A program at Omaha’s Crestridge Magnet School works to involve the entire school community in ending bullying.
The program is called Steps to Respect. It teaches parents and students how to identify types of bullying, how to respond, and what behaviors to look for. Marjorie Reed-Schmid, principal of Crestridge Magnet School, says social media has changed the face of bullying in elementary schools, and made it worse.
"Children feel that if they’re online, or they’re not face-to-face, that it doesn’t hurt as much. And it hurts just as bad. Unfortunately, they don’t realize also that there is a record of this response, that it’s written."
Steps to Respect also teaches students the difference between bullying and conflict situations, and how to handle each one. The program is used throughout the Omaha Public Schools.
Students in kindergarten through sixth grade attend Crestridge.