GISD taking different perspective in anti-bullying campaign

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September 20, 2012

GISD taking different perspective in anti-bullying campaign

By JOSEPH HAMRICK Herald-Banner Staff The Herald-Banner Thu Sep 20, 2012, 11:33 PM CDT

GREENVILLE — Greenville Independent School District Superintendent Don Jefferies said he is taking a different perspective in his district-wide anti-bullying campaign. Instead of only focusing on punishing bullying behavior, schools will point out and reward good behavior.

“We have an obligation to reinforce positive behavior,” he said. “So when teachers see kids who are doing the right thing, they will identify and reward it.”

According to Jefferies, each GISD campus has different slogans to call attention to positive behavior.

“What we are trying to do is reinforce and recognize positive behavior,” he said. “We have the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), where our counselors are heavily involved in training teachers to spot bullying and reward good behavior.”

Although he is focusing more on positive reinforcements, Jefferies said reprecussion for bullying is clearly spelled out in the GISD code of conduct.

“We do have consequences for buyllying, which vary between the severity of the incident and the grade,” Jefferies said. “We find that if kids are made aware of the consequences for misbehaving, they are less likely to break the code.”

Jefferies said he likes to use preventative measures to fight bullying, and said he has found one technique that works the best.

“One of the main things I’ve stressed in my administration is to let the teachers know if the kids know their teachers care about them, the more they care about what the teacher knows and the more they will be willing to trust.”

A new form of bullying has risen along with internet use and Jefferies said it has been addressed by the district.

“Before students could check out their iPads with the iPad initiative, they had to watch an anti cyber-bullying video,” he said. “And they know the consequences for breaking the code of conduct.”

According to Jefferies, students and faculty have many ways of reporting incidents of bullying.

“At all campuses you can report in person, by letter or anonymously,” he said. “You will not get punished for being a victim.”

Jefferies said his administrations primary goal is to return the children of GISD safe and emotionally sound upon return.

“Our first obligation is to keep kids safe and emotionally sound in school,” he said. “Our second is to give them the best education they can get. To this day I have never had any complaints about that.”

One of the basic ways Jefferies said he is fighting bullying is by not ignoring the issue.

“If you ignore it,” he said. “It is to your peril.”