Schools

MontCo Task Force Releases Anti-Bullying Report for Schools, Parents

The document, which also highlights the issue of cyber-bullying, is the first of its kind in Pennsylvania.

Written by Brittany Tressler

Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman announced at a press conference Wednesday the release of the Montgomery County Cyber-Bullying and Bullying Task Force Report, the first in Pennsylvania.

“This comprehensive initiative is the first of its kind in Pennsylvania because it represents a countywide effort to effectively address and combat all aspects of bullying and cyber-bullying,” said Ferman.

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The 21-page document, released to schools in the county and available to parents, includes warning signs of bullying, recommendations for augmenting current school policies regarding bullying, intervention tips for students, parents, teachers, staff and schools, information on school accountability, and a new bullying reporting tool for schools to use.

The document is important, according to Ferman, because bullying acts don’t always rise to the level of criminal activity, but they impact the quality of life for Montgomery County children and must be addressed.

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The manual comes as a result of a relationship that Ferman forged between the District Attorney’s Office and the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit, joining county schools and law enforcement together.

The collaboration between the two agencies led to several task forces on school safety, truancy, and led to an anti-bullying program in middle schools throughout Montgomery County.

Regardless of the programs, though, the Ferman and her colleagues noticed a troubling trend in schools.

“The bullying seemed to get worse, and we never had a comprehensive approach on how to tackle this very complex issue,” Ferman said.

Enter Julie Knudsen, a Norristown Area School District Social Worker who approached county officials about creating a bullying task force.

Knudsen said that she received tremendous support in Ferman, Shapiro, and Norristown Area Superintendent Janet Samuels while putting together the 25-person task force, including members of local, county and state-wide law enforcement, as well as school administration from throughout the county.

One of the more original and helpful tools, according to Knudsen, is a bullying reporting form that requires information on the person making the report, the person being bullied, the alleged bully and witnesses, and differentiates between physical, verbal, emotional or exclusion and cyber-bullying.

The document also includes a sample school climate survey for students and staff to evaluate bullying in each school.

According to Ferman, schools will not be forced to use the tools in the manual.

“We created a resource and we’ve given it out to schools, we’re giving it out to parents," said Ferman.  "How a school district chooses to use it is up to them—this is not a mandate."

The manual addresses a "new frontier of bullying,"—cyber-bullying—that schools should address, though, according to Ferman.

“We need to encourage schools to recognize that the things that happen online and on social media have a direct impact in the school community,” Ferman said.

The document also contains an e-mail address, montcobullyingtaskforce@gmail.com, so that parents, school staff, and anyone else in need can reach out with questions and concerns.

“There will always be someplace to go.  There will always be someone who can answer questions and offer advice,” said Ferman of the e-mail address.

Shapiro lauded the collaboration of so many professionals of various backgrounds from throughout Montgomery County.

“This initiative highlights why I am so proud to be a commissioner in Montgomery County, where it is the rule, and not the exception, that our professionals from all departments work together for the protection of children,” Shapiro Said.


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