Georgia Education Advocates of Forsyth County
empowering students, teachers and parents in FORSYTH COUNTY PUBLIC sCHOOLS
It is our mission to be Forsyth County, Georgia's leading internet source for valuable education information for parents, students and teachers. We LOVE OUR TEACHERS AND VALUE THEIR INPUT! The focus will be on the Forsyth County School System as well as other public school systems in the great state of Georgia.
Our Goal is to encourage transparency in the education system of Forsyth County Georgia by using the Georgia Open Records Act O.C.G.A. 45-6-6 and Freedom of Information Act Laws and statutes
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BULLYING - RITE OF PASSAGE OR NOT?
BY Terry Baradine
READ THE VICTIM'S POINT OF VIEW IN A SCHOOL CRIME taken from www.drdavestein.com:
Bullying, Teasing, Taunting, Harassment, and Aggression: Kids Out of Control By David B. Stein - AND THIS IS OFTEN THE CASE IN FORSYTH
Shock, dismay, anger, disgust. worry I have felt all these things as a parent whose child suffered repeated bullying which culminated in a hazing on a school campus by baseball teammates. The incident landed him in the hospital very very ill and I feared irreparable psychological consequences for years to come.
What does repeated bullying do to a child and their family?
I have first hand experience. I have first hand experience in learning that the public school system simply does not care enough to do anything about this pervasive problem in school culture.
It took nearly a year for us to heal as a family from thi series of unfortunate events. I never in a million years would have thought things of this nature could be so devastating to a child. I even submitted to the boys will be boys theory. And thought my 15 year old strapping young man 'could figure out how to handle it'. I couldn't have been more wrong. It took nearly a year for him to want to attend public school, even though he would be considered an average kid, not a loner and has been a straight A student.
I went on a journey to educate myself and others on the devastating effects of betrayal and distrust that sets into a young mind when they are subjected to repeated bullying and a hazing. I found that school districts, in particular Forsyth Schools, do not care about bullying or its effect on the school climate or the individual students. After all they didn't even document the many meetings I had with school officials. They found every way imaginable to brush the incident under the carpet. I understood that principals in Forsyth Schools only care about the 'reputation' of the school and not the individual experience of the individual student.
Fortunately for my son, we were able to have him receive assistance from many mentors in private christian organizations that helped to repair him and strengthen his psyche and his will to return to school. Bullying is a cultural issue. It does not happen to just the socially inept loners -- it happens to many.
Until business leaders, educrats, elected officials, members of the juvenile justice and parents understand that this problem needs to be addressed and not brushed under the carpet, I highly doubt anything will ever change.
It is time for Georgia Educrats to school themselves on bullying and hazings and the integral role these play in school violence prevention. They must understand that bullying is not a 'rite of passage' for boys or girls, but can lead to permanent damage of the psychological well-being of any child. If the leadership of schools want to really help each student, they will become informed on this insidious problem in schools and learn mechanisms can be put in place to deal with this problem.
Men occasionally stumble over the truth; but most pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened” - Churchill
GATHER THE EVIDENCE -ADVOCATE FOR YOUR CHILD
1. If you are a victim of repeated bullying, school crime, assaults or sexual abuse in schools - Tape all conversations with the school officials
2. Call police yourself and file a report.
3. Consider legal action if you are given no help by school officials , most especially for special needs students. File to outside agencies at the state
and federal level. There are state complaints, civil rights complaints and ADA complaints for special ed.
4. Know your rights within a public school system. You do have a right to an attorney. You do have the right to be present when your child is questioned by a
school adminstrator.
5. Document, Document, Document - time, dates, details, who, what, where, when and witnesses. Get it on the record. And make sure it becomes part of your educational record. Make sure the school system documents your conferences and obtain copies of your records to be sure they do.
6. Report complaints to various OUTSIDE agencies. Police, State Dept of Education, and consider speaking to the juvenile court about protections for your bullied child. There may be options for a court order to remove the bully from the school or separate the bully from your child.
