Not in My School! is a comprehensive framework developed by the SDMC Safe Schools program which seeks to address the issue of bullying within our schools. At the end of the 2004-05 school year, our district formed a middle school committee to study the problem of bullying and to help provide our schools with a common set of strategies to effectively address it. By the beginning of the 2005-06 year, an elementary committee was also formed to look at the specific dynamics of bullying in the K-5 setting. The work of both groups resulted in a district definition of bullying, the establishment of proven prevention and intervention guidelines, and all the materials schools may need to carry out this mission. The passage of the Jeffrey Johnston Stand-up for All Students Act in 2008 provided our district with the impetus to adopt a far-reaching Policy 5517.01 Bullying and Harassment, which seeks to protect all SDMC students and employees from bullying and harassment.

To lessen the effects of bullying in our schools, the Not in My School! framework seeks to apply a holistic approach which involves every member of the school community. Administration, faculty, staff, bus drivers, parents, and especially the students all play a critical role in creating an atmosphere free from worry and conducive to academic success. These roles are played out in several programmatic and procedural recommendations that together will provide schools with a comprehensive game plan. While piece-mail approaches may achieve moderate results, schools which incorporate the framework in its entirety will experience the most success in reducing bullying.

The recommendations outlined in the Not in My School! framework are a collection of best practices from several of the most recognized programs in use throughout the country.  Comprehensive approaches such as the Olweus bully prevention program have shown to produce a 50% reduction in bullying behaviors when implemented with full fidelity. Additionally, the policies of dozens of school districts, as well as recommendations from top bully prevention organizations, were evaluated for inclusion in this framework. The result has been a multi-tiered prevention model and intervention guidelines for all school staff.

For more information or assistance, please contact Zackery Solly at (941) 751-6550 x43042.