WILMINGTON, DE – Attorney General Matt Denn released the second annual report on compliance by Delaware schools with state anti-bullying laws today. The report analyzes the implementation by the Department of Education, school districts, and charter schools of significant changes that were made to the state’s bullying statutes in 2012.

The report finds that the state’s efforts to require schools to communicate with parents about bullying incidents are showing success, but that the state’s evidence-gathering practices regarding bullying are in need of reform and that school districts and charter schools are not consistently complying with their obligation to direct students and parents to help when bullying occurs.

The report notes that there were 11% fewer substantiated bullying incidents reported in the 2013-2014 school year than in the 2012-2013 school year, but questions about the reliability of the state’s bullying statistics make it difficult to gauge whether a real reduction in bullying of that amount occurred.

“It is encouraging to see the progress our schools have made in keeping parents informed about bullying, because that was one of the primary goals of the 2012 legislation,” said Attorney General Denn who co-authored the 2012 legislation as Lieutenant Governor. “But our schools clearly have more work to do in letting parents know what recourse they have when bullying does occur, and the state needs to do a better job accurately tracking bullying incidents so we can accurately monitor our overall progress.”

In addition to conclusions highlighted in the report, the document proposes recommendations for moving forward, including:

(a) That the state revise its system for tabulating reported and substantiated bullying incidents so that data the legislature intended to gather can be accurately tabulated.
(b) That the state more uniformly educate and monitor the reporting practices of districts and charter schools so that incidents and data are properly reported on a consistent basis.
(c) That school districts and charter schools ensure that contact information for the state’s bullying ombudsman is prominently displayed on their web sites, and that the Delaware Code be revised to provide specific enforcement provisions for this statutory requirement.
(d) That the Department of Education continue to emphasize reporting of bullying incidents to parents of both victims and perpetrators.

“Delaware students, parents, and educators share genuine concerns about bullying–in-school bullying, bullying outside of school, and especially, the rise in bullying on social media,” said Frederika Jenner, President of the Delaware State Education Association. “We appreciate the attention that has been brought to these concerns, as well as efforts from the AG’s office to both curtail and monitor bullying. All progress is welcomed and celebrated.”

“We are pleased with the progress the state has made in addressing the issue of bullying in our schools,” said Dr. Terri Hodges, President of the Delaware PTA. “The findings and recommendations are consistent with the changes we have seen in the schools, as well as the reports we receive from parents in regards to how incidents of bullying are handled.”

You can view the entire report here: http://www.attorneygeneral.delaware.gov/documents/2015_anti-bullying-laws.pdf

Wilmington – A 2011 Delaware school based survey indicates that 14% of 8th graders and 20% of 11th graders felt they were bullied on school property in the past 12 months. The risk for being bullied is even higher for students who identify themselves, or are perceived to be Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Transgender or Questioning (LGBTQ).

That’s why the Children’s Department’s Division of Prevention and Behavioral Health Services (PBHS) is making the Kognito Step In, Speak Up Anti Bullying Training available free to any educator in the State. Step In, Speak up is an online interactive training program to empower educators and other school-or community–based staff to effectively curtail harassment and bullying, identify challenges faced by LGBTQ students, and connect them with additional local resources. The goal is to reduce the high rates of psychological distress, including suicide attempts, among LGBTQ middle and high school students. The Step In, Speak up training can be accessed at http://www.kognito.com/delaware.

“October seemed like the perfect time to launch this training, since it is also National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month,” said Jennifer Ranji, Secretary for the Delaware Children’s Department. “We’re pleased to be able to provide educators with resources like this one to help vulnerable children.”

“Bullying damages the physical, social, and emotional well-being of its victim and creates a climate of fear, callousness, and disrespect,” according to Susan Cycyk, Director for PBHS. “Offering trainings such as this, along with support services in elementary and middle schools, help us fulfill our vision of ‘resilient children and families living in supportive communities’.”

Bullying is defined as unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children, that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. It includes threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose. It can be physical, social, or online (cyber) in nature.

Children may be bullied for: Being over/under weight, wearing glasses, being new to school, being unable to afford what’s considered “cool”; being considered weak and/or unable to defend themselves; having low self-esteem or becoming depressed; having few friends and are less popular than others. Children who are bullied are at greater risk for substance abuse, suicide attempts, and poor academic performance.

Children who are more likely to bully others are typically those who: Are overly concerned about their popularity, have social power, like to dominate or be in charge; have less parental involvement or have issues at home; have difficulty following rules; view violence in a positive way.

Research has shown that when adults respond quickly and consistently to bullying behavior this can stop bullying behavior over time. During the act of bullying, adults are advised to: intervene immediately, separate the kids involved, make sure everyone is safe, meet any immediate medical or mental health needs, and stay calm.