7. Inform the School system that you will be taking action to advocate for your child. You can challenge decisions made by public schools in the proper format.
8 Seek outside professional opinions from pediatricians, and/or
child psychologists most especially if your child is exhibiting signs
of depression, anxiety or agitation. Be astute to subtle changes in
your child's behavior
10. Get involved in our parent group by contacting Terry Baradine
at 404 966 8986 -- We are communicating with each other on how to advocate effectively. We are informing parents of their rights and what to do when you are stymied by the bureaucracy.
11. KNOW YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO APPEAL ANY DECISION IN A FORMAL
HEARING IN FRONT OF THE BOARD OF ED - IF THEY DO NOT OBLIGE WITH
A FORMAL HEARING YOU MAY APPEAL TO THE STATE DEPT OF ED.
12. Please consider signing the petition - link is on the right
13. Special Education Families- demand a manifestation determination meeting before they expel your child- not afterward. Be sure to have a behavior intervention plan in your IEP.
14. If you are student or parent that has experienced any form of
harrassment or intimidation by any educator or administrator, it is
very simple to hold the school system to task and cease and desist
these activities by filing complaints with OUTSIDE agencies. Simply put - any harassment or retaliation on a parent for advocating for their child is an ethical violation. For more information contact the Georgia Professional Standards Commission regarding Educator Ethics. File ethics complaints when necessary.
15. Join the network of educators and parents who know how school systems work. Through the experience and knowledge shared by people who have been there and done that, you will learn how to effectively advocate for your child.
16. Empower your child, break the victim cycle. You, the parent, are the one and only resource for your child to be able to become successful and a confident contributor to the school environment. It will matter for the rest of their life.
17. Speak out whenever possible at Local School Councils, PTA meetings and School Board Meetings. The only way to bring bullying to light is to talk about it within the community.
18.. Contact the businesses that partner with Forsyth Schools and tell them what is happening and how the school system is not doing a good enough job in dealing with bullying and other serious matters in the county.
19. Before you sign any paper from a school system that says you are waiving your rights, understand the consequences of this fully.
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She informed parents of their rights - helped children with aspergers, autism and many disabilities. Let's make this clear, her only crime was informing parents of their rights-- which she is required to do!
JOIN THIS NETWORK OF PEOPLE - PARENTS AND EDUCATORS - THAT CARE ABOUT EDUCATION IN FORSYTH AND SURROUNDING COUNITES IN GEORGIA:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/forsythcountyconcernedparents/
KNOW THE NCLB ACT OF 2001 AND WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU
Under the No Child Left Behind Act there is something called the Unsafe School Choice option. The Unsafe School Choice Option affords victims of violent crimes the right to change schools. Currently Forsyth County Schools rarely offers this option, yet it is mandated under the Unsafe School Choice Option. Please familiarize yourself with the Unsafe School Choice Option at the www.gadoe.org website. In addition, Forsyth Schools allows many incidents to fall through the gaps, consequently our numbers and stats reported to the state department of education look terrific. It is the job of the Forsyth County School System to accurately report all school incidents to the state as required by law.
Here are the incidents that Forsyth Schools have reported to the GA DOE (from DOE website) in 2006:
Georgia Department of Education Student Record Data Collection System NCLB Requirements Application Unsafe School Information Record Year: 2006 - Forsyth County659 -
School Level Data Offenses Year 2006 Aggravated battery 0 Aggravated Child molestation 0 Aggravated Sexual battery 0 Aggravated Sodomy 0 Armed robbery 0 First degree arson 0 Kidnapping 0 Murder 0 0Rape 0 Voluntary Manslaughter 0 Non-felony drugs 98 Felony drug 40 Felony Weapons 36 Terroristic threats 6 Total 180
HOW DOES UNDER-REPORTING OCCUR?
Under-reporting occurs because we have no cameras on buses, lack of supervision in some areas of campuses and a culture of fear by students who do not want to report. They fear retaliation - a true problem in the middle and high school age group.
