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As a provider of violence prevention teaching plans and related materials, it made sense that Hazelden Publishing, Center City, would be involved in distributing a curriculum designed to decrease cyber-bullying. The publishing arm announced it has developed a curriculum that addresses bully tactics that youth are being exposed to via computers, handheld devices, interactive gaming and other encounters with "cyber" bullies.

Hazelden's cyber-bullying prevention curriculum for grades 6 through 12 is available for $99.

A cyber-bully prevention package for grades 3-5 will become available in February 2009.

Hazelden has a long history of involvement in violence prevention in school settings in particular.

It also distributes the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program used in middle and elementary schools. Olweus (ohl-vay-us) is a long-term, systematic program to turn around incidents of bullying in a school setting. North Branch School District has been making use of the Olweus Prevention system for years.

Hazelden also just announced a new website (as of October) focusing on prevention of bullying in schools, developed in partnership with Clemson University, at olweus.org. The site offers a number of resources, along with tips on how to advocate for your school to develop anti-bully programming.

The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program is actively implemented in North Branch's newest school-- Sunrise River and the OBPP was introduced at the middle school level this year.

Roberta Backus, North Branch middle school counselor, said students at this level respond well to being given tools for dealing with bullies and preparing themselves for what to do as a bystander observing a bully episode.

The Hazelden-Olweus curriculum is offered in fourth hour at North Branch Middle School, during applied studies, Backus said. The curriculum contains discussion points for classroom use and other productive instruction.

Along came the busters ...

Backus said she was pleasantly surprised when a group of middle school students came to her wanting to come together as the "Bully Busters" to serve as a small acting/outreach group and they have been going strong ever since. (See photo.)

Backus said the group writes its own skits and has done a presentation that dealt with specific incidents at the school. It's a very personal approach the kids took on themselves, she added.

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