There are several resources adults and young people alike can take advantage of. Parents concerned about bullying should talk directly with their child’s teacher and/or school administrator. Additionally, bullying can be reported to the Department of Justice’s School Crimes and Bullying Hotline, 1-800-220-5414. Youth who need someone to talk to can reach out locally to Delaware’s Contact Lifeline 1-800-262-9800 or the National Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800273-TALK (8255).

The Children’s Department provides services to children who have been abused, neglected, are dependent, have mental health or substance problems, have been adjudicated delinquent by the Courts, as well as prevention services targeted toward all youth. For more information, please visit www.kids.delaware.gov.

Proposals from Attorney General, Lieutenant Governor and Education Committee Chairs set to become law

DOVER – A bill that implements a key component of a plan to combat cyber-bullying passed the House of Representatives on Thursday and is headed to the Governor’s desk.

Senate Bill 193, sponsored by Sen. David Sokola and Rep. Terry Schooley, allows the Attorney General’s office to defend school districts and charter schools if they face a legal challenge after implementing a statewide cyberbullying policy. Attorney General Beau Biden and Lt. Gov. Matt Denn began the process of drafting the statewide cyberbulling policy in the spring when they held statewide public hearings to gather factual evidence from school administrators and parents about the type of off-campus activity causing disruption in our schools. Once the policy is developed, the state’s Department of Education will issue regulations requiring adoption of the statewide cyberbullying policy by public school districts and charter schools.

Nationally, 8.2 million students are bullied each year and 1 million are cyber-bullied. About 160,000 students stay home from school on any given day because they’re afraid of being bullied. In Delaware, nearly 20 percent of students surveyed last year reported that another student issued a verbal threat against them, while 30 percent reported that they said something to another student to hurt them.

“The General Assembly recognized that although social networking technology has erased the boundary between the schoolyard and home, schools have had difficulty taking action against cyberbullies,” Attorney General Biden said. “This legislation changes that by making sure my office can stand behind schools trying to make their campuses the safe, supportive learning environments our kids deserve. I want to thank Lt. Gov. Denn, Sen. Sokola, and Rep. Schooley for their hard work and advocacy to make this change happen.”

“We are already hard at work developing this policy,” said Lt. Governor Denn. “We’ve held the meetings, gotten great feedback, and look forward to presenting a policy that will protect our children and let them focus on learning and being kids instead of worrying about being bullied.”

“I’m pleased to see that my colleagues in the House understand the dimensions of this problem and have acted to pass this bill,” said Sen. David Sokola (D-Newark), the bill’s lead sponsor. “It’s an issue that can have a harmful effect on safety and school climate, both of which are vital to a student’s ability to succeed in school. Fortunately, we have good guidance from the courts about how to address this in a Constitutionally-acceptable way and I’m confident that the attorney general and our education community will do just that.”

Rep. Schooley (D-Newark), who sponsored the bill in the House, said “In this age of technology, young people use many different forms of social media, computers and cell phones to communicate and publicly post information. Unfortunately, these means of communication can be used to bully other young people in a more public way than previous generations could ever imagine. By passing this bill, we are trying to stay ahead of the curve and protect our children and grandchildren from cyber-bullying and let people know that bullying in any form is wrong and should not be tolerated.”

SB 193 is part of a two-bill package from Biden, Schooley and Sokola aimed at fighting bullying. HB 268, which passed both chambers of the legislature earlier this year, protects students against bullying by adding consistency in how bullying incidents are reported by schools.

The bill requires the Department of Education to annually audit schools to ensure that they are properly investigating and reporting bullying allegations. The legislation was developed from multiple community forums Attorney General Biden has held talking to students and parents about bullying, and from conversations he and Lt. Gov. Denn have had with district superintendents.

The legislation addresses a lack of consistency in how bullying incidents are reported by school districts. For example, Laurel Middle School, which has a four-star commendable rating, had the highest number of incidents (38 in a 344-student school) during the 2010-11 school year, but William Penn High with 1,981 students had zero reported incidents. And only one incident was reported in the entire Smyrna School District. School districts would be required to report unsubstantiated claims of bullying to the state Department of Education, in addition to the current requirement for reporting substantiated claims. The current law says substantiated claims must be reported within five business days. Often it takes longer than that for a school administrator to verify a student’s claim, so the incident never gets reported.

Additionally, the Attorney General’s Office’s bullying hotline (1-800-220-5414) must be posted on each school district’s website and in a conspicuous place in each school.

Rep. Schooley, Sens. Henry and Sokola sponsoring measure to increase reporting of bullying, promote Attorney General’s bullying hotline

Wilmington – Noting that one out of every three middle and high school students report being bullied but many other incidents go unreported, Lt. Gov. Matt Denn, Attorney General Beau Biden and legislative leaders unveiled legislation on Friday that would protect students against bullying and add consistency in how such incidents are reported.

