Discovering the facts behind the bully program’s class meetings
Interview by Matt Grantz, Staff Writer
Halfway through the school year, students still may not be sure why they are required to attend weekly class meetings or, as they call them, “bully meetings.” While some students blame last year’s seniors on the meetings and new bully policy, others believe their honest answers on a bullying survey at the end of last school year have landed them in this bully program. In this interview, assistant principal Matt Kruluts dispels some of the students’ notions and explains exactly what the “bullying program” is.
TV: How does the bullying program work?
Kruluts: We have a trainer from this group who comes in and provides training to the teachers on what to look for, what kind of situations create bullying situations. We have class meetings with the students to try to discuss bullying issues and to develop a mentor type of relationship with the students. Students who are engaged in the act of bullying get a warning the first time. A letter goes home indicating that there was a warning for being involved in bullying, and a copy of the policy is sent home. The second time, they get a detention and the third time they get in-school suspension. We’re trying to eliminate as much of the bullying as we can in the high school.
TV: What led to us entering this program?
Kruluts: We submitted an application for a grant. You hear on TV about the Highmark Healthy 5. That’s what we applied for. We had a large number of bullying situations occurring over the years that we needed to address. We had the opportunity to do the grant, to get a consultant to provide us with all the training that we needed, so we pursued it that way. Doctor Portman was very instrumental in getting this all going.
TV: Were there other programs we could have entered?
Kruluts: There are many other bullying programs throughout the area and people always wanting to come in and do bullying programs for us. We’re doing a program called the Olweus program recommended by the state. The state researched programs to see if they are scientifically based and effective and this one has proven to be one of the most effective programs if implemented correctly. That’s why we chose this program.
TV: What makes this program better than the other ones?
Kruluts: I think the fact that we have the class meetings, just the structure of the program. Another plus is the training the core group of us have, 8 or 9 of us that were trained for two days on how to implement this program. Then there were some days of training with the staff, the bus drivers and the custodians. Everybody buys into the program. We give the teachers an opportunity to meet a couple times a year to talk about what is going on. So, the structure of the program and the teachers’ response to situations is what we think is most beneficial.
TV: Does the program seem to be working so far this year?
Kruluts: They told us that anytime we start a new bullying program, things are going to get worse before they get better. First, we have to overcome every little thing being called a bullying situation. We have to try to figure out the difference between conflict between two students and what is really bullying. So, I’m not sure if we’re seeing it get any better yet, but like they said, it will get worse before it gets better and we’re hoping to see it get better as time goes on. We’re doing the program K-12. That’s the other beneficial thing to it. We’re not retraining students every year and they’re getting the message from kindergarten through twelfth grade.
TV: What do you see as the difference between bullying and a conflict?
Kruluts: Well, bullying occurs when one person is put in a position of power over another person. Conflict is just two people who don’t get along. Oftentimes, bullying will involve more than one student putting down another student. In conflict, one’s not trying to be more powerful than the other and one’s not trying to do any more than the other. They just don’t get along.
TV: Is this program here to stay? Or is it contingent on its success?
Kruluts: It’s an initiative that the district has undertaken. A lot of time and money are invested in the program. I don’t see it going away in the near future because we will always want a bully free school.
TV: The students took a bullying survey towards the end of last school year. What was the point of that survey?
Kruluts: You'll be doing that again. That was to help us identify the bullying hotspots where bullying is most likely to occur: cafeteria, hallways, bus, places that are usually less structured where there’s not a whole lot of teacher presence. That was like a pretest to give us the information about how many people thought they were bullied at the end of last school year. At the end of this year it will be like a posttest to see if the numbers stay the same or if we see an increase or a decrease.
TV: Some students think we got this program because they were too honest with their answers. Was it their answers on the survey that brought about this program? Or was the program going to be implemented anyway?
Kruluts: We had already received this program before we did the survey. One of the conditions of getting the grant was doing the survey. So, no, the students’ answers on that survey didn’t precipitate this. It was the students’ behavior that made us get this program.
TV: Is there anything you would like to say about the program?
Kruluts: Doctor Portman was very instrumental in applying for the grant, getting this all organized, and getting the team together. She was really the driving force behind this. She just believes in it to that extent. She and I are extremely busy with all the things we have to do throughout the day and to take on this initiative, to add that to the plate that is already pretty full, we did it because we saw a real need. We think our students should feel that they can come to school in a safe and nurturing environment because for many students their home isn’t a safe or nurturing place for them and we hope that this school can be.
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