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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (July 21, 2021)
Wednesday, July 21, 2021 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon RESPONDING: It9s important to not let bullying go unnoticed Continued from page 3 The Nugget previously. Sisters Country residents of all ages can help reduce bullying and harassment. Here9s how: If you see bullying or rac- ist behavior Experts recommend that kids band together as a group. Say forcefully to the bully, <Stop doing that,= or <That9s not okay.= If there is a racism incident, follow up afterward. Natalie urges kids to help the person through it: <Be a good friend, try to comfort them, make them feel better.= Receiving support from friends <feels really good,= she said. <It makes you feel like you9re not worthless and you can get through anything.= If you9re bullied or called names Know that it9s not your fault if you get bullied. Reach out to a trusted adult. Natalie says, <Tell your parents.= A relative, teacher, or counselor might be your trusted adult. See <Reach out= below for advice if you9re feeling down. If your child is bullied Natalie says parents should act immediately. Achea Redd of youth organization On Our Sleeves recommends, <Talk to the teachers, other parents, and administration. Be very vocal.= <The more involved you are, the better. Do not let yourself feel like you9re a burden to the school if you sense something is awry,= explains Redd. <You need to be in touch with the school and work together to make sure your child is safe.= Outside of school, talk to summer camp counselors, parents, coaches, and other involved adults. Hang in there Reporting an incident won9t necessarily stop the problem right away. A per- son who bullies may have a difficult home life or mental health issues. Intervention can be complicated. Zero tol- erance and expulsion are not effective approaches, accord- ing to experts. Escalate Natalie was harassed for 2.5 months after her family first reported it to the school. Eventually her family con- tacted the State of Oregon Board of Education, which stepped in. The federal government recommends starting with the child9s teacher when report- ing school bullying. If you suspect the school is not ade- quately addressing harassment based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or reli- gion, escalate the issue to the school superintendent. Then move on up the chain: Oregon Department of Education, U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Justice. If your child bullies others If a child shows bullying behaviors at home, school, or elsewhere, put a stop to it 4 but don9t spank or use physi- cal violence as a punishment. That can backfire. Guidance is available at StopBullying.gov. Push for accountability <Hold the people who are bullying accountable for what they9re doing,= Natalie DID YOU KNOW? S o m e i n s u r a n c e c o m p a n i e s o f f e r AS PART OF YOUR POLICY! C A L L U S F O R T H I S V I T A L I N F O R M A T I O N ! SS • AUTO • HOME • HEALTH • LIFE • BUSINE FARM • RENTAL 541-549-3172 1-800-752-8540 704 W. Hood Ave., Sisters Sisters Dental WE ARE HERE FOR YOU! Trevor Frideres, D . M . D . Greg Everson, D . M . D . 541-549-2011 491 E. Main Ave. • Sisters www.sistersdental.com Hours: Mon., 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; Tues.-Thurs., 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Fri., 7 a.m.-3 p.m. recommends. <Deal with it.= When adults respond quickly and consistently, they send the message that bullying is not acceptable, according to StopBullying. Four essential strategies for reducing bul- lying in a community are: 1. Talk with children about bullying; 2. Encourage kids to do activities they love; 3. Model kindness and respect; and 4. Show kids how to seek help. Work to create commu- nity-wide bullying preven- tion strategies. Redd notes that kids need adults to advo- cate for them, not just against student bullies but against <political systems and school boards who refuse to protect the children they have vowed to serve.= Model positive behavior When kids see powerful adults abusing positions of power, covering up for bullies, or making light of hate-filled talk, they get the impression that bullying is OK. Create a culture of respect in the com- munity at large to counteract this influence. Down with violence Kids can be exposed to violence at home, in video games and movies, and in the media. Reducing exposure can lower the amount of vio- lence kids commit, accord- ing to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Adults are advised to monitor youth screen time, including gaming and mov- ies (free ratings are available at www.commonsensemedia. org). Child abuse prevention programs also reduce youth violence. Reach out if you9re feel- ing troubled No matter your age: if you 17 PHOTO BY TL BROWN Natalie Soleim (left) and her mother, Cheryl, learned a lot after a series of bullying incidents at school. feel sad or angry for a long period of time, or if you9re concerned you might hurt yourself or someone else, reach out. Call 1-800-273- 8255 English, 1-888-628- 9454 Español, or 1-800-799- 4889 for the deaf. The comprehensive web- site at StopBullying.gov con- tains a wealth of resources on bullying. For advice on talk- ing with your children about moods and mental health, visit OnOurSleeves.org. Local resources include the Family Resource Center of Central Oregon (www.frconline. org) and Deschutes County Behavioral Health at 541-322- 7500; press 9. Teens help each other on YouthLine, 4 to 10 p.m. via phone or text; during other hours, adults are on-hand. Call 877-968-8491 or text Teen2teen to 839863. For LGBTQ+ youth, the Trevor Project offers a confidential helpline at 866-488-7386.