10A | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2019 | COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL
Bullying from A1
Sentinel has shown that
students in Oregon have
reported being bullied at
higher rates than the rest of
the nation. In Lane County,
the students report an even
higher rate than the state
average.
Buddies, not Bullies
started three years ago at
Bohemia, part of a new so-
cial-emotional curriculum
SLSD adopted. Though
that curriculum has since
been updated, the buddies
remain.
“The fifth graders and
second graders have been in
the program for three years.
I’m just watching how they
naturally interact with each
other. They understand
the buddy system,” said
Fairchild. “It’s something
that’s become part of their
life and routine at school.
Watching it kind of evolve
into something that’s much
more organic for kids has
been really, really cool to
see.”
Comparative data is hard
to come by at Bohemia and
across all of SLSD. In the
last few years, definitions
of bullying and its report-
ing practices have changed,
making those reports more
accurate.
“I’m not suggesting by
any means that we wipe out
bullying at Bohemia. I wish
I could say that,” Bridgens
said. “But I do think that we
talk openly about it and we
address it head on. It is not
a hidden subculture. We do
not sweep it under the rug. I
think because we talk about
it and because we have con-
text for that verbiage, stu-
dents better understand the
concept of what it means
to be a good friend, to be a
respectful citizen--because
you don’t have to be friends
with everyone — and what
it means to be a bully.”
The Buddies program has
other effects beyond ticking
down the number of bully-
ing reports. Teachers who
might not see each other
outside of staff meetings get
a chance to work togeth-
er and build a work family
not unlike the family con-
nections the program tries
to create with the students.
It also seems that kids who
participate have more em-
pathy.
“I think it helps them
think about how different
kids act and to be accepting
of that and be patient with
one another,” said Fairchild.
“As an older buddy, you
have to be patient with the
younger buddies, and I’ve
seen that transfer over into
how they treat each other.”
Upstanders, not
Bystanders
With a phone in every
pocket and social media
like Facebook, Snapchat
and Twitter dominating the
attention of nearly every-
one, bullying has made a
shift from in-person to the
Information Superhighway.
At Lincoln Middle School,
they’ve tried to give kids the
tools to be safe online.
School
counselors
Thomas Partridge and
Connie Wonham began the
#ICANHELP campaign at
Lincoln. They brought in a
speaker to help kids under-
stand the program and how
they can participate.
“If you see [bullying] on
social media and you’re
putting a laugh comment
or liking a comment that
was mean to someone then
you’re part of the problem,”
said Jeremy Smith, former
principal of Lincoln Middle
School. “Even if you don’t
do that and you’re just a by-
stander, then that can lead
to people thinking that’s an
acceptable behavior.”
In just a year since the
all-school assembly that
brought kids together to
learn about upstanding in-
stead of bystanding, a com-
OCTOBER 2019
National Crime
Prevention Month
Data Differences
It’s no secret that kids
bully each other in school.
Tracking those incidents in
SLSD has been a little hard-
er. In the past, the district
had multiple referral forms
for student misconduct
and used different comput-
er-based tracking systems
to bring data together. This
year, the district is making
changes.
They’ve started using a
single referral form and
the same definitions at ev-
ery school in the district.
That will help track inci-
&
Don’t have your
identity stolen
Every person in the country is unique and has as shmishing.
an identifying name and numbers assigned Skimming: Thieves use special devices
to him or her that help regulate aspects of his attached to credit card readers to store data
or her professional and personal life. When for later use. There are also devices that can
some form of a person’s identification is read credit card information while the card is
stolen, this is known as identity theft, and it still in a wallet.
can wreak havoc on finances and personal Pretexting: According to the FTC, pretexters
credit. There are a number of steps men and use a variety of tactics to get personal
women can take to avoid being victimized by information. For example, a pretexter may
call, claim he’s from a research firm, and ask a
identity theft.
In the United States, a driver’s license and a person for his name, address, birth date, and
social security number are used to identify social security number. When the pretexter
individuals. (In Canada, individuals are issued has the information he wants, he uses it to
social insurance numbers.) Credit cards are call that person’s financial institution. He
also issued in a person’s name, and unique pretends to be the account holder or someone
numbers assigned enable individuals on the with authorized access to the account. The
account to make purchases on credit. From information may be later sold to a person
debit card PIN numbers to other sources of looking to get credit.
identification, the average person has a lot of Now that many of the identity theft methods
information that separates him or her from have been explained, protecting oneself
involves taking precautionary steps.
others.
• Do not keep many credit cards in your
Identity theft has become a prolific problem.
