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
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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.