PMHS Starts New Bullying Prevention Program

Contributed by Patchogue-Medford School District.

Patchogue-Medford High School has begun a new bullying prevention program for the 2012-2013 school year. The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program ensures compliance for the New York State Dignity for All Students Act (DASA). Please check out the Olweus website for a general overview. You can also view the District's recent policy approved by the BOE in the attached PDF.

Here is some more information:
LINCS/BiasHELP, the Long Island Network of Community Services and its affiliate organization, BiasHELP, Inc. are deeply concerned about the impact of bullying on children and the impact bullying has on the school as a whole.  They believe that an action is considered as bullying behavior when someone repeatedly and on purpose says or does mean or hurtful things to another person who has a hard time defending himself or herself.  Bullying can seriously affect the emotional, physical, and academic well-being of children who are bullied and contribute to a negative school climate.  

In addition, the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program has received recognition from a number of organizations including: Blueprints Model Program, Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, University of Colorado at Boulder; Model Program, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Effective Program, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice; and Level 2 Program, U.S. Department of Education.

All Patchogue-Medford Middle Schools have begun implementation of this program last year. Patchogue-Medford High School will be the first high school on Long Island to begin implementation of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program.