Canton Schools at Forefront of Bullying Issue

Bullying Prevention Week may have started in October in schools around the country, but the were ahead of the curve, having ramped up during the last academic year. Led by John Boucher, the head of the Wellness Department for grades K-12, the Canton school system is on a three-year crusade to "keep kids safe," according to Boucher.

The Canton Public Schools has a program already in progress using an evidence-based curriculum for grades K-12. In the elementary schools, the students are learning curriculum developed by the Steps to Respect Committee for Children. This program teaches elementary students how to recognize, refuse and report bullying. It also provides children with the confidence and skills necessary to successfully handle challenging situations.

The Second Step Curriculum is used at the middle school level and is a program to help students learn the protective skills to make good choices and stay engaged in school, despite the pitfalls of substance abuse, bullying, cyber bullying, and peer pressure.  Life Skills Training is used at both the middle and high school levels to inform students about drug use, alcohol, tobacco and violence. Organizations such as have been resurrected at the high school to help students make good decisions about drugs, alcohol, driving or anything that can cause harm. Additional youth leadership organizations have started to help students take action and encourage them to make good decisions.

These curricula are taught in the health classes at the middle and high school levels and in the mainstream of classes, such as one lesson a week, at the elementary school level.

National Bullying Week in October not only saw the kick-off of these curricula but also the kick-off a nationally-based poster contest. In the Canton Public Schools, other creative projects were undertaken to raise awareness about bullying.

The high school is one of 12 schools on the east coast also involved in the Boomerang Project, which includes an orientation for freshmen to develop more respect and prevent them from making bad decisions. Sixty students have become mentors or leaders to one or two freshman, and set the stage for good behavior. The idea, according to Boucher, is for "the freshman to see what the good kids are doing and to follow in the right way."

There are also two parent evenings scheduled for late fall or early winter, where there will be guest speakers talking about bullying and cyber-bullying, to make sure that the national epidemic does not happen in Canton. There will also be professional development for the teachers and staff showing how to intervene in a case of bullying, and how to follow up with the aggressor and the person who was bullied.

Boucher pointed to the Canton Schools web site, www.cantonma.org  as a good resource for teacher and parent tips regarding the issue of bullying. Bullying is on the front burner for the next three years, according to Boucher, with Canton being one of the most progressive districts in the area on the topic. The idea, Boucher says, is to get a "bunch of people willing to work together to see what we can do to stop bullying more successfully in the community."