The GA Dept of Education has offered school systems a plan to combat this problem -- the Anonymous Crime tip line which they have already set up. Yet, this is not promoted in Forsyth Schools. Most counselors don't even mention it and neither do administrators.
The following information is from the Georgia Dept of Education website:
SCHOOL SAFETY MISSION - To provide a safe and secure school environment conducive to learning with the cooperation of students, parents, teachers, school administrators, and the community.
Toll-Free School Safety Hotline:1-877-SAY-STOP
The Georgia Department of Education announced the arrival of Georgia's toll-free, anonymous 1-877-SAY-STOP (1-877-729-7867) school safety hotline. 1-877-SAY-STOP is the nation's first state-sponsored school safety hotline and is one example of the Georgia Safety and Violence Task Force's accomplishments. Jeff Hodges has been selected to work the hotline. Mr. Hodges is a criminal justice graduate of the University of Georgia and is certified by the Georgia Peace Officer and Standards Training Council.
How does the hotline work? The hotline is designed for crisis prevention. If students know of an unsafe situation in school (weapons violations, bomb threats, drugs or alcohol, bullying, etc.), they can anonymously pass on that information through the hotline, initiating immediate and appropriate action. Depending on the urgency of the call, the hotline operator will contact the appropriate law enforcement agency. Next, the local school system will be notified and will be asked to inform the Georgia Department of Education of the outcome and subsequent actions taken in conjunction with the call. Of course, not all hotline calls are emergencies. The hotline is also a valuable information resource for educators, administrators, parents, and anyone who may have questions regarding safety in Georgia schools.
When can I call 1-877-SAY-STOP? 1-877-SAY-STOP is a toll-free, 24-hour school safety hotline. From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., the operator at the Georgia Department of Education works the hotline. After 5 PM and on weekends and holidays, the hotline calls are transferred to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Do I have to reveal my identity? No. Hotline callers are not asked to reveal their identities. The only exceptions are basic information requests or other non-emergency calls.
What is being done to promote the hotline? To give the hotline maximum exposure, its purpose and the toll-free number must be publicized in Georgia schools. To accomplish this task, information packets were mailed to all Georgia school systems in August 1998 explaining how the hotline works. Prior to the 1999-2000 school year, the Georgia Department of Education developed posters and wallet-sized cards for distribution to middle schools, high schools, and their students.
What can I do to help? Get involved. Become more active in your child's school by introducing yourself to teachers and administrators. Volunteer to help by offering your expertise, time, and resources. Make the most of conferences and other meetings concerning your child's education. Come prepared with a detailed list of questions about your child's progress and goals. Focus on what your child does well and needs to learn, and find out how to help if your child is having problems. Spend more time with your child. Monitor your child's behavior.
Look for signs of trouble or emotional distress such as: A sudden plunge or a slow, steady slide in grades and/or increased absence from school. Dropping old friends in favor of a new, unfamiliar crowd -- especially known drug and alcohol abusers. Withdrawing from other people, family, and events. Secretive or sneaky behavior. Hostile, defiant behavior against authority and rules. Loss of memory. Change in personal grooming habits (little attention to bathing, dress, hair, etc.). Need for money resulting in requests for allowance increases, stealing cash, or selling possessions. Loss of appetite or noticeable weight change. Disappearances for long stretches of time. Red, glassy-eyed look. Runny, irritated nose. Hyperactive "up" behavior alternating with irritability. Possession of room and breath deodorizers, rolling papers, and other paraphernalia.
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IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE OR HAVE A NEWS TIP - ALL SOURCES KEPT CONFIDENTIAL
CONTACT US AT: baradine@bellsouth.net or join OUR PARENT ADVOCACY GROUP BY CALLING 404-966-8986
THE PARENT GROUP IS PROVIDING INFO ON HOW TO GET RESULTS IN FORSYTH SCHOOLS,
GET INVOLVED, BE VOCAL AND CHECK THIS SITE OFTEN FOR UPDATES
