Olweus Program Coming in 2009-2010

The district was recently awarded a grant from the Center for Safe Schools to bring the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program to our elementary students and staff during the 2009-2010 school year. The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program is designed to improve peer relations and make schools safer, more positive places for students to learn and develop. Goals of the program include: Reducing existing bullying problems among students; Preventing new bullying problems; and Achieving better peer relations at school.

A Bullying Prevention Coordinating Committee has been formed and will receive training on May 18th and May 19th. The entire elementary staff will receive training during the in-service days scheduled for August 2009. Parent information nights are also planned for August.

The program consists of school-level, classroom-level, individual-level and community-level components. Among the basic school rules against bullying which will be introduced to our students are:

We will not bully others
We will try to help students who are bullied
We will include students who are left out.
If we know that somebody is being bullied, we will tell an adult at school and an adult at home.

Additional information about the Olweus Program can be found at www.olweus.org.