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Chisago Lakes School District administrators and staff are learning more about how to recognize different types of bullying, and what to do about it, through a bullying prevention program offered at Hazelden in Center City.

Recently, principals and other staff members from Lakeside, Primary and Taylors Falls elementaries attended a training session in the Olweus bullying prevention program. The training and support is offered by the Hazelden Center for Public Advocacy and Hazelden Publishing.

Olweus is a comprehensive, school-wide program designed for use in elementary, middle, or junior high schools. Its goals are to reduce and prevent bullying problems among school children and to improve peer relations at school.

The training and implementation of Olweus in Chisago Lakes Schools started with a bullying questionnaire that was offered to students in grades three through twelve. It was completely voluntary, and parents could choose whether their child completed the survey.

Most of the training attendees were part of the elementary school's PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention and Support) committees, so receiving training in how to handle bullying fit right in with what the schools already had in place through the PBIS program.

"The two program go hand in hand, so it's nice to have another tool to use," Taylors Falls Elementary Principal Joe Thimm said.

Attendees learned to focus on all types of bullying, not just physical contact, but words and actions as well.

Thimm said it was helpful to watch the video scenarios depicting various types of bullying among students at the training. The groups were also asked to take turns acting out skits showing people being bullied.

The program will now be introduced to all staff members at the elementary schools, as well as the middle and high schools after secondary staff receive the training in August. Staff at Wolf Creek and Pathways to Change will also receive training.

Ideally, Thimm said, teachers will work the program into their lesson plans once a week at the elementary level.

The TF committee has already identified areas where bullying can be prevented, and will be implementing changes immediately this fall.

While the practice of "saving seats" in the lunchroom was previously discouraged, it will be more closely monitored to ensure that no one feels bad when they are told they can't sit somewhere, Thimm said.

On the playground, students will be numbered off for teams during kickball games, to eliminate bad feelings of being chosen last, he added.

The program also helps schools train students to be empowered when they are encountered with a bullying situation.

All administrators received results of the bullying questionnaire from their respective buildings, to assist in tailoring the Olweus program to each site.

Thimm said in general, the results showed that girls at the school reported bullying incidents at a rate lower than the national average, but boys reported incidents higher than the national average.

He said administrators and staff are excited about the program because it reinforces the right of every student to feel safe and secure at school.

Parents can watch for an official "kick off" of the program at their school sometime in October. For more information, go to: www.olweus.org.

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