Huntsville, AL School District updates its bullying policy during COVID-19
Here’s a school district in Huntsville, Alabama that takes cyberbullying in the age of #COVID19 and #remotelearning seriously.
School officials say their character education program teaches students how to behave with others to ensure bullying stops before it starts. The district has both a behavioral learning guide as well as a bullying reporting button on its website.
A closer look at Huntsville School's behavioral learning guide, now in its fifth year, shows a COVID-19 disclaimer and a standard, detailed policy manual covering aspects of bullying. A separate bullying & prevention resolution page further covers the breakdown definitions of cyberbullying. The district has a committee of administrators and counselors from all school levels to implement, review, and oversee bullying prevention and resolution efforts.
Still, a Google search shows Huntsville schools have an unfortunate lengthy history of tragic bullying incidents, even from within the last 12 months.
Huntsville School District is headed in the right direction with its written bullying policy, reporting mechanism, resolution efforts and attempts to publicize its efforts to the community to make sure all students and parents understand their rights and responsibilities. That incidents still occur means they may have to do even more.
Bullying and cyberbullying are complex behavioral issues. Solving them takes creativity and cooperation from school administrators, teachers, parents, students and sometimes local law enforcement officials. Following the letter of the law in your state is good. But real change will happen when administrators and teachers recognize that curbing the destructive consequences of bullying is at the heart and soul of providing the exemplary education our kids deserve.
Learn how you can protect your child's rights to freedom from school bullying. While I hope Huntsville, and all school districts, keep adapting to remote learning and the bullying and cyberbullying protocols necessary to apply and prevent it during this #pandemic, parents must still understand available legal avenues when your school district is incapable of taking the swift, necessary action.