Students in six counties want to end bullying in and out of school. Now they’re taking action.
They’re taking part in a program called “It Does Matter.” It was introduced last year by the West Virginia Department of Education.
Last week schools in Cabell, Lincoln, Logan, Mason, Mingo, and Wayne counties kicked off their anti-bullying efforts. Keith Dalton with RESA II says the program isn’t just about teachers and principals laying down the law, “It Does Matter” is all about getting students involved.
“They saw this as a golden opportunity to take advantage of resources that the state has provided and really make a statement on bullying,” explained Dalton.
Educators are working with students to talk about what constitutes bullying, how to spot it and how to stop it.
But it’s the children who are using their creativity to come up with innovative ways to put an end to bullying.
“Schools are encouraged to come up with their own activities because there’s no one-size fits all,” Dalton said.
According to the latest Youth Risk Behavior Survey, person to person bullying is on the decline. However, cyber bullying is increasing. That’s why student input is so valuable. They know the technology and how it can be used for good and bad.
Dalton says by facing the problem head on, they hope to make some positive changes.
“We want to make sure we’re addressing the problem proactively instead of waiting for it to become a bigger problem,” he said.