Rockford trains teachers about bullying

ROCKFORD, Mich. (WOOD) - As kids get back into the classroom next week, there's little doubt some will get teased or left out. But this year, a new law is pushing schools to do more than ever to fight bullying.

About 200 1st- through 5th-grade teachers piled into Rockford High School's auditorium Thursday for an all-day in-service training session on how to identify and fight bullying.

Rockford administrators said they provided the training for the first time this year because Matt's Safe School Law -- passed just last year -- recommends annual anti bully training for staff. 24 Hour News 8 was told by the assistant superintendent that the training is not a direct result of the suicides of two students last year -- one in high school and the other in middle school -- but that those tragedies are never far from anyone's minds.  

Sara Scarbnick and Tahlia Hoogerland teach 5th- and 1st-grade students, respectively, in Rockford. They both said they think they have seen instances of bullying and say it's never too early to talk to kids about bullying.

"They need words," said Hoogerland. "They need to know what to say and what to do and how to act, because they don't know and it's often not being taught at home, unfortunately. So I think it's really important that we teach them ahead of time, before it happens. And then when it does, follow through and make sure we're consistent and that we're paying attention to it and not ignoring it."

The goal is to teach the teachers how to recognize intentional, repeated aggression and encourage them to set an example of how to act -- to let kids know bullying isn't okay and that they should stand up for victims.     

"I think in elementary we have a huge responsibility to start them when they're young and help them understand their own emotions and how to get along with other people," said Hoogerland. "You need to be able to make a friend and keep a friend, and that's more important really than how you do on your spelling test. I mean, yes, we teach the academics, but if they know that stuff when they're young, if they have the emotional security and the social skill then when they're older hopefully we won't see that."  

Licensed psychologist Marcia McEvoy said educating teachers, kids and parents about bullying is crucial to make kids feel safe at school. She said it's only when kids feel safe that they can learn.

"Kids cannot learn when they're being bullied," said McEvoy. "They're in a hyper-vigilant state. They're scanning their environment for psychological safety, and they're not going to be able to learn that new material because they're so nervous about being safe or not. In order for them to learn, they have to feel safe."  

McEvoy said with things like social media and cell phones, the bullying might not stop when the school day does.

"It's almost like certain kids have other kids on an electronic tether. They have 24/7 access," said McEvoy. "This is not a normal part of childhood. It can leave scars, long-lasting scars on kids, it can damage kids. So adults, it's their responsibility to intervene and say, 'Not here. It's not acceptable. We're not going to put up with that.'"

When asked if it was the school's responsibility to handle bullying, McEvoy replied, "Absolutely it's the schools responsibility. Because this is where the kids are and it's our job to protect kids when they're in our environment."

She also said training sessions like the one at Rockford are one step toward making a bigger change.   

"We're not always going to be able to see every lunch table or everything that happening at recess, but if you can train kids to do right thing and to intervene with their peers, that can be helpful as well," McEvoy said.

Rockford Public Schools is taking a serious approach to stopping bullying. The district student code of conduct outlines specific punishments that kids could receive for bullying, which includes up to expulsion for repeated offenses.

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Matt's Safe School Law