Having so many sources of identity around wallet, and leave passports and social security
makes it easier for identity thieves to target cards at home. The less personal items you
individuals. In a largely digital society, thieves carry, the harder it becomes for would-be
have learned how to capture credit card thieves to access your private information.
numbers and access social security numbers
• Consider a locked mailbox or use a post
from correspondence over the Internet or office box if you are concerned about mail
simply by reading magnetic-stripped cards theft.
right in a wallet. The identities of the deceased
• Shred all papers containing personal
are also being stolen thanks to information
information before putting them in the
published online.
trash or recycling bin.
The Federal Trade Commission estimates that
• Always identify an individual before
as many as nine million Americans have their
identities stolen each year. According to a giving out personal information via phone,
McMaster eBusiness Research Centre study, e-mail or text messages. Most financial
6.5 percent of the total Canadian population institutions will not ask for information over
reported being a victim of identity theft e-mail or the telephone. If you are unsure, call
in 2007. Most identity theft cases involve the bank and ask for their policy. Also, even
if the person is reputable, keep in mind that
fraudulent credit card transactions.
There are different ways to protect yourself data can be intercepted over phone lines or
from identity theft. The first step is identifying through digital channels if they are not secure.
• Watch your credit card as much as possible
the various ways thieves might gather a
when using it for dining out or when it is taken
potential victim’s personal information.
Simple stealing: Thieves can get personal out of your sight to be swiped. Routinely check
information and credit cards simply by your statements and credit scores to see if
taking wallets or purses. Some take mail, there were unauthorized charges made. Also,
including bank statements or newly issued there are special wallets that prevent skimming
credit cards, out of mailboxes. Some thieves of card information while the card is in your
take information from personnel records or wallet.
• When in doubt, do not give out any
bribe employees who may have access to this
personal information. Try to do your
information.
Trash hunting: They say one man’s trash is business in person. Do not offer social
another man’s treasure, and some identity security numbers to a survey-taker or anyone
thieves put this adage to the test. When else contacting you over the phone. Being
individuals discard bank statements or stringent in researching information requests
credit card bills without shredding them, can cut down on identity theft.
the papers can be taken out of trash cans or Although some people can resolve identity
bags. Anything thrown out with a form of theft quickly, for others it can take years and
identification on it can be stolen and used.
hundreds of dollars to repair their names.
Phishing, vishing and shmishing: Phishing Taking a proactive approach to identity theft
is a term that describes identity theft tactics is the key to thwarting it.
surrounding e-mail and Internet use. With
phishing, individuals are lured to give out
personal information
via an e-mail that is
thought to be from
a reputable financial
establishment. Anti-
phishing technology
has been developed
to pinpoint phishing
e-mails, but hackers and
phishers have developed
their own methods to
thwart it. Physically
asking for information
Preventing crime is a group effort that
over the phone is known
requires cooperation from all community members.
as vishing. Information
Remain alert and aware of your surroundings at all times, particularly in parking garages.
requested over texts or
Organize a neighborhood cleanup, or sponsor a neighborhood watch group.
Illuminate areas where intruders can hide, and trim shrubbery around your home’s doors and
windows.
short messages is known
Cottage Grove Police Department: 541-942-9145
mon language and tech-
niques to deal with their
bullies, Smith feels like he’s
seen cases of cyberbully-
ing drop--even if he didn’t
at the time of writing have
hard data to support that.
Beyond the insults hurled
behind a screen, though,
Smith says the program has
had a positive effect on stu-
dents:
“The fact that [the kids]
saw a system and a way to
respond, we saw students
that before we [had] ex-
pected to be timid and be
a victim, we saw more of
those kids standing up for
themselves and maybe de-
manding the respect they
maybe wouldn’t have at
other times,” said Smith.
dents, according to Brian
McCasline, the interim as-
sistant superintendent of
SLSD. The district is also
updating its data system to
make it easier for adminis-
trators to make sense of the
discipline data across every
school, including bullying
incidents.
“For example, on the
referral form it might say
‘defiant and disruptive be-
havior.’ If some [forms]
have that and some have
something different, it’s re-
ally hard to compare [data]
across the district. Now ev-
eryone has the same catego-
ries of behavior so that will
make it a lot easier to use,”
said McCasline.
One of the new systems
the district has adopted
is Positive Behavioral In-
terventions and Supports
(PBIS). PBIS is a U.S. gov-
ernment-funded education
program that helps educa-
tors and administrators be
more effective in sniffing
out bad behaviors and deal-
ing with them before they
escalate into something
worse.
McCasline said that
SLSD is adopting PBIS dis-
trict-wide this school year,
but pieces of it have been
used in the district for sev-
eral years. PBIS helps give
more detailed data than ever
before to principals and the
district office, which can
help them figure out where
they need to shore up their
efforts to make sure the kids
are safe.
