DuPage anti-bullying efforts can be a model
By The Daily Herald Editorial Board
As a state task force gets ready to submit a report to the governor and legislature this week on how to address the growing bullying epidemic in our schools, a DuPage County task force has implemented its own strategy to deal with the problem.
The DuPage plan could be a model for other counties as they look to address the bullying problem as mandated by a new state law. DuPage is tackling the problem head-on and in a consistent manner across all county schools.
As reported Saturday by Daily Herald staff writer Marco Santana, the approach in DuPage is to focus less on punishing the bullies as it is to address the systemic problems that lead to bullying. To that end, a manual has been created for all schools and a bullying coordinator appointed at each of the county’s 42 school districts. Those coordinators will report back on the effectiveness of different strategies and measures in order to continually update the manual. That ongoing focus is key.
“You just don’t do training and walk away and think you have solved the problem,” said Darlene Ruscitti, DuPage Regional superintendent of schools. “If it were a simple issue, we would have fixed it by now.”
Last year, Gov. Pat Quinn signed anti-bullying legislation that defines bullying and charged a 15-member task force to delve into the issue and report out by March 1 on best practices in dealing with bullying. The task force includes officials from Kane County’s Community Unit District 300, which also has a strong program in place.
Key to DuPage’s efforts is the involvement not only of the county’s educators but also of parents, law enforcement and other government officials. It acknowledges that bullying is not just a school issue but a communitywide issue.
“We got involved because we want to be proactive and not just reactive in this community,” said DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin. “Bullying in school can and does lead to crime and, more specifically, violent crime. If we can take steps to prevent bullying and keep kids in a better learning environment, then we reduce crime in the long run.”
Bennett Leventhal, a nationally known bullying expert, agrees with Berlin and praised DuPage’s efforts. “It’s absolutely crucial to say, ‘This is who we are and we protect each other,’” he said.
Yet, one only needs to read the comments to Santana’s story on dailyherald.com to know that we have a long way to go to teach the adults, much less the students, that bullying is unacceptable. Too often, the victims are blamed solely because they are different in looks, or size, or sexual orientation. That needs to change. And we are heartened by the DuPage approach.
Our children need to feel safe at school and beyond, and these are important steps in dealing with this problem.