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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Campus Safety, School Safety

  Last week, Secretary Arne Duncan from the Department of Education, along with several other agencies, sponsored the second annual national summit on bullying. Multiple federal government representatives reminded the attendees that bullying remains a priority and that is good…Unfortunately we have heard similar messages at multiple White House Summits and multiple conferences. So based on the advice of Benjamin Franklin who said: Well done is always better than well said. Beginning this week, now is the time to take the next step from “well said” to “well done”.   To help with this transformation, I will identify examples of “well saids” along with potential waysRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Legal, Risk Management, School Safety

  When it comes to anti-bullying efforts, most seem to be in agreement that we need to do something about bullying. It is everyone’s moral obligation to lookout for the safety of students and do the right thing.   However, in New Jersey, there is a debate on new legislation and school requirements. On November 1, 2011, the Executive Director at New Jersey Association of School Administrators, Mr. Richard Bozza, submitted an ‘Opinion’ piece discussing the New Jersey Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights that started by saying, “THERE’S NO question about it.  We need to do something about bullying.” Mr. Bozza’s opinion also stated the unfunded mandateRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Campus Safety, Incident Reporting, Risk Management, School Safety

  Two high profile incidents this week revealed that despite updates to the Clery Act and Title IX requirements, campuses continue to struggle to proactively identify warning signs and red flags and gather information and reports from their people (students, staff, faculty, law enforcement, counselors, etc.). Penn State – Lawmakers are investigating whether Penn State violated the Clery Act when it did not report child sexual abuse allegations regarding a former football coach to the proper authorities.  Several coaches were aware of the allegations, but did not report to the police. University of Idaho – University of Idaho officials say at least one police officerRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Incident Reporting, School Safety, Uncategorized

  A disconnect is seemingly growing and becoming more and more serious every day. Disconnects in schools exist for many reasons including: silos and departments hierarchy and org chart issues multiple locations lack of ongoing awareness and accountability ineffective and outdated policies and procedures the disconnect between “well said” and “well done”   What about disconnects between Adults and Students…are these disconnects also a problem? For example, most adults never experienced cyber bullying at a young age, so can adults really relate to what students are experiencing these days? As I work with K-12 and Higher Education leadership across the U.S., I come across numerousRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, School Safety

  When it comes to bully prevention, connecting the dots is one of the best ways to achieve better results and to achieve “well done”. Too many times after a bullying incident or targeted violence incident or a suicide, we hear school leadership, government leaders and expert review panels say the incident was not prevented because we didn’t connect the dots. Which dots?  And what dots are not getting connected? Take a moment and think about all the dots in your organization. Think about all the People Dots (boards, administrators, principals, student affairs, threat teams, counselors, staff, teachers, first responders, law enforcement,) you need toRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, School Safety

  Bully Prevention is receiving a lot of attention this month and that is a very good thing.  Lots of websites, articles, TV shows and experts have voiced their ideas, opinions and suggestions for bully prevention and these are really good things. I was a guest on a radio show with Larry Jacobs where we discussed alarming trends with bullying and the critical need for schools, families and communities to improve bully prevention results sooner than later.   To listen to the live interview, click here. When it comes to achieving better results, one of my favorite quotes comes from Benjamin Franklin: “Well done is alwaysRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, School Safety

  October is National Bullying PREVENTION month, so I thought it would be helpful to blog about some of the key issues relating to bullying PREVENTION. First things first…Bullying and Cyber Bullying related problems are serious and better PREVENTION efforts are critically needed.  Studies, Town Hall Meetings, documentaries and numerous stories clearly show the alarming trends, startling incidents and negative consequences that bullying and cyber bullying has on young adults, teens and kids. BUT…Bullying PREVENTION is possible.  Lessons learned clearly show that nearly every bullying and cyber bullying incident was preventable….so why are PREVENTION efforts failing so miserably? In my four part blog series, IRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Incident Reporting, School Safety

  Anderson Cooper hosted a Town Hall Meeting on Sunday with the theme of ‘Bullying: It Stops Here’. I watched the town hall meeting and I listened to the experts and took notes. I listened to the kids and took even more notes.  I listened to Anderson Cooper say this about the kids: “We owe them more than talk”.   I agree! Benjamin Franklin nailed this a long time ago saying: Well Done is Always Better Than Well Said. The Town Hall Meeting revealed: Statistics from the survey at Wheatley High School were similar to most other surveys Kids are still not sure how to interveneRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, School Safety

  What can schools do to ensure students do not fall through the cracks? Many of you may have watched the recent 48 Hours special segment on bullying.  The show highlighted one school district’s proactive efforts to implement bullying prevention programs and solutions.  We witnessed one young student who we felt like was rising above the bullying and truly being helped by these programs.  However, as the year progressed, we learned he began to hide the bullying, pretended like everything was okay, and later attempted suicide. In September we were also deeply saddened by the tragic suicide of Jamie Rodemeyer who had previously filmed anRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Campus Safety, Education, Incident Reporting, School Safety

Is your school prepared to respond accordingly to reports of bullying and harassment? Are you prepared to investigate, stop, prevent, eliminate hostile environments, take appropriate actions and document your actions? Are your school leaders aware of the different types of bullying that may be creating hostile learning environments in your school? Studies show for students to achieve academically, they must feel secure and comfortable in their learning environment. A recent study from the University of Virginia revealed the academic performance of students in schools with persistent bullying may suffer because students are less engaged in learning due to fears about bullying or a greater levelRead More →