Utah pursuing a policy to curb bullying

The Utah State Board of Education is creating a school bullying policy that will nudge school districts to evaluate and beef up their own policies as well as work toward curbing the problem.

According to a state report, 48 percent of schools in the study reported bullying and harassment as the biggest negative social behavior in schools.

"We just wanted to get a clear definition of what bullying was and an idea of its prevalence in Utah," said Dawn Kay, state coordinator for student services. "It is clearly a problem, and we do know from national data that it impedes ability to attend school and concentrate in class."

Kay said they used schools that were part of the Utah Behavioral Initiative for the study in assessing how big a problem bullying is in education.

The UBI consists of 55 Utah schools that receive training and support from a federal grant to develop expected behaviors, curriculum and materials for improving social behavior in schools.

In a student survey of fourth- through ninth-graders, 93 percent of the children said bullying was the biggest problem, with drugs and gangs trailing way behind.

State leaders presented a draft definition for bullying to the board that included "aggressive behavior that is intended to cause harm or distress, exists in a relationship where there is an imbalance of power and is repeated over time."

It would also includes physical, verbal, nonverbal and cyber bullying.

However, some board members want definitions more specific for the rule.

Currently the state offers programs that incorporate bullying prevention strategies into professional development and teacher training.

But the new policy would define bullying consistent with research and require local districts to develop methods to prevent and intervene with bullies in schools.

The study also recommends that the state offer training no only to staff but to school volunteers about the nature and prevalence of bullying and effective prevention and intervention strategies.

"I think it's important to define bullying and train staff so they know what it looks like and get policies in place so we know what our expectations are," said Dixie Allen, state board member.

"The bottom line is (students) can't take care of (bullying) themselves, and if we don't have a school community that can take care of it, then they become the victims and that's when we lose kids or have them bringing guns to school."

During the past legislative session, lawmakers passed a resolution that encourages schools, parents and communities to form a statewide coalition in a comprehensive effort to combat bullying.

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E-mail: terickson@desnews.com