Newsletters 2014-15 Focus newsletter, [1] fall | Page 11

CREATING SAFE AND RESPECTFUL SCHOOLS

PAGE 11

District in the lead meeting new
state anti-bullying requirement

Eliminating bullying
and harassment

Anoka-Hennepin School District is in good
shape to implement the extensive requirements
of the state’s new anti-bullying law. After much
discussion and many revisions, the Minnesota
Legislature approved a bill last spring that created a set of rules for Minnesota schools to follow
to address the problem of bullying in schools.

All Anoka-Hennepin schools provided training for
students on bullying and harassment, and the district conducted numerous trainings for various
groups of staff on a variety of specific topics related
to bullying and harassment. Here are just a few
efforts that were new last year.

There was concern statewide that it would be
difficult for many school districts to comply with
the new law. Anoka-Hennepin already has the
policies and procedures in place to comply with
the new state law thanks to its focus on eliminating bullying and harassment from district schools
and teaching students core values, like respect
and compassion.
The district has been working on bullying and
harassment in the schools since 2003 when it put
its first anti-bullying policy in place. And, it has
been working on instilling it’s core values –
respect, responsibility, appreciation of diversity,
integrity and compassion – in students since the
early 1990’s. Since hiring a full-time Title IX/equity coordinator in 2012, however, these efforts
moved into high gear. The district has made
great strides in educating staff and students
about bullying and harassment and developing
procedures for handling and tracking incidents.
“We have been on this journey for over a
decade, and now I feel we can say we have
made significant progress,” said Jennifer Cherry,
Title IX/equity coordinator.

For the past 13 years, the Anoka-Hennepin schools have
hosted a district-wide Anti-Bully Poster contest. Winners,
like last year's seventh-grade winner, Brianna Xiong, from
Anoka Middle School for the Arts, have their posters displayed in buildings across the district for the year.

Over the next school year, staff from each of
the secondary schools will receive bystander
empowerment training and develop plans to
implement a student leadership program in their
own schools the following year.
Over the years, all district schools have provided students with anti-bullying training of some
type each year. These efforts have been
school–specific rather than consistent throughout
the district. Most of the training thus far has
focused on knowing what bullying is and reporting it to adults when it happens. Coon Rapids
and Blaine high schools took that an important
step further with programs emphasizing what
bystanders can do to stop bullying.

Despite the progress, there is more work to be
done and the district is
With those efforts in
We have been on this journey
getting financial help to
place, Cherry is begindo it. Cherry was thrilled
ning to look more directfor over a decade, and now I
to receive a call from the
ly at prevention and crefeel we can say we have made
Bush Foundation recently
ating more consistency
announcing they are
significant progress.
throughout the district.
funding the district’s
She pointed to Anoka
grant proposal for just
- Jennifer Cherry, Title IX/equity coordinator
High School as an excelunder $200,000 to prolent example of this new emphasis. The school
vide more training for middle and high school
embarked on a positive messaging campaign
students. It will also fund the work of two outside
this past year as a way to work toward building a
facilitators who have been working with the disschool culture free of bullying and harassment.
trict’s Anti-Bullying/Anti-Harassment Task Force.
“Rather than focusing on the bad things that can
The bulk of the grant will be used to train midhappen and what to do about them when they
dle and high school students to prevent bullying
do, they are highlighting positive school culture
and intervene when they see it happening. It
and positive messaging,” said Cherry.
builds on the bullying awareness program devel“The emphasis is shifting. It’s on promoting
oped at Coon Rapids High Schools and the
positive environments and really getting to the
bystander empowerment program developed at
heart of what it means to be respectful. We need
Blaine High School, both through grants from
to look at how we ensure students are behaving
Anoka County and the Anoka-Hennepin
in respectful ways and accepting of each other’s
Educational Foundation.
differences. Both students and educators told us
A small group of Blaine teachers received trainthis is important and that they need more tools
ing in “Green Dot,” a national program aimed at
to help do this.”
curtailing bullying and violence community wide.
The Anti-Bullying/Anti-Harassment Task Force
They used this as the basis for the school’s
of students, staff, parents and other community
Bengal Bystander program, which trains student
members also recognized the need for this in a
leaders to work with their peers. “Blaine started
recommendation to the School Board to begin a
by training their National Honor Society students
communitywide campaign to spread messages of
to be leaders. This year they will expand that to
kindness. ■
their Link Crew leaders,” said Cherry.

“

”

Report bullying and harassment
If your child or someone else you know experiences
bullying, harassment, discrimination or violence at
school, please complete the online report form
available at www.anoka.k12.mn.us/complaintform,
or contact the designated Title IX building lead (below).
School Name

Contact Name

School Name

The district’s Bullying/Cyberbullying Policy and the
Harassment, Violence and Discrimination Policy
are available on the district website and in the
Anoka-Hennepin Schools Policy Handbook mailed
to homes of all enrolled students.
Contact Name

School Name

Contact Name

Secondary schools

Middle schools

Other school sites

Andover . . . . . . . . . . . Bob Bursaw
Anoka . . . . . . . . . . . Erick Lakanen
Blaine. . . . . . . . . . . Amber Schultz
Champlin Park . . . . . Chris Nelson
Coon Rapids . .