“What PBIS allows you to
do is pinpoint where, when
and how things are happen-
ing, so that you can prevent
many of those situations,”
McCasline said. “You can
pinpoint between 12:00 and
12:15 we’re having an issue
in the cafeteria with horse-
play. Or we’re having an
issue with bullying-type be-
havior from 12:30 to 12:45
on the playground. Then
you can really put things in
place to stop that behavior
from happening.”
All of this information
helps the district make
sure they’re teaching stu-
dents acceptable behaviors
and shift supervision when
needed — all in an effort to
make sure kids are safe and
don’t become repeat offend-
ers.
Payton grabbed Boston’s
now-finished
pumpkin
drawing and swapped it
with her own. Boston gently
took it back, and a playful
game of keep-away began.
In the moment, the girls
could have been sisters.
In that moment, they
were.
OCTOBER 2019
Domestic Violence
Awareness Month
Signs of domestic violence
Domestic violence is a
problem that can affect
anyone
at
anytime.
Considering victims are
usually frightened of their
abusers, they often suffer in
silence.
The Domestic Violence
Resource Center says that 1
in 4 women has experienced
domestic violence in her
lifetime. Estimates range
from 960,000 incidents of
violence against a current
or former spouse, boyfriend,
or girlfriend to 3 million
women who are physically
abused by their husbands or
boyfriends per year. Men can
also be victims of domestic
violence at the hands of their
female partners, and abuse
can occur between same-sex
couples as well. However,
the Bureau of Justic Statistics
indicates that women ages
20-24 are at the greatest risk
of nonfatal intimate partner
violence.
Domestic violence comes
in many forms, including
physical, emotional and
verbal abuse. Many victims
of domestic violence are
battered into secrecy or are
embarrassed that they are
being abused and do not
share their experiences with
others. Others might not
even realize what they are
experiencing constitutes
abuse. But there are some
signs of domestic violence
that can be observed and a
third party may be able to
intervene.
• A partner who harbors
unrealistic expectations.
Experts say that those who
engage in domestic violence
are generally perfectionists
and expect those around
them to reach unattainable
goals and their own
perfection. Violence may
result when things do not go
of without a hitch.
• A partner who is
controlling. When a person
insists you account for all of
your time, the relationship
may eventually turn abusive.
This behavior generally
stems from feelings of
insecurity and poor self-
esteem on the part of the
abusive individual, which
is then projected on the
partner in terms of abusive
words or distrust.
• Escalating threats: In many
cases, domestic violence
begins with verbal assaults
which may develop into
physical threats. Whether the
abuse is verbal or physical, it
can have profound and long-
lasting effects on the victim.
For those who observe a
person continually brow-
beating a spouse or talking
badly about him or her, this
may be an indication of an
abusive relationship.
• A partner with a noticeable
temper. Sometimes a temper
goes hand-in-hand with
domestic violence. An
individual with a short fuse
and a propensity for lashing
out with minimal patience
in areas outside of his or
her relationship may be
equally short-fused in the
relationship.
• A partner who limits access
to money, belongings or the
car. You may notice your
friend or a family member
continually having to ask
permission to use the car
or visit with people. Some
friends complain about
not having access to the
checkbook or being kept on
a strict budget. While not
always a case of domestic
violence, it may be a warning
sign that something is not
right.
• Hidden bruises or excuses
for injuries: Michigan State
University’s Safe Place
indicates that injuries that
are covered up and happen
with some frequency could
be an early warning sign
of domestic violence. If
you know someone who is
trying to downplay frequent
injuries, it may be a red flag.
• Conflict avoidance: Usually
those who are in abusive
relationships try to avoid
conflict and rarely speak up
or voice their own opinions.
• Personality changes:
Withdrawal, inability or not
wanting to meet up with
friends, loss of enthusiasm,
or any other personality
changes may be indicative
of abuse.
Domestic violence is
something that takes many
forms and is often hidden.
But there may be some
warning signs that can be
observed through an outside
party.
These messages brought to you by these sponsors
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24 hour Crisis Line
541-485-6513
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Medical Center
1515 Village Drive
541-767-5500
Starfire Lumber
2795 Mosby Creek Rd
541-942-0168
South Lane County Fire and
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233 E. Harrison Ave
541-942-4493
Brad’s Cottage Grove Chevrolet
2775 Row River Rd
541-942-4415
Hitch Pro & Tow
4701 W. 11th Ave, Eugene
541-434-2403
Cottage Grove Police Dept
400 E. Main St
541-942-9145
Fort Rock Construction
Cottage Grove
541-767-1611
Pinocchio’s Pizza
1795 E. Main
541-942-5531
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147 W. Oregon Ave, Creswell
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Cottage Grove
541-729-9515
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