Friday, February 22, 2013
The Pasco County School District has created a way for students and parents to report bullying from the comfort of their own homes.
When innocent teases and taunts on school playgrounds, in buses and in classrooms become repeated, causing the victim angst, fear or hurt those incidents are no longer so “innocent.” They’re considered acts of bullying and that’s something Pasco School District officials say they won’t tolerate. High profile cases of bullying have made headlines across the district in recent years. In 2011, a Sunlake High School student is believed to have committed suicide as a result of bullying. Not too long ago, two Mitchell High School students were arrested following an incident on a school bus. The district’s former superintendent has even been accused of bullying during her tenure. Bullying has become such a concern that Land O’ Lakes Patch has …
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Join us for a presentation on teaching children to be engaged bystanders at our next roundtable on Sept. 20.
Toward the end of the 2011-12 school year, I invited concerned community members to join me for roundtable discussions on school bullying, a "silent epidemic." As the new school year gets under way, we will pick up where we left off with a presentation by Irene Patino, retired Pasco County teacher and creator of Bully Be Gone, a bullying and teen suicide prevention program. Please join us from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 20 in Heron Hall at Learning Gate Community School in Lutz to hear Patino speak about engaging, empowering and encouraging passive bystanders—those who witness acts of bullying but do not intervene for a variety of reasons. A social change community organizer from Sunrise of Pasco also will be on hand to discuss the …
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Victoria Colflesh says there is a double standard when it comes to dealing with bullies.
Victoria Colflesh recalls hiding in the school attic as a child in Ukraine to avoid the bullies who tormented her. “It was systematic,” the Land O’ Lakes resident said. The abuse she endured at the hands of her classmates was paralyzing emotionally. Eventually, she stopped showing up. “The smart kids become victims and fail out because they’re scared to go to school,” she said. Now a mother of two children with special needs, Colflesh said she sees bullying as “a silent epidemic” that needs to be stopped. Movies and television often portray bullying as humorous, “it’s supposedly part of life,” she said. The kids-will-be-kids mentality associated with the teasing and physical abuse of classmates often is accepted by society and at home, …
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Kids need to know it's OK to speak up, he says.
To 11-year-old Eric Colflesh, it is nothing short of child abuse. The only difference is that the abuse is inflicted on children by other children. He has witnessed it happen to students at school. Kids pull other students' pants down and harass them in different ways, Eric said. He has been a target himself. “Since I have autism, people try to get a reaction out of me with bad words and such,” Eric said. “Kids try to get an advantage over my autism. At PE, I try to stay away from the activities because I might get physically or mentally harmed.” It’s the smart kids in school who are more likely to be a target, he said. “The most common victims of bullying are the ones who are most successful academically, Eric said. “And people who …
Keli Sipperley
10:53 am on Monday, September 17, 2012
Hi Mark, Interesting points. I hope you can join us this week to discuss! more ›