I found the presentation today to be really informative. I did not know that there were laws against bullying to the extent that there are. I think it is important that there are laws against bullying. It is a real issue that we read about far too often in the news, and it is really important that we and others are doing something about it. I found it particularly interesting when the presenter mentioned that the laws were purposefully vague. I would initially think it would be a good idea to define the behaviors just like you would define behaviors in your classroom. But it makes a lot of sense that by not defining the behaviors it allows for schools to make their own interpretations. So if a school sees a behavior that they know is inappropriate they can take action against it since it can fall under almost any of the categories. While if the law was specific it may be harder for schools to enforce policy if that particular behavior was not in the law.
At my school we use “Steps-to Respect”. I have never sat in on any of the lessons; I always considered it the school counselor’s job to present that information to the students. I am now inspired to sit in on some of the lessons in different classrooms. I have always taken an active role as a teacher when I have seen students in situations that may be bullying, but I had not thought about how maybe all the teachers in the school should be educated on the “Steps-to Respect” curriculum as well. Just like a school that adapts PBIS, and the staff is extensively educated on those policies, maybe staff should also be extensively educated on bullying programs as well.
rebeccaaf 