By Neil Gonzales
ngonzales@bayareanewsgroup.com
Posted: 05/25/2011 06:15:15 AM PDT
Updated: 05/25/2011 07:01:21 AM PDT
San Mateo County public school districts lack policies that specifically address student bullying, a civil grand jury report has found.
Among the report's findings, five districts -- Bayshore Elementary, Hillsborough City Elementary, La Honda-Pescadero Unified, San Carlos Elementary and Woodside Elementary -- don't have either a stand-alone bullying policy or a harassment policy that covers bullying issues. These districts also don't have a process to enforce consequences for bullying or harassment, the report said.
The report, released Tuesday, urged districts to develop or strengthen policies that target bullying. However, some education leaders said Tuesday that their districts are tackling bullying in various ways even if they don't have a specific policy addressing it.
Hillsborough City Superintendent Anthony Ranii acknowledged that his district currently doesn't have a board-enacted policy on bullying. But the district has other measures in place that speak to bullying and harassment. Those include programs at the district's schools that handle student aggression "very well," he said.
A board policy can be part of efforts to fight bullying "but is not the only piece," Ranii added. Still, he said, Hillsborough City leaders will "look at the grand jury's findings and recommendations carefully."
South San Francisco Unified has a harassment policy that includes bullying concerns. It has also launched an anti-bullying campaign because of a heightened awareness of students repeatedly being attacked physically, verbally or online, district board President Maurice Goodman said.
"We're trying to be as responsive and proactive as we can," Goodman said. "The district is bringing in parents, the community, and school staff and administrators to address the issue."
The grand jury's other findings include:
Two out of 23 districts (Cabrillo Unified and San Mateo Union High) have a bullying policy and an enforcement process separate and distinct from those dealing with harassment.
Eighteen districts, including Cabrillo Unified and San Mateo Union High, have harassment or conduct policies that include bullying in some form but not necessarily cyberbullying.
Ten districts have no enforcement process pertaining to bullying or harassment.
Among its recommendations, the grand jury encouraged the county schools superintendent to call for a meeting by the start of the new academic year in which representatives from all the local K-12 districts explore developing standardized policies on bullying and enforcement.
The grand jury's report comes as national efforts seek to clamp down on various kinds of bullying. AbilityPath.org, an online special-needs advocacy group based in Burlingame, has launched its "Disable Bullying" campaign, aiming to engage a broad coalition of parents, educators, activists and policymakers across the nation to prevent attacks against students with disabilities.
Last year, the U.S. Department of Education sent out letters to schools, colleges and universities reminding them that tolerating or failing to adequately address ethnic, sexual, gender or disability-based harassment could place them in violation of federal anti-discrimination laws.
Contact Neil Gonzales at 650-348-4338.
Five districts don't have either a stand-alone bullying policy or a harassment policy that covers bullying issues.
Just two districts have a bullying policy and an enforcement process separate and distinct from those dealing with harassment.
Eighteen districts have harassment or conduct policies that include bullying in some form but not necessarily cyberbullying.
Ten districts have no enforcement process pertaining to bullying or harassment.
http://www.mercurynews.com/san-mateo-county/ci_18134557
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