Related Link: Recent Accomplishments

Finding What Works in Districts to Reduce Bullying

In partnership with the Governor's Prevention Partnership, Connecticut Appleseed stepped forward to recruit a team of more than 20 pro bono attorneys from Travelers Corporation to interview officials and teachers from a representative sample of 11 school districts to help accelerate district compliance with the 2008 statute. By researching and analyzing the effectiveness of bullying policies and strategies that have been adopted in the participating districts, these interviews will reveal why some are succeeding while others are having difficulty following through.

Gaining School District Cooperation

Improving a child's sense of safety and personal well-being improves their ability to concentrate and learn. When schools fail to prevent bullying, the educational impacts are significant and negative. Targets of bullying - feeling isolated, lonely and depressed - often cannot focus on their studies because they are haunted by fear. Suicides, and attempted suicides, are all too frequently reported in the media.

Despite these stark facts, bullying is a highly sensitive subject in Connecticut's public schools. School officials are often reluctant to assume responsibilities beyond their core educational role. As a result, gaining their cooperation to discuss how they manage bullying can be very challenging. However, because of relationships either developed during Appleseed's "Keep Kids in School" project or offered by members of Travelers' legal team, we were able to secure cooperation from 11 districts for this new project.

Sharing our Findings in Late 2011

The Governor's Prevention Partnership played a pivotal role in drafting the research interviews and training Travelers' volunteer attorneys. The "Best Practices" and related bullying deterrents that the interviews surface will assist schools and districts statewide in accepting the increased responsibility for protecting children that was first prescribed by the 2008 statute - and which was then expanded by an additional statute in 2011 to address cyber-bullying.

Connecticut Appleseed Board member Michael D'Agostino, who chairs Hamden's Board of Education, will distribute our findings to both his peer Board chairs and the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents (CAPSS). As a result, we anticipate an excellent response to our report from the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE), from state legislators, and from school officials at every level.