It will be held at Crestwood Middle School.
A problem that's been around for generations will be addressed in a workshop. "A Parent's Guide To Bullying" will take place on Monday, March 19th from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM at Crestwood Middle School at 7100 Foxcroft Drive. It's presented by the Stop Bullying Task Force, which includes representatives from Community Alternative Mediation (CALM), Frederick County Public Schools, Heartly House, Mental Health Association of Frederick County, the PTA Council of Frederick County and the United Way.
"Nobody has exact numbers, but it really appears that the incidence and prevalence has gone up tremendously. And so has the outcomes of bullying," says Pat Hanberry, CEO of the Mental Health Association.
The recent school shooting at a high school in Chardon, Ohio, may have been the result of bullying. Some students have said the suspect, T.J. Lane, was considered an outcast and may have been bullied by other students. Three people have died in that incident.
However, Prosecutor David Joyce told reporters that Lane is "someone whose not well," and he chose his victims at random. "This is not about bullying; this is not about drugs," Joyce said.
The Keynote Speaker at the bullying workshop will be Shauna King, a certified presenter with the Upside Down Organization, which is dedicated to improving the lives of children and youth through transforming cultures. Her topic will be "Battling the Bully: Brain-Inspired Responses to Bullying." Hanberry says this presentation will try to get inside of the brain of bullies, and their victims. "Very often, kids who bully have often been bullied themselves, and this is their response," says Hanberry.
After Ms. King's comments, there will be breakout sessions, dealing with specific aspects of bullying: Mean Girls; What Bystanders can do when they see bullying; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender issues; Bullying in Elementary School; bullying of special education students; and cyberbullying.
Even though bullying has been around for generations, Hanberry says it's made worse this time around due to cyberbullying. "And the problem with it, the bullies cannot see the kids that they're bullying, face to face, their targets, as it were" she says. "And when you can't see the reaction that you're getting from your target, you can take bullying to even greater extremes because you can't see the pain and the suffering that you're causing."
Despite the fact that bullying been around for many years, Hanberry says it's time to bring it to an end. "And even it did happen when we went to school, isn't it time we did something about it," she says.
