Cincinnati District to Debut New Bullying Prevention Plan Next School Year
Officials at Cincinnati Public Schools are debuting a new anti-bullying program that will begin next school year.
- By Jessica Davis
- June 24, 2019
Officials at Cincinnati Public Schools are debuting a new anti-bullying program that will begin next school year. The anti-bullying measures, which include more counseling staff, come two years after an 8-year-old died by suicide after being bullied.
“We're not going to see a decrease in bullying and we're not going to see a decrease in our discipline incidents if we don't partner with our students and ask them how we can best support them through the process,” said Dr. Carrie Bunger, CPS Manager for Positive Culture & Safety.
Cincinnati Public Schools will add six more school counselors, more anti-bullying campaigns led by students and more parent and student notification about bullying in the 2019-2020 school year.
“Our ultimate goal is for our students to feel safe and that our parents feel heard and that there are consequences and interventions put in place when there's a substantiated case of bullying,” said Dr. Bunger.
According to parents and educators, bullying is happening more frequently due to social media.
The new anti-bullying plan came about two years after an 8-year-old student died by suicide after being bullied. Anti-bullying advocate and Bullyproof program founder Gabe Etter, who knows the late student’s family, hopes these new anti-bullying plans prevent any future pain.
"We can't catch everything, and CPS schools have been doing what they can and that's a beautiful thing that they're stepping up and doing this. It's going to save a lot of lives,” Etter said.
CPS has added a button to their district website that allows parents to report bullying online. The district is also working on an app that students could use to report bullying.
About the Author
Jessica Davis is the Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media.