By: Jackalyn Kovac
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. - Every parent worries about their child nad hopes they are not a victim of bullying.
The topic of bullying is extremely sensitive. WJAC-TV reached out to a number of victims and their parents, but all of them backed out at the last minute in fear of increased bullying.
In the state of Pennsylvania, schools are required to have anti-bullying policies in place to help students, but is it enough to protect children from the lasting effects of bullying?
Bullying, by definition, is unwanted aggressive behavior that is repeated multiple times.
"The person that's being targeted didn't do anything to put themselves in that situation and needs help to get out of it," Shiryl Barto said.
Barto is the manager of the Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention at Windber Research Institute.
She said bullying is often first seen in elementary school and is most reported by the victim and witnesses.
"They still sense right and wrong and want teachers to do something about that," Barto said.
Barto said as children get older, the bullying continues and the reports decrease. She said children in high school report bullying the least of all, and schools need to teach kids what the bullying behavior is.
But as a parent, what should you look for to know if your child is being bullied?
Barto said students who are bullied may try to avoid school and extracurriculars by faking an illness, and their grades may take a turn. She said possession may go missing as students try to barter their way out of this situation.
Experts suggest talking with your child bout what is going on so that a plan of action can be taken.
"A very important thing adults can do, aside from learning what it is and what it isn't, is to listen," Barto said. "To maybe share some stories with children about their own experiences when they were growing up."
Barto said bullying isn't something new. Other generations went through it, and some see it as a normal part of growing up.
But more spotlight on the topic has led to laws and policies in 49 states, but nothing federally.
Pennsylvania's anti-bullying laws cover both bullying and cyberbullying.
WJAC-T V reviewed the law and found it only outlines how a school's policy should look.
"We're more of a local control state, so we try to keep everything at the local level," Michael Kozup, the Pennsylvania Department of Education Safe Schools Office director, said.
The law requires schools to have a policy related to bullying and incorporate it into the school's student code of conduct and appoint a staff person to receive the reports of alleged bullying incidents.
WJAC-TV spoke with three schools in the viewing area, and those districts said they appointed a safety officer or a principal to handle the reports for their district.
Schools must also post their policies online. Of the three districts, Greater Johnstown School District did not have a clear link to their policy, but after a quick call to the school's administration, a copy of the policy was provided.
The policies must be reviewed every three years, and revised policies must be submitted with their annual report.
The law does not include information about what should be included in the policy and how it should be implemented.
Kozup said most districts get their policies from the Pennsylvania School Board Association. He didn't have any comment on whether the state should have a direct law, but where parents should look for a solution to problems in their district.
"What parents need to do at the local level is they need to get involved with the school district and with the school board and volunteer to be on committees for school safety committees that formulate these policies and write them," Kozup said.
Meanwhile, Gov. Tom Wolf told 6 News during a recent visit to Johnstown that the state needs to support educators to make sure bullying is no longer an issue in schools.
"I've been going around to a lot of schools, and I know it's a preoccupation so it's a focus of a lot of schools," Wolf said. "If there's something the state should be doing that it's not to make sure that we do a better job."
Locally, schools can participate in the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program.
The program is considered a whole-school program aimed at preventing or reducing bullying throughout a school setting with community involvement and support.
But districts are required to be consistent with their practices to keep the Olweus status.
"There are times when schools have a one-day assembly and call it a bullying prevention program," Barto said. "We know that's not very effective."
A Johnstown technology company said they have the answer for schools struggling to address the bullying issue in their area.
Pitbull Technology Company said they created HIBster, an anti-bullying software in correlation with New Jersey anti-bullying laws.
"What is started off with, New Jersey has a law that all schools have to record incidents and bullying from administration all the way up to the school board," Jim Budzilek said. "That's not yet in Pennsylvania. However, we believe with the success we've had with HIBster in New Jersey that we need to get this tool to schools in Pennsylvania."
Budzilek said the program allows victims or witnesses of bullying to anonymously submit a report that will work its way through the school's administration to the superintendent.
He said they've seen major results in New Jersey schools.
"There was one school district, they had a 50 percent drop in two years of incidents of bullying," Budzilek said.
Bullying is a sensitive issue for parents who have a student going through it. Experts said the cost of schools utilizing bullying prevention programs is cheaper in the long run for the community.
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