The Definition of Bullying in years past was narrow and generally focused on physical abuse and intimidation

Today, it has a much broader meaning and is defined as a pattern of persistent abuse of any kind in which there is a power differential between the two parties. The advent of social media with Facebook, twitter and texting has enabled cyber bullying to occur 24/7 with a larger audience to inflict humiliation.

The Mariemont School System is implementing a plan to address this very challenging problem and the following is an introduction to their excellent program and a link to a website that provides greater detail.

We at Mariemont City Schools would like to ensure that every person, every child that enters our buildings feels welcome and safe. As a result, we are increasing our focus on bullying prevention beginning this school year and continually as an integral part of who we are and what we do for our students. According to a study conducted by the National Association of School Psychologists, bullying is the most common form of violence in our society; between 15% and 30% of students are bullies or victims. This is unacceptable. We must do everything in our power to provide a secure and positive environment for all of our students to reach their full potential as scholars of today and leaders of tomorrow.

Historically, we have addressed bullying prevention through successful programs at all levels in our district, but we have not developed a coordinated and systematic K-12 approach to bullying prevention that is based upo

n our own data. Beginning this school year we are taking the following steps: We formed school building committees, including parents, staff and students, at each level; we surveyed students anonymously to gather data on bullying issues in our district; we developed specific programs to address the identified issues; we implemented a 24-hour anonymous bullying reporting system (both online and via telephone); and we offer student, staff and parent training to educate everyone on this critical topic.

Our increased district-wide bullying prevention efforts require the participation and commitment of students, parents, educators and members of the community. The prevention of bullying cannot be a one-year focus – we must remain persistently vigilant and work together to maintain a safe and positive environment for all of our children to ensure they can thrive academically, socially, physically and emotionally. For more information about the Mariemont City School District bullying prevention programs, plans and policies, please visit our website or contact any of the building principals or school counselors.