Superior Middle School Tackles Bullying

Making a Difference Together

By Rick Flaherty, Principal, Superior Middle School

Bullying is defined as unwanted, aggressive behavior that involves a real or perceived balance of power.  To be considered bullying, the behavior is repeated over time or has the potential to be repeated over time.  Bullying may come in the form of making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and or excluding someone from a group.  According to data gathered from the National Center for Educational Statistics website (click HERE) , nationwide during the 2013-2014 school year, between 31.9% and 37.4% of students in grades six through eight reported being bullied at school, over the internet, or in some other setting.  If those statistics were applied to Superior Middle School, it would be expected that approximately 350 students within the school experience some type of bullying during that same time frame.  Therefore, it comes without surprise to hear that there is a concern about bullying within Superior Middle School and this community.  Luckily, there are caring members within the community and the school district that want to work together to address the issue and provide supports for students having difficulties.

There are two charts at the end of this article.  The first represents the number of behavior referrals documenting bullying and harassing behaviors reported to the office at Superior Middle School over the last five years.  The second chart, produced by the Pew Research Center, represents the usage of social media sites by age groups since 2005.  The Pew Research Center also reports that 87% of students in high school and earlier grades own cell phones.  Although the referral data may not fully support a direct correlation between the incidents of bullying and harassment to the ownership of cell phones and the use of social networking sites, few would argue that there is a connection.  The uses of technology does provide more opportunities for bullying and harassing behavior both in and outside of the school setting.

In an effort to promote good behavior, there are several things going on at Superior Middle School and within the community that discourage bullying and poor behavioral choices.  Some of the activities happening in the school setting include behavior expectation tours, behavior refresher videos, teachers writing positive referrals, kindness retreats, social skills lessons, and students leading other students in positive behavior.  The 8^th grade leadership team is the group associated with the students leading other students in positive behavior.   Some of the activities this group has been involved in during the 2014-15 school year include, monitoring behavior of other kids in the hallways, making blankets to sell to support kindness retreats, and have visited elementary students to share books addressing that reinforced anti-bullying and kindness that the school was focusing on during the month of February.

During a community meeting, held March 12, 2014, at the Superior Public Library, community members, representatives from the school district, the chief of police from the Superior Police Department, and students came together to share some of their ideas concerning bullying.  The tenor of the meeting was positive and generated a sense of collaboration among most in attendance.  Individual were able to voice their concerns and share their ideas to address the issue.  There were many ideas such as providing additional supervision at school, setting up procedures for reporting problems, and encouraging better behavior.  Two of the most powerful suggestions were to organize opportunities for community members to gather within the city and to strengthen mentoring programs/relationships for students who might benefit from more positive adult interaction.

The statistics do indicate that bullying and harassment do take place at Superior Middle School and within this community.  However, the work of groups like the 8^th grade leaders, the commitment from our local police department, and the efforts of the hard working teachers and staff within the school district, indicate that there are people who care and what to make a difference.

If you know of a child who is experiencing bullying or harassing behaviors do something about it.  If these behaviors are taking place within the Superior Schools, you need to know that the teachers and administration want to hear about the situation so that it can be addressed.  Every student deserves to feel safe.

The behavior referral data listed above is a snap shot of behaviors reported to the office between September 1^st, and March 15^th, of each of the five school years represented.