Happy childhood memories are a precious commodity. The ability to look back fondly on those formative years of K-12 is a gift to be treasured as children pass out of childhood into the rest of their lives as adults. If those memories become tainted through the rough hands or hurtful words of a bully, however, they can often lead to devastating consequences for the victims.

Alexandra Wolff, 17, understands just how painful those memories can be. "I really want to get the message across that bullying is wrong. It really hurt me and I think that there should be an end, and the school system in my opinion doesn't do enough. ... I basically don't want other people to be bullied like I was," she said.

The Maryland State Department of Education has been tasked to ensure that Wolff's wish comes true. In May 2008, Gov. Martin O'Malley signed Maryland House Bill 199, a law that requires MSDE as well as local school systems within Maryland to develop a model policy to prohibit bullying, harassment and intimidation in schools.

The first meeting of the Anti-Bullying Workgroup that will recommend a MSDE model bullying policy took place Sept. 3 at the Faulkner Ridge Center, in Columbia.

Dominic Romano, MSDE School Safety Specialist, opened the working section of the meeting by stating that this "topic is the most important one on my plate. ... It will be afforded immediate and continuous focus until we get this job done."

The model MSDE policy is slated to address a broad array of topics pertaining to bullying. Included in the policy will be statements prohibiting bullying, harassment and intimidation, as well as statements prohibiting reprisals against individuals who report such acts.

The model policy will also seek to put into place proposed standard consequences and remedial actions for persons committing acts of bullying, and provide information about the types of support services available to both the student victim and the bully in the aftermath of the incidents.

Wolff, a resident of Ellicott City, was present at the meeting as a student representative to the Anti-Bullying Workgroup. Her own experience as the victim of bullying -- most of which took place during her middle school years -- left a profound imprint on her psyche.

"They used to tease and harass me and call me names ... retard, mental and freak. They excluded me during lunch break and they wouldn't let me play with them. I had no self-esteem for a long time," she said.

Another member of the Anti-Bullying Workgroup, Marcie Goodman, is a parent advocate whose daughter was bullied by a classmate while she was in high school. Goodman notes that her child's outlook on life was instantly altered after her run-in with a school bully.

"It certainly impacted her sense of self-worth and her confidence," she said. "(Afterward) my daughter never left the house without someone with her for fear of running into that girl."

Goodman, who does not wish to have her daughter named to protect her privacy, added that she first became aware there was a problem at school when her daughter ran home in tears.

"She was hysterical," Goodman said. "The girl had a MySpace account that had terrible things about her on it. Truly horrible things that I don't even like repeating out loud."

Goodman was particularly upset that the school did nothing to shield her daughter from the bully and that the bully suffered no negative consequences as a result of her actions.

The family's experience with bullying and the school's lack of response to the problem prompted Goodman to take an active role in designing Maryland's anti-bullying legislation, which eventually passed as House Bill 199.

Although her daughter was subjected to bullying while attending a private, parochial school, Goodman thinks that there is a strong need for a comprehensive state policy on bullying and its aftermath.

"Where we live, Baltimore County, for example, has a very good policy, but that doesn't help Allegany or another county that doesn't have a policy in place," she said.

In Howard County, the school system implemented Policy 1040, Safe School Environments on July 1, 2007. Within the policy bullying and cyber-bullying are defined and consequences are set for individuals who engage in bullying and cyber-bullying as defined in the policy.

The MSDE model bullying policy is due to be presented at Annapolis by March 31, 2009. County school systems throughout Maryland have until July 1, 2009, to submit their bullying policies to State Superintendent Nancy Grasmick.

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user comments (1)

user nash says...

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Posted 12:44 PM, 09.18.08

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