East Bay schools learn tools to reduce bullying
- December 18, 2010
Fights spurred by racial tensions have diminished at Pinole Valley High since 2008, when a noose was found hanging from a tree, teachers say.
Students, teachers and others have worked hard to foster tolerance.
The campus has partnered with the Anti-Defamation League to strengthen awareness of student differences through community workshops and diversity training for staff and students.
"Year after year, our campus gets more diverse, yet has become more tolerant," said Dayna Dibble, a Pinole Valley High leadership teacher. "We have a lot less physical violence -- especially based on race -- than three or four years ago. We went through a fairly bad period with gang fights."
The West Contra Costa school district is encouraging schools such as Pinole Valley to continue working to ensure that students feel safe expressing themselves on campus, Dibble said.
Recent news stories of gay students committing suicide after being bullied or cyberbullied have heightened awareness of the need to address prejudice among teens to prevent such tragedies.
Roughly one-third of students ages 12 to 18 reported they were bullied at school, according to a national report. And about 20 percent of teens engage in cyberbulling or are cyberbullied, but only a fraction of them tell adults, said Nina Grotch, education director for the Anti-Defamation League.
She led an anti-bullying Youth Summit in Oakland earlier this month that was attended by nearly 100 students from 11 Bay Area schools, including Pinole Valley High. The summit, hosted by 麻豆传媒社区入口, explored the reasons behind bullying, which can escalate into violent hate crimes.
Bias, prejudice and discrimination can lead teens to target students who are different from themselves, Grotch said. To stop such behavior, bystanders need to speak up and become allies to those who are targeted, she said.
Schools also should try to increase students' appreciation of diversity, Grotch said. Teens at the summit broke into groups and discussed the factors that contribute to their identities, including race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, interests, activities, family structures, abilities and disabilities. Each of these can become a bully's weapon for ridicule.
To protect themselves from bullying, some people hide things about themselves, said Daryn Stier, a league group leader. By accepting and celebrating differences, schools can help students feel safe being themselves, she said. Biases that lead to bullying are formed in early childhood, based on family influences, said Veronica Neal, a diversity educator for the league.
"Pre-prejudice happens between 2 and 3 (years old)," she told students. "Values tend to be solidified between (ages) 5 and 9."
A video shown to the group demonstrated how ethnic backgrounds affect personal relationships. Another video, about cyberbullying, showed the emotional pain a boy went through after looking at derogatory texts, e-mails and Internet posts from his classmates.
Teens may not realize how hurtful their words and actions can be to others, one student said.
Josh Frishman, who teaches English and leadership at Oakland Aviation High School, said he planned to replicate some of the Youth Summit activities in his classes to help make students more sensitive to each other's individuality.
Casa Grande High freshman Laura Gomez said she is part of a leadership committee aimed at preventing racism at the Petaluma school. Many students also use the word "gay" in a negative way, she said. "I want more people to form interracial friendships," said the 14-year-old, "and to break up cliques to include other people."
Pinole Valley High leadership student Jonathan Bui, 15, said he would assist others by standing up to bullies.
"I'm going to do as much as I can to be a leader and help that special someone and say (to bullies), 'Hey, that's not right.' "
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