As a new school year commences, the Bristol Township School District is launching new endeavors and programs to prevent bullying and build a positive school culture.
“Our goal is to be supportive of our students, many of whom are still dealing with the impact of the pandemic, and build a climate in our schools that is positive and respectful,” Superintendent Michael Nitti stated. “We recognize that this best way to do this is through innovative but effective personnel, programmatic and strategic initiatives.”
One new development will be the addition of Anti-Bullying/School Climate Specialists at the elementary level. These staff members will be grant-funded and focused on putting practices and approaches in place that prevent bullying and build positive relationships for our youngest students.
“We are placing one of these staff members in each elementary school,” Superintendent Nitti stated. “Our hope is to pilot the position and ultimately add it at the secondary level if grant funding continues and expands.”
One of the important roles of the Anti-Bullying/School Culture Specialists is to lead the investigation of incidents of harassment, intimidation, and bullying in each school; and act as the primary school staff member responsible for preventing, identifying, and addressing incidents of harassment, intimidation, and bullying in the school.
They are also responsible for coordinating and strengthening the school’s policies to prevent, identify, and address harassment, intimidation, and bullying of students, and help establish a positive school culture.
“These staff members will be trained to identify, recognize and address bullying,” Nitti added. “Training will be a combination of internal and external professional development experiences for these staff members, and we are excited about their potential to improve and enhance our students’ experience.”
Throughout the district, other programs and approaches are being implemented in schools to build and promote a positive school climate. These include the integration of Bullying Prevention Learning Units, assemblies and presentations, school-wide activities, and continued emphasis on a multi-tiered system of support for students. All schools in the district reward positive behavior with SWPBIS, the School-Wide Positive Behavioral and Interventions Program, which aims to establish a social culture where students expect and support appropriate behavior from one another.
Additionally, the district form to report bullying has been revised to reflect best practice and staff has been trained on ways to effectively address harassing or bullying behavior.
“Without question, our schools post-pandemic are presenting new challenges to educators as we strive to meet our students’ needs,” Nitti shared. “But we are determined to look for ways to provide support for our students and provide them with a respectful and harmonious school culture.”