MRJH IMPLEMENTS BULLYING PREVENTION PROGRAM

HUSKY WATCH POSTER

HUSKY WATCH RULES

The following  nationwide statistics reveal the reality of  bullying in our children’s lives, specifically as it relates to the school setting:

• Thirty percent (30%) of U.S. students in grades six through ten are involved in moderate or frequent bullying — as bullies, as victims, or as both — according to the results of the first national survey on this subject.
• 1 out of 4 kids is bullied.  The American Justice Department says that this month 1 out of every 4 kids will be abused by another youth.  
• Surveys show that  77%  of students are bullied mentally, verbally, & physically.
• In a recent study, 77% of the students said they had been bullied. And 14% of those who were bullied said they experienced severe (bad) reactions to the abuse.
• 1 out of 5 kids admits to being a bully, or doing some "Bullying."
• 8% of students miss 1 day of class per month for fear of Bullies.
• 43% fear harassment in the bathroom at school.

In keeping with this nationwide trend, the Mountain Ridge Junior High School Community has noted an increase in various types of bullying over the past few years.  We have decided to work pro-actively to create norms for behavior and restructure the school setting. We want to improve the support system for students who may be experiencing difficulties,  and to intensify efforts to teach and redirect those students who have not yet learned the attitudes and behavior patterns of respect.  We have adopted the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program as a guide in helping our community to provide a consistent, reinforced message of those basic standards needed for students to develop the characteristics necessary for good citizenship.

The Olweus Prevention Program is  highly researched, and has received numerous awards from other organizations dedicated to addressing the issue of bullying and violence among students.  It is a comprehensive, school-wide program designed for use in elementary, middle, or junior high schools. Its goals are to reduce and prevent bullying problems among school children and to improve peer relations at school. The program has been found to reduce bullying among children, improve the social climate of classrooms, and reduce related antisocial behaviors, such as vandalism and truancy. The Olweus Program has been implemented in more than one dozen countries around the world.

We have begun the in-service and the initial procedures for developing a stronger safe learning environment for our students.  We are working to ensure that the standards learned are mastered so that the qualities developed by our students will expand beyond the classroom and the school and into the full community.  The efforts will be long-term and on-going, and we are excited to add this focus into the school education process at Mountain Ridge Junior High.  
 

Statistics:  http://www.atriumsoc.org/pages/bullyingstatistics.html