海角破解版

Should wearing a beat-up pair of shoes get a kid bullied? More than 300 middle-schoolers pondered that question this week at Cleveland Metropolitan School District鈥檚 (CMSD) annual anti-bullying summit.

The youngsters started laughing as soon as summit organizer Edward 鈥淒J Phatty鈥� Banks flashed a photo of worn-out sneakers.

鈥淚f J.J. wore these shoes, what would you say 鈥� and y鈥檃ll better keep it 100,鈥� he said.

鈥淢ost people, they would make a big scene and get everybody to see鈥︹�� the kids admitted.

But the laughter stopped when Banks challenged students to help instead of hurt. The session was just one exercise in two days devoted to stopping bullying.

CMSD also has programs in place for kids as young as pre-kindergarten in an effort to stop bullying before it even starts. The 鈥淣ot on Our Watch鈥� bullying prevention program is being used from pre-K through high school in Cleveland to help kids build social self-control and critical thinking skills, as well as keep school a 鈥渟afe, warm environment.鈥�

Psychologist Bill Stencil the executive director of CMSD鈥檚 social emotional learning curriculum, said summits like the one this week and the school district鈥檚 other efforts pay off in several ways.

鈥淥ur attendance rates our improving and we know some young people stayed away from school when they鈥檙e being bullied,鈥� Stencil said.