Prevention of Harassment and Bullying

Prevention of harassment and bullying is an ongoing initiative in the Colonial School District.  The district has programs in place for students in kindergarten through grade 12.  Each school year the district distributes an informational brochure to parents which details administrative guidelines in place in the Colonial schools (click here for the Prevention of Harassment and Bullying brochure).

Staff and administration recognize that use of best practices to prevent bullying and harassment is an important part of the educational process.  Beginning in the 2005-2006 school year the Plymouth Whitemarsh High School became a "No Place for Hate" School.  Partnering with the Anti-Defamation League which created the program, students challenge anti-Semitism, racism, hate, and bigotry in all forms.  Colonial Middle School became one of the first "No Place for Hate" middle schools in the state of Pennsylvania during the 2006-2007 school year.

Colonial Middle School is participating in the  Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP) (pronounced Ol-VEY-us; the E sounds like a long A). The OBPP  is a comprehensive, school-wide program designed and evaluated for use in elementary, middle, or junior high schools. The program’s goals are to reduce and prevent bullying problems among school children and to improve peer relations at school. The program has been found to reduce bullying among children, improve the social climate of classrooms, and reduce related antisocial behaviors, such as vandalism and truancy. Schools are also gathering data about OBPP implementation at the High School level. The Olweus Program has been implemented in more than a dozen countries around the world, and in thousands of schools in the United States.

At the elementary schools, students participate in activities which teach them how to respond to bullying and harassment.  The district has a developmental guidance program in place in grades K-5, in which a series of classroom lessons are offered by the guidance counselors.  Children are taught to seek help from an adult and to report bullying to school personnel.  Through role playing activities children learn how to speak up for themselves and others.  

All school administrators are receptive to reports of bullying and immediately address concerns reported by students, parents and teachers.  Schools have aggressively developed strategies to reward students for positive, inclusive behavior. 

Parents or students with concerns about bullying and harassment are encouraged to contact the building principal of their child's school.  For more information about District initiatives regarding bullying and harassment click here.