New family Saturday school brings in parents of suspended students for all three sessions
(The Columbus Dispatch; 1/3/12; by Charlie Boss)
Starting in February, local schools will have another tool for dealing with bullies: family Saturday school.
“If you’re a bully, and we suspend you for five to 10 days, when you come back, you’re still going to be a bully,” said Rich Playko, who oversees student services for Groveport Madison schools. “We’ve done nothing to change the behavior.”
The district plans to send first-time offenders to the workshop. It won’t be mandatory, but students who attend with their parents can reduce the length of their suspension.
Groveport Madison officials approached the Educational Council, a consortium of Franklin County school districts, to come up with a workshop that educates students and involves parents.
The council hosts similar seminars focused on truancy and substance and tobacco abuse.
As part of the bullying workshop, students and parents will meet in three-hour sessions for three Saturdays to learn how their actions affect others and the legal consequences of bullying. Moderators will help students identify new ways to deal with their anger and resolve conflicts.
“The things we are addressing are the things kids don’t hear,” said Debbie Bassinger, who oversees intervention programs for the council. “We are working with them to admit what they are doing isn’t teasing or horseplay.”
She said the council will offer four workshops in 2012, serving eight or nine students. They plan to follow-up with participants to see whether their behavior has improved.
“If this works, we’ve eliminated or reduced suspensions,” Bassinger said. “You’re not only educating students about their behavior but keeping them in school.”
The workshop will be free for referred families. Those interested in signing up might have to pay about $300, depending on the district they attend.
Experts say workshops can be an effective way to combat bullying.
“The idea of taking some of their time — on a Saturday, with their parents there — that piece can be really powerful,” said Jim Bisenius of Pickerington and founder of Bully-Proofing Youth, which provides prevention training to educators, students and parents.
The workshop also might inspire parents to act.
“When a parent has to drive to the Saturday training, when they have to put their own time on the line, they tend to get more strict,” Bisenius said.
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