Laconia schools readying new bullying policy

LACONIA — After listening to a presentation by administrators, the School Board last night said it will have it's revised policy on bullying ready for a first reading by Dec. 21.

Redrafted to be consistent with New Hampshire's new law on bullying in schools, Board Chair Bob Dassatti said he expects to hold public input and information sessions before then.

Policy Committee Chair Chris Guilmett said the subcommittee is working with a sample bullying policy put out by the New Hampshire School Board Association and has tweaked it to be Laconia-specific.

The new law also redefines bullying as any single or multiple acts directed against another student said Middle School Assistant Principal Chris Ennis.

He said if it causes emotional distress, if it interferes with education, if it creates a hostile environment or if it causes a substantial disruption then it is bullying.

He said bullying reflects a "imbalance of power whether it's actual or perceived."

The new policy is being written to bring city schools in line with newly passed New Hampshire legislation. Not only does the new law make schools responsible for what happens in school and the trip to and from school, it holds it responsible for all student-to-student.

High School Assistant Principal David Levesque said the overall climate and culture of a school contributes greatly to how bully-free a school can be.

"It's about how kids feel," he said, noting it's a sense of belonging that starts at the top and goes all the way down to the students.

He said positive school climates involve prevention and daily reaffirmation of a safe and bully-free environment and a complete buy-in from teachers. He said it also means consistency within one school building.

To date, all teachers and personnel have been made aware of the new law, administrators have participated in forums and about 60 teachers have attended workshops.

In a similar vein, the policy subcommittee will draft a proposed policy for putting cameras on Laconia's school buses. Dassatti said because that is a privacy issue, it needs to be done separately and will be subject to a formal public hearing before the full board contemplates it.

Dassatti said he expects a draft policy for cameras just after the new year.

Superintendent Bob Champlin said it would cost about $6,000 to outfit all eight of the First Student-owned buses designated for Laconia.

He said the buses are already outfitted with boxes for the camera and the district need to pay for the camera itself, an off-site hard drive, and the software.

"Virtually all of our neighbors use cameras," said Dassatti.

A school bus ride is a "book end to a day," said Woodland Heights Elementary School Principal Dennis Dobe.

He said a bad ride to school can effect the way that student will perform for the rest of the day and a bad ride home will negatively effect the way the child perceives his or her just-finished school day.

In Laconia schools, the bus driver is the only adult. Champlin said administrators ride the buses during the beginning of the school year and are available to serve as bus monitors when there is a particular problem on any particular bus.