District Enforces Anti-Bullying Policies

WORTHINGTON, Ohio—Bullying in school. Is bullying in school parents or the district’s responsibility?

NBC 4’s Tacoma Newsome HAS ANSWERS Tuesday.

One district developed new policies to help stop bullying.

Bullying certainly isn’t new. While bullying tactics have changed, the definition hasn’t.

Bullying is when one person tries to intimidate or control another person.

According to experts, when bullying happens in school, it can affect the learning process.

“Whether we like it or not, the primary focus for kids in school is identity, and when they’re constantly worried about who they’re going to be. . .and just to process learning,“ said psychologist Michael Sherburn, PhD. 

Worthington City Schools is cracking down on bullying.

The district implemented new anti-bullying procedures that outline tough sanctions for offenders.

“We want to make sure that kids really understand how they impact other kids so that they can make better choices,“ Director of Student Services James McElligott said.

The district said it believes bullying starts during the younger years.

In fact, since policies were implemented at Liberty Elementary, the school has seen bullying behaviors decrease by a third.

A first offense at Liberty earns the offender a warning, and the consequences grow more severe from there and could go as far as involving the police.

Each school has some variation of the policy, but district officials said all schools are on the same page.

We are making sure that people are aware of bullying and know what it looks like and that we’re helping young people make better decisions about how they interact with other kids, McElligott said.

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