"For all individuals in a school setting, this program corrects the common misconception that bullying is a normal part of childhood," says Allentown School District's Susan Lozada, executive director of community and student services.
With school bullying an epidemic — nationwide, a child is bullied every seven minutes, and some 160,000 children miss school daily because they fear bullying — the Highmark Foundation, through its Highmark Healthy High 5 initiative, provided funding to bring the internationally renowned Olweus Bullying Prevention Program into Allentown schools, supporting district-wide training and program materials for grades K–8.
In the classroom, teachers hold regular meetings to talk about bullying-related issues and reinforce rules against bullying. Students learn that when it comes to bullying, they're all participants — either bully, victim or bystander.
"Everyone is impacted," Lozada says. "The students see how bullying can happen, and they learn how their own behavior can effect change."
In Allentown schools, students learn about bullying behaviors and preventions through teacher-led role-playing sessions that result in healthier school environments. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, a school child is bullied every seven minutes.
"Just the fact that an adult is bringing up the subject of bullying makes the students realize they can talk about bullying, acknowledge that it happens," Lozada adds. "A survey has also helped our schools identify hot spots, and we've made changes that have resulted in an improved social climate and more positive interactions among students. The Olweus program has been such a positive thing."
To learn more about how to recognize and prevent bullying, see our extensive Bullying Prevention pages.
Learn more about Highmark Healthy High 5 Halt! — a bullying prevention program designed to build upon advancing the nationally recognized, evidence-based Olweus Bullying Prevention Program.