hornet's-nest of bullying allegations inside the government department responsible for workplace protection.
Senior bureaucrats at the Department of Consumer and Employment Protection decided to bring in PIs to avoid the embarrassment of the department investigating itself.
The Sunday Times has learned of eight cases in which a supervisor at the department has been accused of swearing at and intimidating employees.
Most of those alleging bullying are still working at the department, but some have left, taken stress leave or are seeking compensation.
Former IT manager Marie-Helene Mallet says she has been bullied and has taken the department to the Industrial Relations Commission, seeking re-classification.
Since accusing her employer of bullying she has been moved to a different job and location.
Public sector rules prevented Ms Mallet from talking to the media but her partner, lawyer John Hammond, said the department's behaviour had been aggressive and that Ms Mallet had been a victim of bullying.
``There is a perverse irony in the fact that this is the department charged with employment protection,'' Mr Hammond said.
``The department is obviously in chaos and unable to conduct its own employment affairs properly.
``The whole saga has been very distressing for my partner, who has given years of dedicated service to DOCEP.''
RiskCover, the government agency responsible for minimising costs to the State Government, is understood to have recommended that private investigators be brought in.
Community and Public Sector Union branch secretary Toni Walkington said the allegations were surprising and the union would look into the matter and help any of its members who were affected.
``I would hope that the Department of Consumer and Employment Protection would be a model and standard for employment in Western Australia,'' Ms Walkington said. ``We expect them to do the right thing and be a model employer.''
A spokesman for the department said only one case of bullying was being investigated. ...
Click Here for full story
FREE School Bus Safety Ads & Photo Library
Post Check, Hostage Takeover, Bus Fire, Danger Zones and special effects photos now available Free to use at websites, in newsletters, memos, the local press, letters to parents and more. This is a very popular Website. If you can't get in bookmark the page and try again later.
There is no school bus driver shortage!
Properly train, effective support and pay that retains. |
Edited by - JK on 08/04/2008 07:38:46 AM |
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Hostile Workplace/Schoolplace Thread