Nationally, 8.2 million students are bullied each year and 1 million are cyber-bullied. About 160,000 students stay home from school on any given day because they’re afraid of being bullied. In Delaware, nearly 20 percent of students surveyed last year reported that another student issued a verbal threat against them, while 30 percent reported that they said something to another student to hurt them.

Lt. Gov. Denn said the proposal contains an important provision requiring the Department of Education to annually audit schools to ensure that they are properly investigating and reporting bullying allegations.

“It’s not just having the numbers, though those are important. Letting parents of kids who were bullied know about it is obvious,” Lt. Gov. Denn said. “Less obvious, but just as important, is letting the parents of kids who are doing the bullying know what is going on. Many of these kids, perhaps most, come from families with interested and active parents, who want their kids to do the right thing in school. If those parents know that their kids are engaged in bullying, they will start taking some strong steps at home to deal with the problem.”

The legislation was developed from multiple community forums Attorney General Biden has held talking to students and parents about bullying, and from conversations he and Lt. Gov. Denn have had with district superintendents.

“Kids deserve to be safe at school, but we need to fully understand the challenges we face in order to hold bullies accountable, prevent future incidents, and help students – both bullies and victims – stay on the right path,” Attorney General Biden said. “This legislation addresses the gaps in Delaware’s law that have led to uneven and inaccurate reporting.”

The legislation, which will be filed next week, would address a lack of consistency in how bullying incidents are reported by school districts. For example, Laurel Middle School, which has a four-star commendable rating, had the highest number of incidents (38 in a 344-student school) during the 2010-11 school year, but William Penn High with 1,981 students had zero reported incidents. And only one incident was reported in the entire Smyrna School District.

Under the bill, school districts would be required to report unsubstantiated claims of bullying to the state Department of Education, in addition to the current requirement for reporting substantiated claims. The current law says substantiated claims must be reported within five business days. Often it takes longer than that for a school administrator to verify a student’s claim, so the incident never gets reported.

Additionally, DOE must audit the districts’ reports of bullying statistics annually. Lastly, the Attorney General’s Office’s bullying hotline (1-800-220-5414) must be posted on each school district’s website and in a conspicuous place in each school.

Rep. Terry Schooley, who is the lead House sponsor of the legislation, said that reducing the instance of bullying starts with everyone treating all instances of reported bullying seriously and not tolerating any form of bullying.

“We’re not talking about the old-fashioned ‘kids will be kids’ instances, these are serious situations that are putting kids at risk. Bullying creates fear and intimidation in our schools, and it leads to students performing poorly in school, not going to school for fear of being bullied or in some cases, committing suicide,” said Rep. Schooley, D-Newark. “There is a reluctance to report bullying, but we need everyone – parents, teachers, administrators and students – to say that they will not tolerate bullying and to report all instances, so we can better address this problem.”

Senate Majority Whip Sen. Margaret Rose Henry, one of the prime sponsors of the legislation, said that protecting children from bullying is paramount.

“There’s no magic fix for bullying, much as all of us wish there were one,” said Sen. Henry, D-Wilmington East, a longtime champion of anti-bullying measures. “But these changes will increase accountability on the part of our schools and conspicuous posting of the bullying hotline number, I think, will give parents another tool to address this problem.”

“Schools need to be a place where students feel safe, and all adults and students need to be willing to respond to any physical, verbal and cyber threats,” said Sen. David Sokola, D-Newark, chairman of the Senate Education Committee and a strong backer of anti-bullying measures.

WILMINGTON – Media are invited to join Lieutenant Governor Matt Denn, Attorney General Beau Biden and legislative leaders for a press conference on Friday, March 2, 2012, where they will unveil stronger anti-bullying legislation, discuss their work on cyber-bullying, and introduce Delawareans to a national Special Olympics program being rolled out in Delaware.

They will be joined by General Assembly sponsors Representative Terry Schooley (D-23rd Rep. District) and Senator Margaret Rose Henry (D-2nd Sen. District). Sen. Henry will be representing legislation sponsor Senator Dave Sokola (D – 8th Sen. District), who cannot attend due to a previous commitment in his role as Chair of the Senate’s Education Committee.

Other invited guests include the Delaware Department of Education, members of the General Assembly who are co-sponsors, members of the Delaware Bullying Prevention Association, Department of Justice, Prevent Child Abuse Delaware, Early Childhood Council, Department of Services for Children, Youth, and Their Families, and Special Olympics.

When: Friday, March 2, 2012
10:00am – 11:00am

Where: Attorney General’s Conference Room
Carvel State Office Building
820 N. French Street, 6th Floor
Wilmington