Melody Powell, PEI Kids, Lawrence
The article titled, “School Chief: ‘no place to hide’ for students who harass others” from the Feb. 26, edition addressed the topic of combating bullying in the Lawrence Township Public Schools and mentioned anti-bullying programs in place in the schools.
As the director of prevention services at PEI Kids, an agency that presents bullying prevention programming in the school district, I would like to commend the district for recognizing the need for this type of programming 24 years ago. PEI Kids is dedicated to promoting and maintaining a safe environment for all children, as is the Lawrence School District. PEI Kids, a Lawrenceville-based nonprofit organization founded in 1985, offers a comprehensive array of services for Mercer County children and their families, including education about abuse, crisis intervention counseling, supervised family visitation, and outreach to juvenile offenders.
Each year the CAP (Child Assault Prevention) workshop is presented to the kindergarten and second grade students in the Lawrence Elementary Schools; the program intervenes at an early age addressing children’s rights and personal safety issues. A role-play on bullying is introduced to the students; they have an opportunity to strategize with the presenters about ways to handle the situation.
As Superintendent Meara stated in the article, students are reluctant to share incidences of bullying and view it as being tattle tales. Throughout the presentation, the children are taught the importance of telling a trusted adult when they encounter a problem; the difference between telling and tattling is stressed.
Since the introduction of the “No More Bullies, No More Victims” (NMB) program in 2001, PEI Kids has played a vital role working with Mercer County schools on an anti-bullying initiative. The NMB program, developed by the NJ Child Assault Prevention Network, works with the entire school community in addressing bullying issues; a three-prong approach is used involving workshops for staff, parents and students. A comprehensive strategy is used to make the school environment a safer place.
The Lawrence School District was eager to implement the NMB program into their schools. Every year, since 2005, the Lawrence Middle School seventh graders have been enthusiastically participating in the NMB program; this was made possible through a grant from the Lawrence Alcohol & Drug Alliance.
In February 2008, fifth grade students in the Lawrence Intermediate School experienced the program for the first time through funding from NJ CAP, PEI Kids and the Lawrence Intermediate PTO. In a program evaluation, a school administrator was pleased to report an increase in students coming forward to report bullying behaviors after the workshops.
I applaud the efforts of the NJ Commission on Bullying in Schools; progress has been made in the state but more needs to be done as evidenced by the testimony given by parents attending the hearing at Lawrence High School. Involving and educating parents is a key component as the commission moves forward.
PEI Kids is committed to helping the Lawrence School District and schools throughout Mercer County educate parents, children, teachers and support staff about bullying prevention.
Melody Powell
Director of Prevention Services
PEI Kids, Lawrence
