craigdailypress.com

Bullies can be a disruptive force in school, not only for those who get picked on but for those who witness acts of aggression on classmates and don't know how to intervene.

Dianne Gould, the executive director of the Recreational Afterschool Doorway program, or RAD, has been researching the effects of bullies as part of her efforts to land a $150,000 grant from The Colorado Trust.

"What we're offering is to implement some programs to help kids understand what bullying is," she said. "What we're finding, in doing some background research for the grants, is that bullying can have lasting effects."

Youths who are bullied in fifth grade can see their grades affected as far down the road as high school, she said.

RAD is partnering with the Moffat County School District to apply for the grant. Gould is hopeful that the grant application will be approved. She already has received an invitation to attend a luncheon hosted by the Colorado Trust on April 14, during which the grant awards will be announced.

The Colorado Trust is making $8.6 million available to schools and community organizations to prevent bullying. The Colorado Trust has a long-standing commitment to encourage positive youth development and prevent youth violence. The Trust has funded such programs as Safe2Tell, Safe Communities-Safe Schools, Assets for Colorado Youth and the After-School Initiative.

As many as 35 projects will be funded statewide, with grants averaging $50,000 a year during a three-year period. The money can be used to create new programs or to expand existing ones as long as those programs are research-based or considered to be best practice.

The school district has worked to establish a number of programs to enhance a safe and orderly learning environment. An aggression Replacement training program (also funded by the trust) aims to help students who tend to defy authority. A Safe2Tell hotline, which allows students to anonymously report crimes, bullies and acts and violence, is available, and the number has been publicized in the schools.

Gould is interested in creating an after-school program that pairs bullied children and their tormentors. It's modeled after a "Bullies to Buddies" program she researched on the Internet.

Another idea is to set up a "restorative justice" program, which trains students to act as third-party peer counselors and help resolve conflicts between classmates.

The programs that would be established through the grant fit into the district's "pyramid of intervention" approach, said Craig Intermediate School Principal Don Davidson.

Although the term intervention carries some negative connotations, in the schools it is used to identify a situation that can be improved to enhance a child's chance for success -- even if it's a high-performing child who is not being properly challenged Davidson said.

The district's goal is to identify ways to improve every student's chance to succeed, "then try to tailor behavior support and intervention support," Davidson said. "To do that you need money. The grant we're working on has to do with positive behavior support services and is largely directed toward anti-bullying measures."

Pairing with RAD demonstrates a partnership between the schools and the community that granting institutions often require for funding, Davidson said.

"That's true, but just from a common-sense point of view, it makes absolute sense. We're working together to provide the community with a better outcome. We want to make sure the community's mission of providing opportunities for kids is fulfilled too."