Mrs. Gout resigned as School Board President on September 25 and was replaced by Mrs. Donna Cook, who will assume the responsibilities of President through December 2, 2008.  A new message from Mrs. Cook will appear soon.

Usually my message for this issue of The Chronicles would focus on topics such as Board initiatives and budget preparation, but for this issue I decided to take off my "Board" hat and put on my "Parent" hat to talk about an issue that is prevalent in all school districts, not just Bethel Park-and that is bullying. Bullying was around when I was a child and I'm sorry to say that over the years, bullying is still an issue facing children today. But now it has gone beyond pushing students around on the playground. With the advent of the Internet and websites such as My Space, bullying has transcended into cyberspace. As parents we need to be aware of what our children are doing-whether they are the victims of bullying or are doing the bullying-and we need to understand the harmful impact of this behavior.

I encourage you to talk to your children about bullying-not only what they have experienced, but also what they have seen-and let them know that you do not condone bullying in any form. Make sure your children know that you are someone who will listen to them and are someone they can trust with their feelings.

Parents also need to share their concerns with their child's teachers and administrators to put an end to this unacceptable behavior.

As educational leaders, we need to look for the signs of bullying and listen to students when they are victimized, to help give them the tools to cope.

Do not be afraid to report bullying to your child's school to have the situation addressed.

Some days it's a cruel world out there, but we want the Bethel Park School District to be a safe and respectful place for our students and staff. Let's all do our part to minimize the impact and erase bullying from our schools and neighborhoods.

This message appears in the May 2008 issue of the Bethel Park Chronicles.

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